How to Create a Fashion Look in Photoshop

Using Color, Space, and Environs to Create Fantasy in Fashion Photography

My favorite photos are the ones that transport y'all to another place or fourth dimension. Whether you lot journey to a distant country or build a earth of your own in a studio, powerful photographs have the ability to n­ot just ship you somewhere far away, visually, merely also transmit the sounds, the smells, and the feel of somewhere new. A successful image allows the viewer to touch the intangible, which is what I strive to do in my manner photography with colorful spaces, wild outfits, and beautiful environments.

In this article we'll explore some great tips to editing fashion photography in Photoshop also as all-time practices for creating successful fashion photography shoots both as a team and when y'all're shooting solo. We'll focus on things like talent direction, location choice and outfit styling, all to craft imagery that relays the powerful feeling yous're striving for.

Photoshop tips to take fashion photography to the next level

Crafting a corking photo takes a lot of work simply making the right edits in postal service-product is what truly sets an prototype apart. I love using Photoshop because it'southward an constructive, seamless tool to push button your way photography to the next level. While information technology's super of import to make sure all elements are spot on while you're shooting, we inevitably run across imperfections or aspects of the shot that need tweaking—and Photoshop is my go-to.

Using HSL in Photoshop. Image credit Anna-Alexia Basile.

Here are my favorite Photoshop tricks to editing my mode photos:

1. My go-to tool in Photoshop is Hue, Saturation, and Lightness. HSL is 1 of my favorite custom adjustment tools as it allows yous to perfect each color in your prototype. Once you add your Hue/Saturation Layer, select exactly which color you'd like to tweak. From there, of grade, you tin change its hue, saturation, or lightness.
2. Hue has to do with what kind of colour you change it to. For red, will it exist a warmer, more orange-red (if dragged to the right) or a cooler, more than pinkish-red if dragged to the left?
3. Saturation has to do with how much of that colour is present inside your images. Exercise you want a lot of red inside the paradigm (dragged to the correct) or do you want the cerise to be more subtle (dragged to the left)?
4. Lightness is exactly what information technology sounds like — it has to do with how bright that specific color appears within the image. If y'all drag it to the right the crimson will appear lighter, whereas if you drag it to the left the ruby will darken.
5. HSL is ane of the virtually important aspects of my editing procedure considering my piece of work is so heavily rooted in color triggering our emotions. By having total control over the hue, saturation, and lightness of each colour in my image, I'yard better able to control the final upshot.
6. Another great tool I beloved using is the Gradient Map. You can employ the Gradient Map for various stylistic purposes simply I love using it to even out skin tone and get rid of whatsoever funky discoloration. One time I select the gradient map from within my new aligning layer I'll play around with making a custom slope that results in a brighter and more fifty-fifty skin tone (I tend to go with warmer nude colors to enhance the skin glow).
7. Once I've selected my gradient I'll caput over to the layers tab and change the drib downwardly menu from Normal to Color, which will tint the entire photo. Adjacent I'll need to mask out the model's face and so I select the inverse of the prototype and then paint her face up using white to bring dorsum the slope and add a warm and even glow to skin tone.
8. Once the face and other areas of exposed pare have been masked I'll bring the opacity down and play with it until the slope map is showing through the perfect amount, revealing a warm and even skin tone.
9. My final favorite Photoshop hack is the Content Enlightened tool. Sometimes I'll nail the perfect shot only there volition be one aspect of the photo that contains something it shouldn't. This could be an electrical pole, a fence, or even a person that accidentally walked into the shot. Rather than Clone Stamping for days, I similar to see if I can get lucky using Content Aware to remove the unwanted element from the shot.
10. Commencement, I select the aspect of the epitome I want to remove either with the Marquee or Patch tool. Next I select Edit, then Make full, and make certain the Contents Use is set to Content Enlightened and that the Blending Mode is set to Normal with the Opacity at 100%. From there I click OK, and xc per centum of the time, Photoshop does all the work for me and seamlessly removes the unwanted element from the epitome, saving me a ton of time and energy.

Using HSL in Photoshop. Image credit Anna-Alexia Basile.

Anna-Alexia Basile exclusively uses Adobe Photoshop for retouching. Here, she uses Content-Aware Fill for quick corrections.

Working with the right team

Step 1: Assemble the right unit

A crucial chemical element to every fashion photography shoot is the team itself. Ensuring that you lot're working with talented, diverse, inspired, and collaborative individuals will go a long way and yield incredible end results. Each team fellow member is equally of import and should e'er be fully recognized for their skill sets and contributions both in how they're treated on prepare and how they are compensated monetarily.

DO Not skimp on any of the squad members! Each person is essential to the success of your shoot. Making sure that you lot assemble a hard working, knowledgeable, various and visionary squad will brand all the difference. It's important to recognize that each individual pours their own focus and creativity into their specific task in a manner that smaller teams can never replicate. What we can accomplish lone is proficient, but what we can accomplish as a team is much greater!

Here are some tips to assembling the perfect squad:

1. Do some visual research. Cheque out other creatives' Instagrams and websites to accept note of who is making work y'all adore and feel inspired by. Reach out to them and connect over your love for image making.
2. Ask other creatives who they beloved working with. Give-and-take of oral cavity is a great fashion to locate excellent talent and get first-mitt data on what it's like to piece of work with potential partners on prepare. Some of the most talented people I've worked with on gear up were recommended through friends!
3. Pay creatives their full value and never ask anyone to work for complimentary. This might sound obvious, but paying people their full rates makes them feel valued and motivates them to create a far amend finish product and to be fully invested in your collaboration.

Pace 2: Giving direction to the model

Effective and inspiring direction is a huge attribute of creating successful manner photography. While it can exist pure magic when you lot get the privilege of working with a fantastic model who dances through their wheel of interesting poses, sometimes we work with talent and subjects that aren't as confident in their moves. Information technology'southward in this space that photographers must pace up their game and jumpstart the flow by talking subjects through various movements and poses that best accentuate the shape and mood of the clothes.

The reward to existence behind the photographic camera is that yous can see everything unfolding in real time — from the way the wind blows the long scarf bated to the way the big balloon sleeves breaker when the models artillery are extended outward. Our responsibleness as the photographer is to walk models through micro-movements that yield a wide variety of shapes, expressions, and feelings to review and pull from when making selects after a shoot.

Here are my favorite tips on giving great management:

1. Stand or sit where the model is nearly to pose and move through the serial of poses you lot envision them taking yourself. This helps visually articulate the vision in your caput and gives the model a swell starting point for their creative process.
2. Be descriptive in your management! Don't just say "lift up your arm" — say "lift upwards your left arm then that I run into the detailing on the sleeve, and slowly movement your head to cover your left eye and and so tilt your caput back." The more specific you are in your direction the more it pulls the subject out of their own heads and encourages them to focus on the movements, shapes, and vibe they're embodying.
3. Applaud the model when they're doing something you actually like. Verbal communication is super of import on prepare and is the most straight way of encouraging them to keep doing what they're doing right! Positive affirmation goes a long way, creating a peachy sense of customs and leading to a better end product.
4. Know how to recognize when a shot isn't working. If you notice the squad/model is really struggling with a detail shot, be enlightened plenty to indicate to the team that you lot're moving on to something unlike. Information technology's ameliorate to focus on a new angle/location and successfully achieve it than frustrate yourself or the team on a shot you're never going to get.

Effective direction tin make or break the shot. Prototype credit Anna-Alexia Basile.

Stride 3: Information vs. feeling

When a lot of the states retrieve about fashion photography we visually bound to the apparel. Just way photography is about and then much more than the fashion itself — it's also tied to the environment in which the wearing apparel are photographed and the feeling that is born from that union. To illustrate this point, let's look at the deviation between production photos and lookbook photos taken of the same items for the same make. Product photos are all about conveying data about the items you lot're shooting (interesting seams, details, etc). While lookbook photos are all about conveying a feeling with the end goal of establishing an emotional connection between the production and the consumer. That feeling is what translates into sales for the brand.

Taking viewers on a journey through location, color and emotion. Image credit Anna-Alexia Basile.

Here are some of my favorite elements for creating emotionally captivating imagery:

1. Know your consumer. Who is it that y'all're selling to? What do they like? What inspires them? What kind of person are they now and what kind of person practice they want to be? Keep all of these things in mind when concepting and bringing your vision to life.
2. Maintain elements of aspiration in your photos. Accept the viewer on a visual journey somewhere new and make them feel like they are actually at that place with the production. You tin can achieve this by shooting from angles the natural heart would see.
3. Don't be so literal. In order to convey the concept of "summertime" when shooting swimwear you don't accept to shoot a model in a beach scene with cold drinks and sunscreen. Instead, you could photograph a woman's shadow with the bathing suit laying on the shadow where it would lay on the body (giving the illusion that the shadow is wearing the bathing conform). Conceptual photos are not merely more interesting but volition elevate the brand you're photographing and set it apart from its competitors.

Cocky portraits and working solo

If you enjoyed this trailer and would like to acquire more than about Anna-Alexia'south process for shooting cocky-portraits and to access the full video, electronic mail her at https://www.annaalexiabasile.com/about-contact. Video credit Anna-Alexia Basile and Sofala Mai.

How to pick a location

A big focus within my piece of work is self-portraits. I dearest photographing the human being form but am not always around other people when the perfect moment arises (especially during the COVID-19 quarantine). Because of this, I often turn the photographic camera on myself. Self-portraits are a fantastic form of self-expression and a directly manner of realizing your artistic vision from both ends of the camera.

I am oft asked what I choose kickoff betwixt the outfit and the location. While the answer differs depending on the project, more oft than not I choose the outfit based on the location. This means the location is the first piece of the self-portrait puzzle within my procedure. The type of location you're attracted to will vary greatly depending on your style. For me, the modus operandi is that information technology needs to be colorful. Color is indispensable within my piece of work because it transmits emotion so effectively. But color can sometimes be defective in our day-to-twenty-four hour period lives. Because of this, when nosotros run into a world of color, it feels really special. This "special" and "not-day-to-day" feeling is what I try to articulate within my work — and information technology starts with a stellar location.

My tips for landing the perfect location:

1. Always keep your eyes open up. You never know when y'all may stumble beyond the perfect shoot location! I like to mark these spots on my Google Maps app on my phone so I remember exactly where they are and can see if they're close to whatsoever other cool spots I've bookmarked as well.
2. If you're traveling to a new destination, I honey using the geo-tags on Instagram to meet what cool spots people have stumbled upon other countries. If information technology looks like someone hit the jackpot with a not bad location only I'm unsure exactly where it is, I'll reach out to ask them about it. Most people dear sharing about their adventures and I've meet some of the best secret tips through these other travelers!
3. If yous can't observe the perfect backdrop in the outside world, create one within your inside world! I love sourcing funky objects and cool pieces of fabric from flea markets and scrap yards and then using them to build interesting sets. But even without an excess of props, chances are you probably have some cool backdrops within your domicile that can be accentuated with unproblematic objects like plants, fruit, or colorful items. Take a day to be a kid again and build a mini set in a corner of your house to bring your vision to life.

A solo shoot. Epitome credit Anna-Alexia Basile.

Picking the right outfits

One time you lot've tracked downward the perfect location, selecting the right outfit is the next puzzle piece to complete. When styling the look, retrieve about how the clothing and location will collaborate and cull an outfit that sustains a visual conversation with the surroundings. Remember almost including contrasting colors to help the image pop, or continuing a colour theme to create a dramatic monochromatic image. Remember that the clothing is always telling a story.

Here are some of the things I always call up most when selecting an outfit:

1. Does the garment fit? If it doesn't, make sure you bring tools with you to make each piece look just correct. These tin can be clips for an extra large garment (or embrace the volume!), a belt to accentuate the waist line, or a shoe to add top then the brim doesn't elevate.
2. Do you feel good in the outfit? You always want to wear a await that allows y'all to experience fully self-expressed and dandy almost yourself. Chances are if y'all're wearing something that'south uncomfortable or that doesn't feel true to your style that that discomfort might translate visually. Always pick an outfit yous love and feel confident in!
3. Does the garment lucifer the vibe of the environment? I encourage you to always maintain a visual dialogue betwixt the apparel and the set because information technology'll assistance you create a stronger visual voice and ameliorate transmit your creative message.

Standing a color theme to create a dramatic monochromatic paradigm. Epitome credit Anna-Alexia Basile.

Posing

Knowing how to pose is essential because the pose creates move and lines that strengthen the image. Sometimes it can be hard to see exactly where yous land inside the frame when you're both shooting and modeling, but it's important to really get this right. Framing yourself properly and figuring out the perfect pose for a location or for an outfit volition transform the epitome.

Here are my get-to tips for posing within a cocky-portrait:

1. It may sound featherbrained, but after I've put on the look I'm about to shoot I'll spend a infinitesimal or two taking in its special details. Then I'll hop in front end of the mirror and motility my body in means that make the special elements of the wearing apparel stand out. That little bit of practice in front of the mirror and really seeing how the garment moves and takes shape on the body can make all the deviation.
2. Check the framing after the outset shot. You want to make sure you're occupying the right space inside the photograph. With no ane else behind the lens, you might not realize parts of your body are out of frame.
3. Move effectually a lot! Just like you'd direct a model to trip the light fantastic toe through different micro-movements to reveal a wide variety of poses, you lot should do the same within a cocky-portrait. Try not to become stuck on your go-to pose because then all of your images will expect the same. Instead, try a variation on that pose and I guarantee information technology'll lead y'all so something new and successful.
4. Integrate yourself into the environment or set. Rather than just plopping down into the middle of the scene, observe ways to interact with your surround in a mode that makes it announced equally though you visually vest.

By focusing on unique and brilliant moments, color, and location, any fashion photographer tin bring an outfit's true essence to life. Successful photography can transport the viewer and communicate feelings beyond the visual. I hope these tips will help yous down the path to creating more powerful and provocative imagery.

For more of Anna-Alexia's adventures and classes you can notice her at @annaalexia on Instagram. DM her with photo questions or to get more info on her upcoming classes!

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