How to Lose Weight with Photoshop

I've worked with Photoshop and its effects on a regular basis for over eight years, quickly becoming the "go-to" expert for friends and family with photo retouching, enhancement, or other graphics needs. Over the years I've used a great deal of different Photoshop effects for different purposes, and have found ways to make utilizing the effects easier and more enjoyable for both the average and the advanced Photoshop user.

Did you ever wish you could lose weight with the simple click of the mouse? Even if you haven't, others certainly have, and now thanks to the magic of Photoshop. This article looks at a fast, easy way to shave off a few pounds from your face in a photo.

What it boils down to is shadows, especially around the jawline. The more you weigh, the less of a shadow there is under your chin. The less shadow you see, the heavier you think the person is. By increasing the shadow even a little bit, you're taking off pounds.

(Disclaimer: I've had people ask me complex questions about getting into the professional photography business. While I have friends in the profession and know that Photoshop is a necessary tool for the modern photographer, I'm not in the business, so I can't answer related questions; I just have a knack for retouching the photos of friends and family and am familiar with the workings of the program.)

The first thing you do is open the photo you want to work on click on "create new layer". Make a half-moon shape that opens up toward the top of the picture. Click on the "Pen" tool and select "shape layers". Click the back area of the jawline, then click-drag it towards the front jawline. Do the same thing at the bottom of the chin. Click-drag the jaw line on the other side, and once more at the back of that line. Click-drag underneath the jawline on the neck. Lastly, go back to the first point you made and finish it off.

Click the "Direct Selection" tool. You need to correlate the shape you just created with the subject's jaw. You can press Shift+A to go back and forth between Path Selection (designated by a black arrow) and Direct Selection (a white arrow). Click-drag your anchor points onto the jaw. If necessary, adjust the shape's curve to match the jawline. Using the "Direct Selection" Tool, click a space somewhere on your shape, and click-drag one of your direction points to move the curve.

We'll be using this layer to make a "selection" (an area outlined by a moving dotted line), so switch off the layer by clicking on the button shaped like an eye and click to make another layer. Press Control and click on the shape to make a selection. Press Alt+Backspace and fill in your selection with black.

Switch off your selection, and set the layer's opacity to half-power. The shadow near the jaw should be a little blurred. Click on Filter

On this shadow, the edge near the jaw should have a slight blur. Click on Filter/Blur/Gaussian Blur. Choose your pixels according to the desired resolution (2 is usually high enough.) Click on Layer/Add Layer Mask/Reveal All. Choose the "Brush" Tool, then pick a brush with a smoother edge-the pixel number will depend on the subject's size. Opacity should be just below half power. Start covering the mask on the shadow, but don't go overboard on it.

Trying shifting the layer's opacity level to one-quarter power and view the results on your shadow. If it needs work, try scaling the opacity up or down and enlarging or reducing the mask until your results look believable. If you discover that a piece of clothing is in the area you're working on, you'll need to insert a shadow between the clothing and the subject's skin.

Make a new layer. Click on the "Pen" Tool, and choose Paths. Choose the "Brush" Tool and a brush with another smooth edge. Set your opacity to full power, then click on "Paths" and choose the Stroke path. Deselect the path, then click on the Layers palette. Change the opacity to one-third power. If you discover your shadow is too sharp, adjust your opacity accordingly.

Good luck. Remember, don't overdo it: there's a fine line between shaving off a few pounds, and an obviously doctored photo.