Create Glossy Lips with this
Photoshop Elements Tutorial

Create glossy lips with this Photoshop Elements tutorial to help glam up a photo. In this tutorial we'll make a selection and save it to use on layers we will be adding later. So you can also pick up a few tips for Photoshop Elements along the way.

This is a technique that can be achieved in a few easy steps. So let's get started.

STEP 1
Open a photo that you want to apply some glossy lips to. Duplicate the Background layer so that the original is left intact.

Go to the Selection menu again and choose Save Selection… Give it a name. I named mine Lips. We will be using this selection throughout this Glossy Lips with Photoshop Elements tutorial.

Now go under the Filter menu and choose Other > High Pass.

The lips will look very strange but don't worry it's only temporary. Now go to the top of the Layers palette to the drop-down menu that says Normal and choose Overlay for the Blend mode.

Now you'll notice that the lips have more contrast.

Click on the half black/half white circle at the top of the Layers palette to create a new Adjustment layer. From the drop-down menu go all the way to the bottom and choose Posterize… In the dialog box that appears move the slider all the way to the left to choose 2 levels and click OK.

By now you probably know not to panic when your image suddenly looks bizarre. We will adjust the look by changing some settings in the Layers palette.

First go to the Blend mode drop-down menu at the top of the Layers palette where it says Normal. Select the Luminosity option all the way at the bottom of the menu. That will help tone down the color a bit but the effect is still too strong.

Hover your cursor over the word Opacity at the top of the Layers palette and it should change to a hand icon with a double ended arrow. Press and drag to the left with your mouse to lower the opacity of the layer. I brought mine all the way down to 12% but you decide how far you want to go with yours.

Click on the half black/half white circle at the top of the Layers palette to create a new Adjustment layer. This time choose Levels… from the drop-down menu.

In the Dialog box that opens move the black and white sliders located under the Histogram in towards the center. Make sure you have the Preview box checked so you can watch the effect it has on your photo.

You're just adding a bit more contrast so use your own judgment based on your preview. The great thing about adjustment layers is that you can always go back in and change them later by double-clicking on them in the Layers palette.

As you move the sliders you'll not only add contrast but the color might change too. Don't worry about the color shift, we will fix that later. Click OK when you're satisfied with the move.

Now to correct any color shift that may have occurred go to the blend mode field in the Layers palette and change it from Normal to Luminosity.

To help you decide whether or not you want to use this optional levels adjustment step click on the eye icon next to the Levels adjustment layer in the layers palette to see the effect with and without the layer. If you prefer how it looks without the levels layer just drag the layer to the trash icon at the top of the palette to delete it.

Here's a look at the before and after.

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