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Project #27 - Creating Rembrandt Lighting Effects

This tutorial will take you through the steps on how to create the Rembrandt effect of shading half of your object in a dark color. This technique would normally be achieved at the photography stage, but this tutorial will give you an idea of how to create the same effect using your stock photographs.

Try this techinique with other subjects other than people. You will be surprised with what you can come up with!

 

  1. With the image loaded into Photoshop the first thing you need to do is 'lift' the main subject off its original layer.

    [Subject Lifted From Background]Double-click with your left mouse button on the Background layer to make it into a floating layer. Rename it if you like, or leave the default name of Layer 0.

    Use your own method of selection for this... I added a Layer Mask to the layer which made it easier to recover from any mistakes.

  2. Create a new layer and fill it with the color black. In the Layers palette, move this new layer so it is underneath the main subject layer.

  3. [Lasso Selection]Draw selection similar to this

    Using the Lasso Tool from the Tool Box, draw a selection around the right side of the face, following its contours . You only need half the face and lower body, and make sure the selection isn't a straight line.

  4. Apply the Feather command with a setting somewhere between 18-25.

  5. [After Levels Command]
    Image should look something like this    Bring up the Levels dialogue box [Image... Adjust... Levels], and move the Shadows and Midtones sliders towards the right. If you have the Preview button ticked, you will see the changes in your image. When you achieve a dark, but not distorted effect, click OK to accept your changes.

  6. Using the Airbrush (set to around 58% opacity), with a small-medium soft-edge brush, on a new layer, spray in black paint around the edges of the left-hand side of the face - just enough to make the background and the subject blend in together.

  7. For the final touch - if needed, use the Dodge & Burn tools on the original face layer to balance the lighting effect.

This technique doesn't have to be for faces only - you could use more or less any subject you want - the best thing to do is experiment and have fun.

 

 

[Subject Lifted From Background]