Photoshop tips - Replacing Body Parts

How do you match the color in photos before swapping faces...

Retouching & Restoring
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Danny from California, using photoshop 7.0 with windows ME, writes in with:

[Quote:] Hi I'm trying to put a head of one person image to another image muscular body but the color tone of the two different image does not match. I don't know how the match color so the image can look more realistic. Can anyone please help? Thanks

Reply:

Yes, use "Match Color"

Before blending or compositing the photos, open the photo you wish to match. We'll call that the SOURCE image.

Now, open the image that needs correcting. We'll call that one the TARGET image.

In the TARGET image, select:

Image > Adjustments > Match Color (PS CS ONLY)

In the resulting dialog box, go to the bottom under "Image Statistics" and click the SOURCE pull-down. Select the SOURCE image you wish to match.

Click "Preview" button and you should see the change.

Use the "Luminance" slider to adjust too light or too dark

Use the "Color Intensity" slider to increase/decrease saturation.

Decrease the effect of the filter by using the "Fade" slider.

Click OK.

Now you should have a good match to begin putting the photos together.

Take one of the above and call us in the morning.

REPLACING THE HEAD

Now, use the eyes as a guide to sizing the new head correctly, and be alert to where the light source is in the receiving photo. Shadows are a dead giveaway that the image has been edited.