Paint on Faces

Open an image of someone you'd like to use for this project. It's best your subject is facing directly into the camera. I downloaded this image from Shutterstock.com.

Also, find a graphic that you'd like to paint onto the face. For this example, I'll use the New York Mets logo.

The first thing we'll do is to convert your subject into a Smart Object, so we can modify it nondestructively. It'll also allows us to replace the subject at any time without having to redo all the effects.

Click the icon at the upper, right of the Layers panel and click "Convert to Smart Object".

Open back the list and click "Duplicate Layer".

Open the fly-out Document list and click, "New". Type in "Displacement". Then, click OK.

This duplicate layer will be used as a "displacement map", which will warp the graphic around the contours of the face.

Go to Filter → Blur → Gaussian Blur. I'll blur it 3 pixels, however, you may want to adjust this amount depending on the size and resolution of your image. Blur your image approximately this much.

Click the Adjustment layer icon and click "Black & White". This removes all the color from your image.

Go to File → "Save As". Save it to your Desktop as a Photoshop PSD file and click "Save".

If you see this message, click OK.

Click the "x" on the right of the tab of the Displacement file to close it.

Next, we'll make a selection around the face of your subject. There are many ways to do this and your method should depend on the characteristics of your image.

For this example, I'll use the Quick Selection Tool with a radius of 10 pixels. If you're using this tool, as well, you may want to adjust the radius amount depending on your image's size and resolution.

Drag your tool over your subject's face, but not the ears and neck.

To remove areas, press and hold Alt or Option as you drag your tool over those areas.

Click the Refine Edge button or go to Select → Refine Edge. Check Smart Radius and brush over the hairline. Smart Radius automatically adapts the radius to the image edges.

Output it as a "Layer Mask" and click OK.

Click the Adjustment Layer icon and click "Black & White".

Drag the face layer mask over the top layer mask to replace it. If you see this message, click "Yes".

To see the color of the eyes, we need to reveal them through the layer mask.

First, zoom into the eyes by pressing z on your keyboard and drag the tool over the eyes.

Open your Brush Tool and Brush Picker. We'll take care of the size in a moment.

Make sure the Hardness is 0% and the Opacity and Flow are 100%. Then, press Enter or Return.

To make your brush bigger or smaller, press the ] or [ bracket key on your keyboard.

Brush inside both eyes to reveal their colors.

To fit your image back onto your screen, press Ctrl + 0 or Cmd + 0.

Open a graphic that you'd like to paint onto the face.

Convert it into a Smart Object.

Press v to open your Move Tool and drag the graphic onto the tab of your subject. Without releasing your computer mouse or pen, drag it down onto the image and release.

To see your subject under it, reduce the graphic's opacity.

To resize it, open your Transform Tool by pressing Ctrl + T or Cmd + T.

Go to a corner and when you see a diagonal, double-arrow, press and hold Alt or Option + Shift as you drag the Transform to a size smaller than the face.

Drag it to the center and if you need to, adjust its size, so it sits approximately between the cheekbones. Then, press Enter or Return.

Go to Filter → Distort → Pinch. Zoom out of its Preview window, so you can see your entire graphic.

Drag the Amount to approximate the amount of curve of your subject's face. For this example, I'll make it minus 78 and click OK.

Let's finesse its shape more, so it sits comfortably over the face.

Open your Transform Tool and when you see this message, it's essentially telling us that the bulging effect of our graphic will be temporarily turned off as we use the Transform Tool. Click OK.

Make it smaller, go to the middle of the side and when you see a horizontal, double-arrow, press and hold Alt or Option + Shift as you drag it in. Then, press Enter or Return.

Continue to adjust it until you're happy with its size and shape.

Make its opacity: 50% and change its Blend Mode to "Color Burn".

Next, we'll wrap it around the contours of the face.

Go to Filter → Distort → Displace. Make the Horizontal and Vertical scales: 5, "Stretch to Fit" and "Repeat Edge Pixels". Then, click OK.

On your Desktop, click the "Displacement" PSD file that you saved earlier. Then, click "Open".

Next, hide the areas of the graphic that extend past our subject's face, as well as, reveal the eyes through the graphic.

To do this, press and hold Alt or Option as you drag a copy of the face layer mask next to the graphic.

Click the Adjustment Layer icon and click "Vibrance".

To confine the Vibrance adjustment layer to just the graphic on the face, drag a copy of the face layer mask on top of the vibrance layer mask. As before, click, "Yes" to replace the Layer Mask.

Click the Vibrance icon and drag the Vibrance slider to 100 and make the Saturation 20.