Photoshop Effects: how to mimic studio lighting for stylish portraits

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How to recreate studio lighting in Photoshop

01 Create a Colour Fill
Open your start image.  To tint our warm portrait a moodier and cooler looking blue, open the Layers palette (Window> Layers). Click the Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette. Choose Solid Colour and a Colour Fill layer will appear.

02 Moody blue
Set the H (Hue) value to 213°, set S (Saturation) to 33%, and set B (Brightness) to 64%. Click OK to fill the frame with light blue. Set the Colour Fill 1 layer’s Blending Mode to Overlay. This tints the model’s lighter tones a cool blue, while preserving the skin colour in darker areas.

03 Add a texture
Open the file you want to use as a texture (if struggling to find one – download our 100 free Photoshop textures). Choose Select>All, then Edit>Copy. Go back to advanced_before.jpg and choose Edit>Paste to add the texture to the layered document as a separate layer. Double-click the texture layer’s label and type Texture. Set the Blending Mode to Overlay.

04 Protect the skin
The texture blends with the background and the girl’s skin. Click the Add Layer Mask icon. Set the Foreground Colour to black, then grab the Brush tool. Choose a soft-edged brush from the Brush Preset picker, set Size to 500, click the mask, then spray the brush over the skin.

PAGE 1: Overview of Photoshop lighting effects
PAGE 2: Mimic studio lighting, steps 1-4
PAGE 3: Mimic studio lighting, steps 5-8
PAGE 4: Mimic studio lighting, steps 9-12
PAGE 5: Mimic studio lighting, steps 13-16
PAGE 6: Photoshop lighting effects explained