The image we are going to use can be found at Dreamstime.com.

Original image from Dreamstime

Step 1

Open your image and go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Black & White and enter the values I have shown in the image below.

Black & White Layer Adjustment

Step 2

Select the Brush Tool (B) and choose a round brush and set the Hardness to 33%.

Set Hardness to 33%

Step 3

Select Quick Mask Mode by pressing (Q) and using black (#000000) as your foreground color begin to paint over the iris. If you accidentally paint over the whites of the eye, simply paint them back with white (#ffffff) to remove the mask.

Quick Mask Mode

Step 4

Exit Quick Mask Mode by pressing the (Q) key again and invert the selection by going to Select > Inverse. Next go to Select > Modify >Feather and enter a radius of 2 pixels.

Feather Radius 2 Pixels

Step 5

With Black (#000000) still set as your foreground color, select the Black & White Adjustment Layer Mask and press ALT + Backspace to fill your selection with Black (#000000). Press CTRL + D to get rid of the selection. You should have something that looks like the image below.

Fill Selection with Black

Step 6

Next we will boost the saturation to bring out our models eyes by going to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation and set Saturation to +36.

Boost Saturation

Final

Anything to Share?

I would love to see your examples below. Do you have any favorite tools, tips, tutorials or techniques you would like to share? Leave your comments below. There can never be too much of a good thing.

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1. 4 Rust Color Digital Backgrounds for Your Photography and Portrait Needs
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3. 6 Free Digital Backgrounds For Portrait or Still Life Photography

• Textures in web design– In web design, textures are so versatile because they can be used in all elements of CSS and layout design. Depending on your audience and mission, you can use textures in all aspects of header, footer, sidebar, content and background design.
  Textures In Modern Web Design (Smashing Magazine)
• Textures in photography– By adding a texture to a photograph using an image editing program like Photoshop, you can easily give your image a “vintage” or completely distressed look. Be careful not to go overboard with your textures, not every image will benefit, but a little goes a long way and can add big impact to your photography work.
  The Inspiring Textures Gallery (Flickr)
• Textures as brushes– Most every image editing software allows you to create your own custom brush set. Making your own set of brushes out of textures will grantee your work Will have a unique style.
  Free High Res Photoshop Brushes: Grungy Texture (Bittbox)
• Textures in textures– By using multiple textures and different blend modes in Photoshop, you are able to create a limitless library of textures to use in any of your projects. There are many advantages to creating your own textures, like speeding up your production work.
  36 Cool Free Textures (Abduzeedo)
• Textures as patterns– Photoshop patterns are versatile and powerful. They can be used as seamless pixel fills, as a pattern stamp tool, fill layers, and layer styles to name a few. Seamless patterns are by far the most sought after due to the skill required to create them. Web designers love seamless patterns because they can be placed as a background element and not display the dreaded and very distracting seam.
  Textures and Patterns Design Showcase (Smashing Magazine)
• Textures in typography– Textures in your typography, graphic and logo design can change the mood of your work and even the way people read the design.
  Watercolor Typography in Photoshop (Texture Lovers)
• Textures in abstract designs– By using a variety of textures, filters, brushes and lighting effects, you can create some beautiful abstract designs and wallpapers simply with textures alone.
  Tuesday Total Textures #12 (Abduzeedo)
• Textures in backgrounds– As a digital painter, I use a lot of textures in my backgrounds and have both sold and given away a few. Removing a subject from a distracting background is a great way to place the emphasis where it belongs–the main subject.
  Digital Backgrounds (Photo Into Painting)
• Textures as papers — The ability to create papers from textures is one of my favorite features in Corel Painter. Just like in traditional media, your choice in substrate can greatly enhance your Corel Painter projects.
  Wood Grain Paper Textures For Corel Painter (Photo Into Painting)
• Textures in digital scrapbooking– Another big community that uses high res textures are digital scrapbookers. I’ve seen them used as full page layouts, edging effects, paper creation, and accenting photographs, to name a few.
  Scrapbook (flickr)

By no means is this an exhaustive list. There are countless ways in which high res textures can be used and created. As an element of design, texture can add impact and your bring designs to life through variation and relief. They are fun to create and even more fun to use. Please share your thoughts on how else you use high res textures.

Feel free to check out some of my design freebies here. Besides designing freebies, I also offer custom digital paintings to the public and provide special services for photographers.

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Where to begin?

Well the first thing you need to know are the maximum dimensions allowed for your Facebook profile photo. Facebook displays your profile images at a maximum 200 x 600px. If you upload an image larger then these dimensions then Facebook will automatically resize and crop your image to fit their layout.

The trick I am going to show you today is nothing new or groundbreaking, but its a fun way to break out of the creative box Facebook has placed all of us in. Ill show you how to create the background in three easy steps.

Step 1

Creat a new document in Photoshop with a width of 200px and height of 600px. Fill the background layer with white.

Step 2

Next we need to create the top of our image which sits 52px above the thin 1px gray border. We will use this area to give the illusion that we are breaking out of the box.

Select the Rectangular Marque Tool (M) and create a selection 200 x 52px and fill this selection with #edeff4.

Step 3

Now select the Single Row Marque Tool and create the 1px border below the previous step. Fill this selection with #dee3ed. Name this layer background.

All that is left to do now is find a nice picture of whatever you like and overlay the image on top of our background layer.

Here is a screen shot from one of my profile images. I simply used a variety of grungy brushes on a layer mask to remove some of the image background. You can see that my head extends past the border and allows me to break from the page.

The trickiest part is isolating your image but never fear below is a video tutorial on how to use the Extract filter in Photoshop. Also I suggest you watch a video from a preivious post: How To Replace Your Digital Backdrops for your Digital Portrait Photography.

There are a ton of different ways to remove your subject from a background, but experiment with different techniques and have fun with the process. Not all techniques work on all images. Ultimately your image will dictate what method you should use or combination of methods.

Here is the PSD file for you to play with! Facebook Profile Picture Background PSD file

Remember have fun and feel free to share you background removal tips and screen shots of your Facebook profile photos below.

Have a look at our pricing to create a Stylized Vector Profile Portrait from your photo.

Related posts:

1. Stylized Facebook Profile Portrait
2. Stylized Social Media Profile Portrait
3. 5 Free Digital Backgrounds for Your Creative Needs

Monday I was happy to share with you 6 free digital backgrounds that you can use for personal and/or commercial purposes. Today I want to share with you a great, easy to follow video tutorial that demonstrates how to extract your subject from a background and place on a new backdrop.

While working with the video, I encourage you to keep in mind that these techniques work best when your backdrop is solid and of high contrast from the subject. Every image is different and each will require it’s own troubleshooting rules. This is one of the many reasons why I love digital art and Adobe Photoshop so much. No two projects are every really the same!

The image above was created with the techniques discussed in the video using one of my digital backgrounds and an image from Dreamstime.com that can be found here.

So sit back, grab a cup of tea or hot chocolate and enjoy the video!

So what did you think about the video tutorial? If you worked along with the video, I would love to see your final results!

Related links from Amazon.com

• Westcott Green Screen Digital Photography Kit
• 2500+ Digital Backgrounds

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Remember to work around the child’s schedule and don’t overload yourself with creative concepts or ideas. Keep things simple and clutter free. Stay focused! The important thing is to record the moment.

0-3 Months

Aside from being an exciting new member to the family, newborns are a joy to photograph. The key ideas to keep in mind are newborns don’t move around much. Posing and keeping them comfortable is critical to having a successful session. The major milestone to capture at this age is them holding up their head.

There are many ways to approach recording their moment to shine. Of course you can simply place the baby down with a soft blanket placed rolled underneath them, but consider covering a parent with a blanket and having them hold their child–especially good if the child is fussy or gassy.

4-6 Months

Probably the most fun you will ever have taking children portraits. During this time children are able to sit up and push up from their tummies. You have to be quick but your options for posing and prop selection increases. Consider having the child sit in a nice chair or add a small bouquet of flowers.

7-9 Months

At this stage things can become a bit more challenging. Some key things to keep in mind are little ones at this age are drool monsters and really like to have their hands in the mouth. Teething is not fun and some children begin to feel separation anxiety even with parents at arms length. So be patient, keep drool towels around and have multiple outfit changes on hand. The window of opportunity for photographing a comfortable non drooling 7-9 month old will open and close in an instant, so be ready and sensitive to their needs.

Children at this age are standing while holding onto something and capturing those chunky little legs is a treat. Consider taking off the shoes and showing off their round little toes.

10-12 Months

At this age they really want to interact and explore their environment, so be creative and have them interact with your setting. It’s OK if the child isn’t looking at the camera capture them doing what they do and their personality will shine through. By this time they are probably standing mostly on their own. A great theme to consider is the birthday party. The one year party is a huge milestone. Strip the baby down and use a cupcake or small cake to stage the classic cake in face photograph. Of course wait until the end of a session because things can go from fun to wild–have plenty of wipes and rags at the ready.

These are just a few ideas you can take with you when trying to decide on what kind of photograph to capture. Capturing each of these milestones will help you to choose the perfect image for a photo into painting.

Remember to have fun, stay focused and share your experiences below. What is your favorite type of baby photograph?

Have a look at Digital Photography School‘s blog for some great general photography tips, info and to see some examples of photographing newborns and children.

• Baby Photography 101

• 8 Tips for Mom-a-raz-zo Photographers

Related posts:

1. Photography Tips Introduction
2. How to capture the perfect baby portrait?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a special connection with children and babies in particular. Babies have an almost sixth sense and are able to read people instantly. In-turn you too have to read the baby’s eyes, expression and respond accordingly in order to make them feel at ease with you and the photography session. Photography sessions will end immediately without hope of salvation if the baby is not comfortable.

Photographing babies never felt like work–although it is an extreme amount of work. There is a great deal of mental and physical preparation that must be done prior to any baby photo session.

The Basics:

Every child is different but there are some universal truths that will help you capture that perfect shot.

1. Ensure all of your camera equipment is set up and ready to go well before you begin. Check that the batteries are full and blank memory cards are at hand.
2. Make sure the time of day is right for the baby. Naps and full bellies are golden–So so important! Keep in mind that if your baby falls asleep don’t fret; some of the cutest pictures are of sleeping babies–angels I tell you!
3. Be loose, have fun and act silly. Babies love funny faces, peekaboo, and silly sounds. An extra pair of hands is also great to help with entertaining the baby so that you can focus on catching the moment.
4. Lighting is very important.The best lighting is in the morning and early evening. Pull open the shades and let the sun shine in. If possible turn off your flash–they tend to wash out skin color, destroy details and fatten the image.
5. Have a couple of outfit changes and wipes ready in case of accidents. Clothing should be plain without distracting detail such as stripes and wild patterns. Wild clothing is fun, but the focal point is the baby and her expression.
6. Use a simple backdrop such as pillows and blankets without any distracting elements printed on them.
7. Take lots of photos! Babies are FAST and expressions can come and go in a blink of an eye. Your reflexes have to be sharp.
8. Be creative and shoot everything . Take shots of toes, fingers, feet, hands, ears, round bellies, baby rolls etc. Vary your shots from full lengths to close ups. Try different angles such as standing above and shooting down or get down low and shoot up. Most of the time you’ll want to have the camera down on their level but a little variety will make things more interesting.

Again just have fun and don’t stress. If things do not work out the way you had planned take a deep breath, wait awhile, change the set up and give it another go!

Do you have any stories to share about a great photo session? How about any nightmares? Leave your comments below!

Stay tuned! In the next article we’ll discuss different ideas and age appropriate poses.

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Introduction

Welcome to Photo Into Painting’s Photography Tips Corner! Over the coming weeks and months I hope to share with you my knowledge, expertise and research into the wonderful world of photography. I invite amateurs, hobbyists and professional photographers to share their knowledge and resources with the community. No matter your age or skill level we can all learn from each other. My hopes with this blog is to help clients capture the perfect photograph to transform into one of my unique paintings.

My professional artistic career began with photography over fourteen years ago, and it was love at first click. The human form and expressive qualities of the eyes fascinates me. The emotional roller coaster of both capturing and not capturing your intended results is a powerful experience. The absolute high of feeling the universe align perfectly before your eyes and releasing the shutter is amazing.

The ability to read your subject and capture a fleeting moment in time and space is magic. Photography, when things go right, brings you to a Zen like state–one that allows you to read the world around you and affords you the opportunity to anticipate the next shot. Though when things go wrong , such as an oversight of a tiny detail at a critical moment, it is crushing. Especially if that moment is gone forever–ouch! Don’t fret; these things happen–equipment malfunctions, lighting doesn’t always cooperate. The best you can do is pick up your camera and have at it again. Learn from those mistakes and take this new found wisdom with you on your next photo shoot.

My first tip is to shoot–a lot! In the grand scheme of things film and memory cards are cheap–in comparison to missing that all important shot. Burn through them like your life depends on it. Have fun! You will learn so much from yourself post production. Also don’t trash your old cameras, either donate them or instead stage them in easy to reach places so that you can be ready in an instant. You never know when that perfect moment will show her head.

In closing, simply get out and enjoy yourself. Take photographs of everything, play and have fun. The world is a beautiful and mysterious place. Pictures are truly worth more than a thousand words and complex ideas and emotions can be expressed beautifully with photography.

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1. Baby First Year Photography Tips
2. How to capture the perfect baby portrait?