In this tutorial I will be showing you how to take a simple image and turn it into a rather dark Halloween style Vampire portrait.

Tutorial Details

Program: Photoshop
Version: CS or Higher
Difficulty: Intermediate
Estimated Completion Time: 1 Hour
Final Image Preview:

Downloads Required:
Stock Images: Stock, Background, Bat
Fonts: Sanctuary

Step 1

I used an image of myself which I took (in just one take lol) with my digital camera. Obviously you have to act a little bit, and try to envision what it is you are trying to create. Even if you look stupid in the photograph, the more over the top it is the better your final image is probably going to look.

So… Here is my original image.

Step 2

The first thing we need to do is remove the background. Choose the Pen Tool (P) and use a series of clicks to draw around your subject. I zoom in close and use as many points as possible, this makes the image smoother.

Step 3

After you have penned your outline, select Window > Paths and choose the Load Path As Selection button.

Step 4

Once your selection is highlighted choose Select > Refine Edge and tweak the settings until you have your cut away image how you want it.

Step 5

Once you click ok your image will return to the background, now we choose Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection. This will leave you with just the cutaway on a transparent background. Create a new layer below your subject and fill it with black.

Step 6

Next we are going to make the eyes a bit more eerie. Make a new layer above the Subject. Again select your Pen Tool and draw around the iris of the eye.

Step 7

Again load the selection up like we did before. Then choose the Elliptical Marquee tool. The idea is to delete the selection around the pupil. So try and guage roughly where your circle would have to start, hold down the Alt key and Click, holding the mouse button down, take your finger off Alt, now hold down shift. Shift will make your selection stay perfectly round. Drag over the pupil. It might take a couple of attempts to get it right.

Step 8

Now select the Dropper Tool (I) and select a shade of white from the side of the iris. Using  the Paint Bucket Tool (G) fill the selection with the White you have selected.

Step 9

As you can see it looks blatantly fake so we must dress it up now to make it appear more convincing. Using the Eraser Tool (E), choose a small soft brush and wipe around the edges slightly to blend it into the eyelids a bit more.

Step 10

Next choose the Blur Tool (the rain drop found under the paint bucket tool) and just give a little bit of a blur to the inside edge of the pupil.

Step 11

After this press CMD+E (CTRL+E) to merge the layer down onto the Subject Layer. When it asks you about the Layer Mask make sure you select Preserve.

Step 12

Now choose the Clone Stamp Tool (S). This works by copying a selected area. So hold down alt and choose a bit of the white to the side of the eye. Now using a series of click carefully try to texture the white of the eye we made to blend into the surrounding vessels etc.

Step 13

Now repeat this for the other eye.

Once both your eyes are done we need to make the image a bit less colourful and a bit darker. Select your Subject Layer making sure you choose the image and not the Layer Mask. Choose Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation. Adjust the Saturation to dull the skin tone down.

Step 14

Now select your subject layer and choose Window > Channels. Holding down the CMD (CTRL) key click on of the channels. You are looking for the one that selects the biggest light source. I chose the green layer.

Step 15

Choose Select > Inverse. This will swap the selection to the background. Press D to default your Colours. Or choose black from the Swatches. Choose Edit > Fill from the top toolbar. Make sure foreground colour is selected then click ok.

Your image will go very dark but dont worry. Choose Image > Adjustments > Levels and change the black and white levels to suit.

Step 16

Ok so the image looks the part. Now we need to make some teeth. Choose your Pen Tool (P) again and draw a triangle on one of your incisor teeth. Load it as a selection again and then copy and paste it onto a new layer. (Edit > Copy – Edit > Paste)

Choose Edit > Free Transform and stretch and rotate the tooth to a big point. Some Vampires are displayed with small teeth, others large it is up to you which you choose. For me… Bigger is always better haha.

Step 17

Use the Eraser Tool like earlier to blend it into the tooth. Next choose Edit > Transform > Warp. Bend your tooth a bit to make it look a bit more natural.

Step 18

Next we need to use the Burn Tool (O) to make the tooth look a little more 3D. You need to make sure it is the Burn Tool that is selected and not the Dodge or Sponge Tool. Click and hold on the Tool and make sure the hand is selected. Pick Highlights and 50% for the brush settings. Now choose a soft round brush and just stroke the two sides of the tooth. This will darken the edges but leave the middle highlighted so that the tooth looks round.

Step 19

Now merge it down like we did before, making sure we preserve the Layer Mask. I then used the pentool to highlight the tooth and increased its brightness using Image > Adjustments > Brightness & Contrast. Just to make it a little less yellow lol. You can also use this on the entire Subject Layer and increase to contrast to make it a little more intense. I also edited one of my bottom teeth for extra effect the same way as before.

Step 20

Next I selected the Layer Mask on my Subject Layer, choose a white brush and carefully edited out my cheek on the far side so the eye was left glowing in the dark.

Step 21

Now we add the blood. Create a new layer. Choose the Lasso Tool, Zoom right in and draw your blood manually onto the tooth.

Step 22

Fill it with a dark red colour. Then using the Burn Tool try to darken down the bottom right hand edges only.

Step 23

Now choose the Dodge Tool – It is in the same place as the Burn Tool and looks like a line with a circle on top. Choose Highlights and 50% again for the settings. Now use it to highlight just the top edges this time.

Step 24

Now choose the brush tool choose white as your colour and select a 1px brush and just dab a couple of highlights onto those top edges to make it look wet.

Step 25

Repeat this on a few teeth and then use Image > Adjust > Brightness & Contrast to darken it down and blend in a bit better. I even added a blood trickle down the side of the mouth. If you are going to do this try to follow the contour of the face. Look at the bends in the skin and try to draw the blood following its natural path.

Step 26

Next we add the moon into the background. I used the image below but if you google ‘Clouds Full Moon’ you can get many different cool variations.

Step 27

Paste your image in below the Subject Layer. Move it around and mess with the contrast until you get the desired look.

Step 28

I then added a bat for novelty purposes. Download the image below and paste it into your image above the clouds layer.

You could also use this one. But I didnt.

Step 29

You will end up with something like this.

After this it is just a case of creating a logo. I used a font called Sanctuary. Download it HERE.

I also used the bat logo again and inverted it to make it white using Image > Adjustments > Invert. Then just added some blood like before.

And you are done!

Please feel free to leave comments or suggestions! They are appreciated!