#nitetrait tutorials

i'm actually so glad i did this tutorial for a group of friends already so i get to just reuse those screenies LOL

to start, i personally use photoshop but if you can't or don't want to, photopea is a great alternative <3

i don't use other programs but if you want me to use another, please send an ask or dm and i'll look into it <3

anyways actual tut:

my personal recommendations for taking the pic itself is to keep the lighting bright (floor lamps are amazing for this, especially if you don't have/use relight) and i personally found it much easier to use a solid color background (which i do highly highly recommend). you are also more than welcome to use my pose or create your own!

after taking your pic you'll first open or plop your image into ps (I pre-cropped my pic for the tutorial's sake) then you'll go over to the layer section

right click on the Background layer, select "Duplicate Layer..."

you'll get a pop up where you can name your layer, I'm going with hand shadow, and then hit okay. you now have 2 layers.

making sure you're on the 2nd layer, you'll turn the opacity down (I recommend 35-45%)

it might not look like anything happened but that's okay. bc next you'll click the move tool and move your image. there you'll see the difference LOL

next you'll want to move your image to where the hands cover the nipples and/or breasts. looks crazy but trust the process.

next you're gonna want to select the eraser tool and erase the area around the hands. you can right click on the image to bring up the brush controls to adjust the size. I recommend having your hardness being about 75-85% though.

if you are familiar with the lasso tool you can use that instead. i just find that the erasing method is easier for beginners!

erase until you get something like this:

doesn't have to be perfect. just get most of your picture erased minus the hands. but don't worry about the fingers yet.

but NOW you want to get to the nitty gritty. focus on erasing the wrists/arms/hands up until where it meets the torso. (holding alt and using the mouse wheel will let you zoom in/out)

it's a bit tedious but I'm used to it so i can crank it out pretty quick ;-; there's slightly more advanced ways to remove parts of the image so if you know them, go ahead and use them.

should get something like this:

next turn the opacity back up

select the magic wand. if you don't see it, but see like the 2nd image, just click and hold on the button and you should get an option to select the magic wand option.

with magic wand, you'll want to select the non hand part of your image. THIS WILL ONLY WORK IF YOU USE A SOLID COLOR BACKGROUND. for the most part. if you don't use a solid color bg, lemme know and i can show you a different way. you can still technically use magic wand but it's a pain in the ass.

after selecting the bg though, you'll want to hit delete, leaving you with just the hands.

you can be a perfectionist and remove any other spots you may see too. doesn't have to be perfect though. remember that.

next you'll create a new layer. name it whatever. for tutorial's sake I'm naming it clipping mask bc that's what we'll be creating.

right clicking on the 3rd layer (which HAS to be above your now floating hands), select Create Clipping Mask.

now, selecting the eyedropper tool, we're gonna find our color for our shadow. i'm gonna use this tiny shadow under nite's jaw. i recommend using the darkest shadow you can find. then just click with the eyedropper tool and your color swatch should change.

click that color square in the bottom left and you'll get a pop up so you can adjust the shade. i drag the circle down to a darker shade. you might have to play around with how dark you want to go. hit ok when you're done.

now you'll select the brush tool. like with the eraser, you can right click your image and bring up the brush settings. but you'll want to make sure your clipping mask layer is selected before doing anything.

then just paint over your hands.

next go to your 2nd layer, the one with the floating hands. you'll change the opacity on it to create the shadow effect. adjust until you're satisfied.

then, staying on the same layer, go to filter -> blur -> gaussian blur. you'll get a pop up. adjust until you get the effect you like. hit ok when done.

and that's it <3

tumblr's 30 pic limit fucked me so if you need more in-depth stuff, please don't hesitate to send an ask or dm <3 (same if you have any questions at all!!! i'm always happy to help :D)