How to Achieve Highlight Blowout with Photoshop

A unique technique to isolate your subject

by Joe Holler

Posted: June 20, 2011

 

The unusual Highlight Blowout process can create an intriguing effect in your digital images.  However, not every photo lends itself to this technique, as it has such an individual look and feel. For this example, we will concentrate on a portrait - one of the genres that seem to lend itself to this treatment.

 

I have had most success with portrait images in which the subject is not looking directly at the camera, even though in the following example he is. I am using Adobe Photoshop CS5 on a PC to create this Highlight Blowout effect (also known as a high key image).  In Photoshop there are many ways of doing any particular step and many methods for doing any process. I had to practice some to master this one. 

 

Step by Step

After opening the image in Photoshop CS5, type D to set the foreground and background colors to black and white respectively.

 

Select the highlights by typing Ctrl + Alt + 2 (Ctrl + Alt + Tilde ~ for CS3 users). The selected parts of the image will be surrounded by a flashing dotted line that is commonly, and aptly, described as “marching ants.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Switch to the Channels palette by clicking the Channels tab at the top of the Layers palette.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Create new Alpha channel: Click on the Create New Channel icon on the bottom of the Channels palette. The new channel will appear at the bottom of the stack and be labeled Alpha 1.  The image will turn black with the 'marching ants' selection on it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, fill the selection with white: Click Edit>Fill, drop down the menu in the Use box and choose White. An easier method is to type Ctrl + Backspace, which will fill the selection with the background color.  Alt + Backspace will fill the selection with the foreground color. The image will turn to black and white with the 'marching ants' selection on it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, inverse the selection: Click Select>Inverse or type Ctrl + I. The image will exchange the blacks and whites, still with the 'marching ants' selection on it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fill the selection with black by typing Alt + Backspace, which will fill the selection with the background color. The image will get darker with the 'marching ants' selection on it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, inverse the selection again: Select>Inverse or Ctrl + I. The image will be black with the 'marching ants' selection on it, again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fill with white gradually but repeatedly until you blow the image out to your satisfaction by typing Ctrl + Backspace repeatedly.  You will be able to do some fine tuning on this later. The image will be very faded with the 'marching ants' selection on it

 

 

Now, cancel the selection: Select>Deselect or Ctrl + D.  Eureka, the 'marching ants' finally disappear!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using a large soft brush paint with white to gingerly erase portions of the perimeter. Select the Brush tool from the Tool bar or type B. Right click on the image to bring up the brush options box and chose a large brush size.  I recommend that you start with approximately 960 pixels. Make the brush as soft as possible. This will feather the white perimeter around the image. You might need to reduce the size of the brush later to get in closer to the image without erasing it. The image will remain mostly white.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, invert the image by typing Ctrl + I.  The image will look like a photo negative.

 

 

Load the selection by typing Ctrl + click on the Alpha 1 channel in Channels palette. The image will not change.

 

Switch to Layers palette by clicking the Layers tab at the top of the Channels palette. The image will not change.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, create a new layer. Click on the Create a New Layer icon on the bottom of the Layers palette or Layer>New Layer.  It will be labeled Layer 1. The image will look as like it did at the beginning and there may be a return of the dreaded 'marching ants.'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fill with black by typing Alt + Backspace. Usually only a small amount of the image is selected and will fill with black.  The image will become darker.

Deselect by clicking Select>Deselect or Ctrl + D. The image will not change.

 

Create another new layer beneath the current layer: Ctrl + click on icon on Create a New Layer icon on the bottom of the Layers palette. It will be labeled Layer 2. The image will not change.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, fill with white by typing Alt + Backspace. The image will again appear blown out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fine Tuning

At this point your Highlight Blowout is basically complete except for some fine tuning and maybe some enhancement.

 

Merge the visible layers: Layer>Merge Visible or Ctrl + Shift + E. The image will not change.

 

Fine tune the Blowout by doing a levels adjustment on its own finalized layer. Click the Create a Levels Adjustment Layer icon on the Adjustments palette. Move the Highlights and/or Mid-tone sliders to the left to blow the image out further. Move the Shadows and/or Mid-tone sliders to the right to darken the image. Try different variations slowly and carefully.

 

 

 

 

Now, let’s try to reintroduce some color to the image. Click on the background layer and make a duplicate layer by clicking Layer>Duplicate Layer or Ctrl + J.  It will be labeled Background Copy.  Click on Image>Adjustment>Photo Filter. Choose a color from the Filter drop-down menu and adjust the Density slider slowly and observe the effects.  I generally choose sepia with a density of 10. Adjust the Opacity slider at the top of the Layers palette to fine-tune the effect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let’s add some color to the eyes. Duplicate the Background Copy layer by clicking on the Background layer in the Layers Palette and clicking Layer> Duplicate Layer or typing Ctrl + J. It will be labeled Background Copy 2. Choose a pretty small brush. Set the mode of the brush to Color in the Options bar. Select a color for the eyes. In this example, I chose blue. Paint over the eyes. Adjust the opacity of the layer to fine-tune the effect. I also added some light blue around the collar as if a shadow were there.  (Note: When you paint in color mode you are changing the color of the image.  If the image has no color then this process will not work.  If you did not add color to the image, then you will not be able to color the eyes.) In like manner, I added some color to the hair and lips.

 

 

 

For the finishing touches I used a noise filter and cropped the image.

 

Voila!  Your first Highlight Blowout - achieved on purpose, and not by mistake!