Carnival Mask in Photoshop

For this tutorial, we will use some a Portrait of the person you want to apply the Mask to and the image of a Carnival Mask (It’s better if it has a neutral or transparent background) and some Confetti or Sparkles Texture to use as Background.

1 - In Photoshop, open the portrait you chose to work with.

2 - Double-click on top of its Thumbnail to “Unlock” the layer.

3 - Use the “Magic Wand Tool” (W) and select the Subject or the Background. Use the “Add to Selection” option on the Top Menu if needed.

4 - If you selected the Background go to Selection > Inverse (Command/Control + I).

5 - With your selection still active “Add a Vector Mask” by clicking on the small button at the bottom of the “Layers Panel”. Add a bit of “Feather” to the edges by increasing it to 1 px in the “Properties Panel”.

6 - Open the Confetti Texture and bring it into your file.

7 - Position it under the Portrait and Resize it and/or Rotate it if needed. Click on the small “Check Mark” button on the Top Menu to “Commit” the changes.

8 - Name your Layers (we named them “Girl” and “Background” then select the “Background”, right-click on top of its Thumbnail and choose “Convert to Smart Object”.

9 - Go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur… and use the following values. (Amount: 10, Blur Method: Spin, Quality: Best).

10 - Go to the “Adjustments Panel” and create a “New Vibrance Adjustment Layer” on top of the everything and use “Vibrance” value of 45 and a “Saturation” of 25.

11 - Now, bring the outlined “Mask” into your file and use “Free transform” (Command/Control + T) to resize it if needed.

12 - Double-click on top of the “Mask” thumbnail to apply the following “Layer Styles”:

Drop Shadow:

13 - To fix the “Mask” further, go to Edit > Transform > Warp and tweak the portions that need to fit better to the face.

14 - Create a “New Gradient Fill Adjustment Layer” in the “Adjustments Panel” (it should be placed on top of the “Girl” Layer).

15 - Click on top of the “Gradient” in the “Gradient Editor” then click on the small Gear icon on the Top-Right of the Panel to open a Menu and navigate to “Photographic Toning”. Click “Append” when asked.

16 - Choosethe “Gold 1” Preset and then change the layer’s “Blending Mode” to “Soft Light”.

17 - “Clip” the “Gradient Map” layer by clicking on the small icon at the bottom of the “Properties Panel” with the “Gradient Map” layer selected.

18 - Drag the “Gradient Map” layer down so it sits between the “Mask” and the “Girl” layers. If needed “Clip” it to the “Girl” layer again.

19 - Duplicate the “Girl” Layer (Command/Control + J). Change its name to “Lips”.

20 - Select the “Brush Tool” (B) and use a Brush with a “Size” of 100 px and a “Hardness” of 95%. Make sure the Black is your “Foreground” color and that the “Layer Mask” thumbnail is selected and erase the face leaving the lips.

21 - To make sure that the Lips outline is smooth, decrease the Brush “Size” to about 30 px and its “Hardness” to about 55%.

22 - Drag the “Lips” layer on top of the “Gradient Map” layer. Duplicate the “Gradient Map” layer, place it on top of the “Lips” layer and “Clip” it to it. Change the duplicate’s Blending Mode” to “Hard Light”. Create another duplicate of the “Gradient Map” layer, place it between the “Lips” layer and the first Duplicate. Then, “Clip” it down and Change the its Blending Mode” to “Soft Light”.

23 - Select the second “Gradient Map” layer (the first duplicate under the “Mask” layer) then go to the “Adjustments Panel” and create a “New Color Lookup Adjustment Layer”. Clip it down and choose “LateSunset” as “3DLUT File”.

24 - Select the “Lips” layer and using the “Dodge Tool” (O) with a small and soft brush (30 px and 0% “Hardness”) and with the “Shadows Range” and a 30% “Exposure” selected darken some parts of the lips to add more detail and contrast.

25 - Your image should be similar to this.

by @lornacane