Here is a quick glamour tip for Photoshop CS4 to add some "Wow!" to eyes and lips. It involves a Vibrance adjustment layer, the Masks panel, and the Brush tool. This is a quick retouch that gives you a lot of control.

(It is possible to use the Photoshop CS4 Sponge tool set to Vibrance and Saturate. You get less control. In my experience, it's easy to end up with too strong an effect. Lips can end up looking like too much lipstick was applied, etc.)

The retouch begins by adding a Vibrance adjustment layer. The Adjustments panel doesn't add any powerful new features to Photoshop CS4, but it does make it faster and more efficient to change the settings for adjustment layers. Set the Saturation slider to -100. This will be a temporary change. The result is a desaturated image. It will look gray.

Step 1: Desaturate The Photo

Now, go to the Masks panel and press the Invert button. It will invert the default mask, changing it from Reveal All to Hide All. There, the color returns!

Step 2: Invert The Default Mask

Grab the Brush tool. Typically here, you'll use 100% for the Opacity setting. Adjust te Brush size so you can paint over the lips and the eyes. You can use the square bracket keys ("[" and "]") to change the Brush size on the fly. As you paint with White, the image features will be desaturated. You are painting on the layer mask and allowing the effect of the Vibrance adjustment to show through selectively. This makes it easy to see where you're applying the retouch. If you make a mistake, just set the Brush to Black and paint the mistake out.

Step 4: Brush With White

Now, go back and restore the Saturation slider to 0. That starts you with no effect for the layer. Adjust the Vibrance and Saturation sliders to taste. You can ake a small adjustment or go wild. It's your choice.

Before The Retouch

After The Retouch

This is a quick and easy glamour retouch that works well for both the irises of the eyes and the lips.

Enjoy!

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