Swap heads!
Make a surreal and fun image of yourself and your pet using a few tricks in Photoshop
Ever wondered what you’d look like if you had a cat head instead of your own? Thanks to software programs like Photoshop, now you can! Photoshop is an excellent tool for creating surreal and funny images, and if you’re not keen on cats this can be done with any animal.
The trick for shooting both of your starting images is to take them under the same lighting, and shoot against a plain background to make the cutting-out part easier. I set both my starting shots up against a grey backdrop, and lit myself and the cat using one external flashgun that was bounced from the ceiling. If you bounce the light rather than firing it directly, you get a more even and flattering light, which is easier to work with.
1 Open ’em up
Start by opening your cat headshot. Using the Clone Tool (press Alt and click to select the source point, then paint), remove the top part of the head, making the background plain. Just go down as far as the nose and as the head is being covered up – it does not have to be precise. Next import (drag and drop in) the cat image into your main portrait image.
2 Select head
Using the Quick Selection Tool, make a rough selection around the cat’s head as best you can. After your initial selection, go to Select And Mask in the top bar and use the mask and brush to tidy up your selection. Once happy, click Output To Layer Mask on the dropdown menu (right hand side). Position the head in place using the Move Tool, and tidy up any edges using the Brush Tool (white brush to bring back, black to remove) until you’re happy.
3 Position head
Go to the Move Tool and, holding Alt, drag the cat layer head to duplicate it. Position the new head where the shadow behind the model sits and reduce Opacity by around 15%. Get a dark grey brush and paint over the head to blend. If there is a strong line where the body and head meet, use the Clone Tool to fix.
4 Add a tone
Finally, add a new layer and put the whiskers back using a small white Pencil Tool. (Zoom in and make the brush the width of a whisker.) To soften the tips of the whiskers, add a Layer Mask and, with a 50% Opacity black brush, paint over the ends. Finally, if you want to add a vintage tone, open it in Lightroom where there are many presets. Go to the Edit Tab’s Profile drop-down menu and select your desired option.