OO2. ( && ADOBE LIGHTROOM + PHOTOSHOP )

↳ HOW TO MAKE A MANIP

MANIPS RELY ON YOU CHOOSING THE RIGHT PICTURES OF YOUR FACECLAIMS.

i've put that in bold for a reason. the amount of times i've tried and failed when it comes to manips simply because i keep attempting to use photos that just don't work well together is probably in the thousands by now.

in an attempt to explain, i'm gonna categorise the different manip styles and provide some examples ( disclaimer : my manips are not perfect and i never ever mean to infer that, it's just the only visual aid i have on hand since i don't feel comfortable using other peoples' without permission )

please note : realistic vs clearly edited are simply stylistic choices and not different ways of making manips.

━━ HEAD SWAP !

pretty self-explanatory but it refers to replacing only the head/face with your faceclaim.

there are two types of head swap manips:

1. swapping the head/face▬yet keeping other aspects like their outfit, other people and the background of the photo. this is typically seen in more realistic manips.

2. swapping the head/face▬and then placing them in a different setting (either with or without anyone else from the original photo; if there was anyone else). this is most commonly seen on harry potter/marvel/dc etc. covers but can be used for others too.

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PARTIAL ! ━━

partial manips are what i would classify as scene manips.

it's different to head/face swapping as you're using a full body shot of one faceclaim ( unedited/not manipulated ) and placing them into the setting of another ( that is again unedited/not manipulated )

for example :

you insert faceclaim #1 into an empty space next to faceclaim #2 OR completely cover up the other person that's in the photo next to faceclaim #2 with faceclaim #1.

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━━ COMPLETE !

with complete manips, you're changing/editing everything. this is what i think most people would classify as a ❛ regular simple manip cover ❜ for one, two or more people.

i'm hoping this is about to makes sense rip

there are three ways that this can go :

1. you have one faceclaim and decide to create either an artificial or realistic setting to place a png image of them in.

2. you have two faceclaims▬faceclaim #1 ( odette ) and faceclaim #2 ( arthur ). since odette and arthur's aesthetics match ( merlin ), you decide that it's possible to just use original png photos of them; and then you arrange them in a way that looks as if they're in the same setting; creating it all yourself.

side note : this can be used for non-cover related manips too

3. you have two faceclaims▬except one of them has been head/face swapped ( pam ), and the other has not ( steve ). you then arrange them in a way that looks as if they're in the same setting; creating it all yourself.

side note : the faceclaims could have both been head/face swapped too (valerie + sirius )

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TUTORIAL

i'm gonna take you through a simple head swap manip below. specific tutorials on harry potter, marvel + various other covers will be posted separately at a later date as they can be different!

STEP ONE : gather your images. for this head swap, i'm trying to replace sue with kristin. as a result, i was looking for a photo of kristin that matched the way sue was leaning. once i found a similar image, i ended up flipping it horizontally since the direction was wrong.

STEP TWO : go to file ➜ open ➜ select your main image. for me, it's the one of johnny and sue.

STEP THREE : go to file ➜ open ➜ select the png of your intended faceclaim and load them into the same project as your main image. from there, lower the opacity of your faceclaim to 70% so that you can see the image behind them▬this allows you to match up the chin/eyes/neck, as well as change the size where needed, until the face beneath is perfectly covered.

STEP FOUR : select the eraser tool and remove any unwanted parts of the image. for this example, it's kristin's pink jacket.

STEP FIVE : change the opacity back to 100%. from there, adjust the colour balance, brightness and saturation until the faceclaim's head blends in with the rest of the image and it's colouring.

STEP SIX : create a new layer and select the patch tool ( it's icon looks like a stitched blanket ). from there, use the tool to remove any unwanted aspects of the image that weren't covered by the faceclaim or their hair.

please note : you really need to choose the right parts of the background to copy&patch so things don't look out of place.

STEP SEVEN : export the finished product and load it into ibis paint for editing ( see my ibis paint chapters on hair and highlight ).

RESULT :

( i'd like to preface that i made this v quickly, and so while it's not perfect, you get the point )

ANY QUESTIONS ?