Tattoo yourself (in Photoshop)

Today, we will try to create realistic tattoos on our pictures. Of course you can find a vast variety of tattoos in the Google images search. (try something like “tattoo designs”).

I am going to put this tattoo on Adrianna Lima!

I have chosen this beautiful purple butterfly.

Ok. Let’s start with opening our favorite program.  Ps, of course!

1.      Load the photo of Lima in the Photoshop. (Background Layer)
2.      Drag  this Background Layer to the Create a new Layer so that we will have a copy of that. (Background Copy Layer)
3.      Go to Channels Tab. Select the Green Channel (You can Press Ctrl+4).
4.       Now we will select automatically the most luminous points by Pressing Ctrl+Click on the green Channel small image.
5.      Go to Edit > Copy.
6.      Press the RGB Channels to come back to the defaults settings.
7.      Select the Layers Tab.
8.      Go to Select > Deselect.
9.      Go to Edit > Paste. The selected Green Channels points will be pasted on the image.
10.    If some of the points are outside the outline of the picture (you will see green points outside Limas body) you can move them by clicking on the Move Tool.
11.   Then choose the Background Copy Layer and Right Click and select the Flatten Image to make the 2 Layers one.
12.   Go to File > Save as.. with name “displacement.psd”. Close the displacement and open again the original photo of Adrianna.
13.   Drag from the minibridge browser your tattoo on Adrianna’s’ photo. Give the tattoo the suitable size to match the body. When you are done press the tick on the upper toolbar. For better results and see the exact point that you want to place the tattoo you can choose the Layers Normal to Multiply.
14.  Choose the tattoo layer. Right Click > Convert to Smart Object. Change from Normal to Multiply.
15.  Go to Filter > Distort > Displace. Horizontal and Vertical Scale = > 5. Select the displacement.psd that we have created on step 12.
16. Right now you have finished the placement of the Tattoo. If you want to hide the tattoo in some places of the body (e.g. hair, clothes or something else) you have to create a new mask Layer to your Smart Object. Then choose the Black Color and the Brush Tool. Apply the Brush Tool on the points of the tattoo that you want to hide.
17. Another trick to make the Tattoo more realistic is to reduce the opacity to 75%

Have Fun!!!

 This is my first attempt.

 My second attempt with 2 Tattoos!