Today, I wanted to share a photoshop tip with you that I learned years ago.  People sometimes comment about the way the eyes pop in my photos.  So, I’d like to share how to get eyes that ‘pop in a photo.’  But, first, I want to start off by saying a few things…

A.  I’m not a photoshop guru.  My philosophy in editing is that there’s more than one way to skin a cat.  I am self-taught, so just because I do it this way, doesn’t mean it’s the RIGHT way.

B.  There’s no substitute for good light.  You want to light your subject’s face with clean indirect light.  If it looks great to start, it’ll look amazing with a few tweaks.  But, you never want to try to ‘fix’ a photo.

dodged-eyes

Here’s the secret…the dodge tool.  The tool can be found in your tool palette and it looks like a lollipop!  At the top of your toolbar, select the midtones in the range option and set the opacity to 30%.  I dodge once or twice right in the middle of the eye.  Don’t over-do it, you can get an ‘alien look’ very quickly.  Play around with the settings for different eye colors.