Step one: Find an image of eyes you want to enhance. I think that a picture with bright eyes really improves it. Also i think entries with good eyes score higher.

Step 2: Press Command Shift N. This will create a new layer but you can pick the settings. Follow these settings.

Now, you have a layer that you can dodge and burn on without damaging the original picture. The dodge tool can be used to lighten only certain parts of a picture. It is helpful to make a picture more dramatic. The burn tool selectively darkens certain areas. You just have to click on the part you want to be affected.

Step 3: Select your dodge tool. The shortcut is 'O'. If it takes you to the burn tool instead, just press 'shift O' until you have it selected (the dodge tool looks like a black magnifying glass). At the top of the screen, where it says 'range', select midtones. The exposure should be about 45% - this is, simply, how much lighter the effect will be when you use the tool.

Use a soft brush, and paint over the whole eye area (except the pupils), which will apply an overall, uniform lightening of the areas you paint.

Step 4: Make the exposure about 60%-65%. Find the highlights in the iris and lighten them. I click a few times. The highlights here are on the right side. Dodge any other highlights you see.

Step 5: Select your burn tool by pressing shift O. It looks like a hand. Set the exposure to 55% and the range to midtones. Then, outline the iris. It makes it pop more. Then, set the range to shadows because you are going to burn the pupil, which is dark. Click a few times on each pupil.

Touch it up. To create depth, burn the insides of the eyelids. Go back over the brightest highlights with a low exposure with the dodge tool.

Step 6: You can give her a little bit of makeup, too. With an exposure of 70%, darken the eyelid, where there would be eyeliner. Darken her eyelashes, too. Then, change the exposure to midtones. Darken her eyelid. It depends on how dark you want it, but I use 40% exposure. Burn her eyebrows with 40% exposure. I also lighten under her eyes a little bit.

If you want, you can touch up the rest of the image top. E.g. her hair, lips, etc. Here is the final product. If it is too extreme for you, lower the opacity a little bit. There are a lot of other ways to brighten eyes like using a brush set to soft light, or using 2 brightness contrast or curves layers and masking out the light and dark parts. But this is just one way. :)

Hope this was helpful!

Photoshop tutorial by veronicagirl2k orginally posted on Worth1000.

Looking to for more tutorials, try this one for creating Manga or visit blog.designcrowd.com/tag/tutorial for more helpful hints and tips to boost your designer skills.

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Written by DesignCrowd on Thursday, June 22, 2017

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