How to Make Eyes Pop in Photoshop

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Zoom in on your image.

   Use the magnify tool to zoom in on your image, focusing on one eye at a time.
   
   This will make it easier to focus on your work, and to see the detail of the changes you are making.
2. 2

   Step 2: Select the eye using the magnetic lasso tool.

   The magnetic lasso tool is a selection tool that allows you to select a rough outline of a shape, and it ‘magnetically’ selects the surrounding image to create a smooth, even selection.
   
   This is much easier than using the regular lasso tool, as you don’t have to draw perfect lines in order to get the whole eye selected.
   
   Click the magnetic lasso tool on your sidebar, and then carefully outline the shape of the iris (only the colored part of the eye). , The feather tool allows you to blend an edited and an unedited portion of an image, so that any changes you make to a small area won’t be so harsh.
   
   You can find the ‘feather’ tool on the layer tab on the top menu bar.
   
   Change the number in the feather box to ‘10’
   - you can play around with this number to see what you prefer, though. , At the top menu bar, select the ‘Filter’ tab, and scroll down to the ‘unsharp mask’ tool.
   
   This tool, although it may sound like the opposite, works to sharpen the iris and bring out the details and color in the image.
   
   Once you click the button, you have the ability to adjust the settings on the mask.
   
   Change the ‘radius’ to
   3.6, and the ‘threshold’ to
   0.
   
   Then, move the ‘amount’ slider to adjust the total amount of sharpening you do.
   
   Play around with this until you find a happy medium that you like.
   
   Keep in mind that less is more; sharpening the eye too much might take the realism out of the image. , The last thing you can do to finish up your project is to slightly adjust the contrast.
   
   Select the contrast tool from the photo editing tab at the top menu bar, and move the slider (or change the number) to alter the contrast.
   
   A little goes a long ways with this tool, so be careful that you don’t overdo it. , When you think you’re done, zoom out to make sure the overall image is enhanced and doesn’t look too cartoonish. ,
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   Step 3: Feather your selection.

4. 4

   Step 4: Select the ‘unsharp mask’ tool.

5. 5

   Step 5: Adjust the contrast.

6. 6

   Step 6: Repeat the process with the other eye

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   Step 7: being careful to use the same levels/numbers as you did on the first eye.

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   Step 8: Finished!

Detailed Guide

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