porcelain

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Porcelain Effect

Nice effect especially when used on snapshots of children.

1. Open color image and convert to Grayscale.

2. Create new white layer and drag it below the Background layer.

3. On top layer with Free Select Tool trace roughly around the child's outline.

4. Now invert selection and then go to Edit > Clear.

5. Select > None.

6. Add white layer mask and paint with black, soft brush over remaining background. Zoom if necessary for better accuracy. Don't worry about fine things as wispy hair.

7. Flatten image.

8. Duplicate layer.

9. With Free Select Tool using a feather radius of about 20 select eyes, nose and lips or anything else you want to keep sharp.

10. Select > Invert.

11. Apply heavy Gaussian Blur of about 60 blur radius ( larger images might need a larger blur radius, smaller images less ).

12. Change top layer mode to screen.

13. Select > None.

14. On top layer add white layer mask and with soft, black brush with about 10% opacity paint over areas were too much detail was lost. For this particular image the shoulder's outline.

15. Flatten image.

16. Create new white layer and drag it below the Background layer.

17. Add white layer mask and with soft,black brush paint on bottom of photo to give it a rounder shape.

18. Final image ( additionally lightened black area below eyes using Free Select Tool with a large feather radius of 40 and then Colors > Levels and moving middle arrow to the left ).