Hi. This is Marty from Blue Lightning TV.
I'm going to show you how to create vintage, matchbook-style portraits from photos that
simplify shapes and contours, intensify colors & contrast and infuse them with color halftone dot patterns.
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Open a photo of a face that you'd like to use for this project.
I downloaded this one from Shutterstock.
To ensure that your results will look similar to mine, check your photo’s size and resolution.
To do this, go to Image and Image Size.
Make its width and height approximately between 800 and 1200 pixels
and its resolution 72 pixels per inch.
The first step is to separate your subject from its background by making a selection
around the subject.
There are many ways to do this and I covered them all in my tutorials.
I find that in most cases, I use the Quick Selection Tool for its versatility and ease.
If you're using this tool as well, make its Radius anywhere between 5 and 15 pixels and
drag your tool over the inside of your subject.
To remove areas outside your subject, press and hold Alt or Option as you drag over those areas.
To refine its edges, go to Select.
If you're using a version earlier than CC 2015.5, click "Refine Edge", however, if you're
using CC 2015.5 or later, click "Select and Mask" or you can open "Refine Edge" by Shift-clicking it.
I did in-depth tutorials on both of these filters, so if you'd like to watch them, I
included their links are in my video's description below.
Check "Smart Radius".
This let's Photoshop know which edges are soft & feathery edges and which edges are hard.
Drag the Radius a bit to the right.
To adjust the size of your brush, make sure your CapsLock key is off and press the left
or right bracket key on your keyboard.
Drag over the soft edges of your subject like the hair.
Check "Decontaminate colors" to prevent color fringing onto the edges of your subject from
the background.
Output it to a "New Layer with Layer Mask".
Then, click OK.
We'll convert it into a Smart Object, so we can modify it non-destructively.
To do this, click the icon at the upper, right corner and click, "Convert to Smart Object".
Make a copy of it by pressing Ctrl or Cmd + J. Name the copy, "Color Halftone"
and temporarily hide the layer.
Make the bottom layer active.
We'll make a new layer above it by clicking the New Layer icon.
We'll fill the empty layer with any color for now.
The color doesn't matter since we're going to add a gradient overlay.
I'll fill it with my background color, which is white by pressing Ctrl or Cmd + Delete.
Double-click the layer to open its Layer Style window.
Click "Gradient Overlay" and the gradient bar.
Click the "Black, White" box and click OK.
The Blend Mode is Normal and make the opacity 80%.
Check "Reverse" and "Align with Layer.
Make the Style: Radial, the Angle: 30 degrees and the Scale 125%.
If the gradient isn't centered in the Preview window, simply drag the gradient and release
until it looks centered in the Preview window.
We'll brighten the detail in the darkest tones of our subject by first making our visible
subject layer active going to Image, Adjustments and "Shadows/Highlights".
Drag the Shadows amount slider all the way to the left to show the photo as it normally
looks and then slowly drag the slider to the right until the darker areas brighten just enough.
Next, we'll add a strong surface blur to our subject, which will ultimately give it an
overall smoothness, while preserving its edges.
Go to Filter, Blur and "Surface Blur".
Make the Radius: 10 and the Threshold: 50.
Double-click the "Blending Options" icon and open your list of Blend Modes.
Click "Lighten".
As I toggle back and forth, you can see the difference.
Next, we'll soften the focus of the pixels that have the least change in color.
Go to Filter, Stylize and Diffuse.
Tick "Anisotropic".
We'll give it a painterly look by going back to Filter, Stylize and "Oil Paint".
The Stylization is 4, the Cleanliness is 10, the Scale is 0.1 and the Bristle Detail is 10.
Make sure Lighting is unchecked.
Next, we'll increase the contrast of edge detail, which creates the illusion of a sharper image.
Go back to Filter, Sharpen and "Unsharp Mask".
Increase the amount to 270%, the Radius: 40 pixels and the Threshold: 20 levels.
Next, we'll reveal the detail in the eyes.
Make the Layer Mask active.
Open your Brush Tool and Brush Picker.
Picks a soft, round brush.
Make the Size 10 pixels, the Hardness 0% and the Opacity and Flow both 100%.
Carefully brush inside the eyes to reveal their irises and pupils.
Let's save some space in the Layers panel by clicking this tiny icon to hide the Smart Filters.
Make the top layer visible and active and change its Blend Mode to "Soft Light".
Go to Filter, Pixelate and "Color Halftone".
Make the Maximum Radius: 4 pixels.
The Screen Angles are 108, 162, 90 and 45.
This is Marty from Blue Lightning TV.
Thanks for watching!