Adobe Photoshop CS6 Top 100 Simplified Tips and Tricks by Lynette Kent

LIGHTEN THE IRISES with a gradient layer
The eyes are generally considered the most important
feature in a portrait. You can add interest to the eyes
and draw the viewer in by giving the eyes a digital
brightening effect. You can improve the eyes in a
variety of ways in Photoshop. Some methods work
better on one image than another, so learning and
trying various techniques lets you improve your
images according to your subject and the project’s
requirements.
You must apply the gradient on a separate layer, not
only to protect the original image and make it easy to
undo the effect, but also so you can adjust the strength
of the eye brightening to fit your photo and make it
look natural. You adjust the layer opacity as you view
the effect on-screen before flattening the layers and
saving the file. This technique is very quick and often
gives just enough sparkle to an otherwise dull eye.
Like all portrait retouching, the effect should be subtle
and yet still brighten the subject’s eyes.
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Note: Photograph copyright
© Photospin.com.
1 Click the New Layer button in the
Layers panel to add a new layer.
2 Click the Default Colors icon to
reset the default colors to black
and white.
3 Press X to reverse the default
colors, making the foreground
color white.
4 Click the Zoom tool and zoom in
to enlarge the eyes.
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7
7 6
A
5 Click the Gradient tool.
The Options bar changes.
6 Click the Radial gradient.
7 Click the gradient drop-down
menu and select the Foreground
(White) to Transparent gradient.
A Reverse should be unchecked;
Dither and Transparency should
be checked.
8 Click in the center of one pupil
and drag to the edge of the iris.
9 Repeat step 8 for the second eye.
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