How to replace a face with Photoshop?

To replace a face with Photoshop, you cut out the source image with theLasso tool, you stick it on the target photo, then you align and merge the two layers.

This technique of face swap can be done even if you're not a pro at photo editing, and you have to factor in 10 to 30 minutes depending on the desired finish. The most time-consuming step is still evening out the skin tone so that the’face swap doesn't look artificial.

Explanatory video in French by Alucare, ideal complement to the page. View video (you can use YouTube's automatic translation)

How do you replace a face in Photoshop?

Here are the steps to follow to successfully complete this face swap at Adobe Photoshop :

1. Open Adobe Photoshop.
2. Import your 2 photos : THE source image and the target photo.
3. Select the first face portrait with theLasso tool.

Tip: Select a wide area, including a little skin around the face. The final merger will be cleaner.

1. Copy the selection with Ctrl + C.

• Go to the second image and paste the selection with Ctrl + V. She's arriving at a new tracing.

• In the Layers panel, select the face outline stuck to it and reduces its opacity.

Lowering the opacity allows you to see the face underneath through the transparency. This lets you precisely align the eyes, the nose and the mouth in the right place.

• Click on Edition, then Manual transformation.

1. Move, enlarge, and rotate the face so that the eyes overlap to those below.
2. Press Entrée to confirm, then set the layer's opacity back to 100 %.
3. If the skin tones are very different, keep the selected face layer and go to Image, then Adjustments, and Color Match.
4. In Source, Select your document, and in Layer, the target photo, then confirm.
5. Retrieve the face selection: keep Ctrl and click on the thumbnail for the face layer.
6. Select the bottom layer (the target photo) and unlock it using the lock icon.
7. Go to Selection, then Edit and To contract, and select the number of pixels to shrink by.

This contraction prevents a visible outline around the pasted-on face. Without it, a rim of the original face would remain visible.

• Press Delete to remove the original face from the tracing lower.
• Go to Selection, then Deselect.
• Select the two layers while holding Ctrl.
• Go to Edition, then Automatic Layer Merging.
• Choose the method Panorama, check the box Tones and colors "continus," then click OK.

The Automatic Layer Merging is the key step in the entire process. It is this step that harmonizes the’lighting and the color differences between the face and the body, which makes the face swap realistic rather than stiff.

• Check out How to Remove a Test in Photoshop.

Equalize skin tones for a realistic result

After the merge, the skin tone on the face may still stand out from the rest of the photo.

Here's how to properly connect the colors :

1. Selects the new merged layer that Photoshop created at the very top of the Layers panel.
2. Refine with Hue/Saturation and a slight adjustment to the brightness.

Add a blending layer and use a soft brush with low opacity to blend the skin texture along the edges.

Also keep the shadows in mind: a well-lit face in a dark photo immediately stands out. Adjust the shadows for a consistent look. It’s the same principle as when you want to Remove text from an image : The real work is making the seam disappear.

Tips Before You Begin

• Choose two portraits taken under the same angle and with close-up lighting.
• Featured photos clear and high-resolution.
• Looking in the same direction makes it much easier to merger.

Taking these precautions early on saves a considerable amount of time when cropping and adjusting the faces.