Making skin look darker in Photoshop?

[theotherrachel]

I have a photo of a bunch of people's hands that I want to use for a project. Only problem is all the hands are white and for diversity's sake I would like one or two to look darker. Is this a ridiculous thing to try in Photoshop, or, if not, does anyone have tips/pointers? I have CS2.

Thanks!

[hewligan]

Add a curves adjustment layer. Create a curve that gives the skin tone you're looking for. Fill the adjustment layer's mask with black, and then paint white over the parts of the mask where you want skin to be darkened.

[Buda]

Get your brown friends to model for you. What?! You don't have brown friends?!

[theotherrachel]

:confused: Ummmm...I am brown. So is my husband and our whole family. Unfortunately, I am not also a professional photographer!

[Ned]

rofl @ both Buda and Rachel.

Yeah, just do what Hewligan said. Or once you create a selection/mask of the hands, you can use a number of different methods: levels, curves, hue/saturation, channels adjustment, or color layer. The possibilities are endless. :D You can use an adjustment layer with layer mask, jump hands to their own layer then use an adjustment layer with a layer set (not on pass-through mode), or just apply the adjustments directly to the composite layer - whatever works best with your workflow.

[mchilly]

It's better if you can post your photo here so that we can see it and give you some pointers of what you should do next to make the skin look darker :)

[urstwile]

^^^what mchilly said^^^.

[carter the artist]

Burn, baby Burn. No serious Dodge/Burn is perfect for something like this.

[Exodus]

When changing skin tones I use Alt+R+E+C at the same time for Race/Ethnicity Change. Photoshop CSI is total awesomeness.

[Bob]

Two major differences in natural skin tone CMYK between caucasian and blacks. Here are some 'average' numbers:

Light skin: C15 M45 Y50 K0
Medium: C15 M40 Y55 K0
Dark: C35 M45 Y50 K28

As you can see, the most critical colours are CYAN and black. Rough select the skintone area and try using a channel mixer adjustment layer in CMYK modes and adjust (mostly) these two channels. But place a few strategic eyedropper targets down first to keep track of the numbers. When it looks good, tune up the mask.

[lattequeen]

I would just create a new layer and play with the layer settings. You could use the 'color' setting and draw a swatch of brown over a couple hands. You would just have to tweak it to make it look natural.

[mchilly]

I also encounter this kind of problem in one of the forum I joined. He wants to make the skin look darker and then I do a little editing check out the before and after ;)

[Ned]

Fake 'n Bake! :D

[carter the artist]

wow, that made her look SOOO old!! and people think a tan makes them look young.

[Bob]

I've heard of racial profiling, but profile racializing?http://members.porchlight.ca/broacher/skindeep.jpg

[Exodus]

:eek:

[Virgo Nightingale]

Eeew! Dead and decomposing!!! But at least she still has a smile...

[Silence04]

lol, i work in the tanning industry and have to do this a lot...
try using channel mixer to get the color tone you want, followed by some levels to bring back the depth and "realness"... if the skin doesn't have much pigment or have enough shadows, you might have to do some aribrushing too...

that's it in a nutshell.

[Jackimalyn]

You seriously cant find a diverse stock image of a few hands?? I thought that all stock was...

[mchilly]

I've heard of racial profiling, but profile racializing?http://members.porchlight.ca/broacher/skindeep.jpg


she looks scary :D especially the eyes :eek:

[urstwile]

It's weird how she looks like a young Katharine Hepburn in the second one.

[cornfed]

A friend of mine just had to paint a picture of a black person for the first time. I know she said it was yellow ocre, burnt sienna and one other color that I can't remember. I'll try to find out. Of course those are acrylic paints, but man she had it pegged. It looked awesome.

That's some good info, Broacher.

[cornfed]

D'oh. I totally skipped the posts between broachers and mine!

[Bob]

Despite the risk of public humiliation I will confess that I do not recognize the woman in this photo. I have a terrible handicap when it comes to recognizing pop culture celebrities.

Things were a lot easier in the days of Jimmy Durante, the Marx Brothers, and the Three Stooges, I tell you.

[Virgo Nightingale]

Nicole Kidman.

[Bob]

Is she still around? I think I know who that is. She was in that boat movie, and the one with the U.N. interpreter thing.

(Do I get out much or what?)

Isn't she also on a lot of grocery store checkout lane magazine covers? They look so much alike to me these starlets.

[urstwile]

Although I'm not her biggest fan, I think she'd be considered much more than a starlet, Broacher. She, um, used to be married to Tom Cruise. Not sure if you know who that is, though. ;)

Is there a male version of starlets, by the way? Or are they called starlets too?

Anyway, I was struck by the second photo looking so much like a young Katharine Hepburn after the skin tone alteration. You do know who Katherine Hepburn was, I'm guessing? ;)

[carter the artist]

Isn't Tom Cruise that hard core christian dude who feels that psychiatrists don't get enough respect?

[urstwile]

http://www.smileyhut.com/laughing/hysterical.gif

[hewligan]

I think the important point to remember here is that, having seen "Eyes Wide Shut," Nicole Kidman has a spectacular arse.

I believe there was a photoshop related discussion going on, but I no longer see it as relevant...

[Bob]

Are you sure she didn't use an ass-double? Hmm... maybe there is a new career for me afterall. Oops... right. Double, not doubler.

All these names-- I sort of know Tom Cruise, but I can't say I really liked his acting in anything I've seen.

Most of my celebrity awareness comes in short millisecond bursts as I navigate the morning paper's entertainment section on the way to the comics page.

One I don't understand is this Paris Hilton. I know she's a famous celebrity-- but she just seems to be famous for, well... being famous. Oh, and there was some kind of porn-video scandal, but I'm presuming that's a fairly standard item found on most any young Hollywood female's checklist to fame list these days.

[Virgo Nightingale]

Paris Hilton's original claim to her fame is simply that she's the heir to the Hilton family fortune/hotel business. She also has a "modeling career" and she has a music CD out. *shudder* And she likes penises and partying. That helps.

[Ovaltine]

Isn't Tom Cruise that hard core christian dude who feels that psychiatrists don't get enough respect?

Tom Cruise is nothing close to anything Christian. He's a Scientologist (sp). South Park did an entire episode on Scientology with Tom Cruise in it, and it was hillarious.

[carter the artist]

Tom Cruise is nothing close to anything Christian. He's a Scientologist (sp). South Park did an entire episode on Scientology with Tom Cruise in it, and it was hillarious.

I know, It was a joke. Especially since Scientologist HATE Psychiatrists...

[urstwile]

I knew it was a joke (see smiley directly after your post). :D

[carter the artist]

Of course you did Urst (heck you have the FSM in your avatar). I think Ovaltine thought I was being serious. Believe me I know too much about the cult, I lived in Hollywood for a year. I can only imagine how much worse
Florida is.

[urstwile]

Yup, I knew you were talkin' to Ovaltine, I was just givin' myself some props. :D

[cornfed]

I agree on the Kathryn Hepburn thing. That's pretty crazy how she took on that look. Let us know how your final product turns out!

[Horace]

When changing skin tones I use Alt+R+E+C at the same time for Race/Ethnicity Change. Photoshop CSI is total awesomeness.

Haha thats class