challenge only

[giorgi]

Hi gurus.
I would like to offer you beard challenge to share our experience each other.
yeasterday we got such request when I find out create realistic beard is kinda hard.
I would like to see how others solve this problem. let's create the most realistic beard possible.

good for our skills improvement

Do not hesitate to make notes

 

[ex_teacher]

Assuming I understand the meat of the challenge/question. This is my take on how I approach this problem.
Beards/ hair are very difficult for a variety of reasons. Superficially we have 4 issues that typically need to be addressed
1, The 3 dimensional shape and color of the beard/hair mass and how that is modeled ( ie shaded for that 3-D effect)
2. This hair mass is made of discreate wire like elements
3. These wire-like elements frequently spill out into other areas
4. On the periphery we often see these element s emanating out of the skin
The obvious and easiest way to deal with most of this is to cheat Rob the hair from somewhere else and clone and/or selection-paste en-masse

Here's a modest example where I robbed a beard then modified it into unrecognizability
Its been shaded ( burn & dodge ) reshaped, cloned, painted on using color mode, feathered, and selectively blurred and/or sharpened.

 

[IamSam]

Beards are actually fairly easy until you get into longer versions, then the technique changes.

I prefer to use stipple and hair brushes with the Brush Tool.

Original


Stubble (it's a little darker here on the forum than it is in my Ps) is used as "under-shading".


Light cropped beard.
Note: This guy looked like he would have a softer thick beard to me!


Here is a great tutorial on what I'm actually doing!

 

[Rich54]

I used essentially the same approach as @IamSam. Custom hair brush set to various shape dynamics and color dynamics. Used a few layers with different blend modes to get a lot of varied effects.

 

[ex_teacher]

Beards are actually fairly easy until you get into longer versions, then the technique changes.

I prefer to use stipple and hair brushes with the Brush Tool.

I'm not sure what that means but it sounds like a conundrum that should be explored!
Is that a color space issue or a monitor/display or graphic card issue, a screen density issue or something else?

Here is a great tutorial on what I'm actually doing!

Opaque jitter??? Opaque Jitter!! Opaque jitter
I didn't know that existed ...thank you so much. A major stumbling block solution

Bruce

 

[IamSam]

Is that a color space issue or a monitor/display or graphic card issue, a screen density issue or something else?

Not sure.........it's only slightly noticeable to me, so I will leave it alone!

I didn't know that existed ...thank you so much. A major stumbling block solution

Not a problem! It's what this type of forum is here for!


Same technique on example photo. A bit more of a cropped beard.

 

[Rich54]

Opaque jitter??? Opaque Jitter!! Opaque jitter
I didn't know that existed ...thank you so much. A major stumbling block solution

Bruce

The Color Dynamics setting is also useful for creating hair. You can set the Foreground/Background jitter to 100% (or whatever) and the brush color will automatically toggle between whatever you have set as the foreground and background colors.

 

[IamSam]

As I stated, the length of the beard required could change the technique.

Here I used the Brush Tool only for a longer, more full beard.



Thickness can be added. Color, lightness and darkness, and shading can easily be altered with adj layers.

 

[giorgi]

Assuming I understand the meat of the challenge/question. This is my take on how I approach this problem.
Beards/ hair are very difficult for a variety of reasons. Superficially we have 4 issues that typically need to be addressed
1, The 3 dimensional shape and color of the beard/hair mass and how that is modeled ( ie shaded for that 3-D effect)
2. This hair mass is made of discreate wire like elements
3. These wire-like elements frequently spill out into other areas
4. On the periphery we often see these element s emanating out of the skin
The obvious and easiest way to deal with most of this is to cheat Rob the hair from somewhere else and clone and/or selection-paste en-masse

Here's a modest example where I robbed a beard then modified it into unrecognizability
Its been shaded ( burn & dodge ) reshaped, cloned, painted on using color mode, feathered, and selectively blurred and/or sharpened.

View attachment 131769

can you show me your brush settings?

 

[IamSam]

can you show me your brush settings?

There was no mention of a brush being used.

Here's the technique he described........

Here's a modest example where I robbed a beard then modified it into unrecognizability
Its been shaded ( burn & dodge ) reshaped, cloned, painted on using color mode, feathered, and selectively blurred and/or sharpened.

He robbed the beard from an existing photo of a beard, then used other tools to modify. Some of these methods may have involved the Brush Tool, but not directly.

 

[giorgi]

that's my try I will provide better one after some changes.
in first look for me, my hair preseet looks realistic.
after I put it on the photo it looks almost transparent(sometimes it's goot for cheek hair. so realistic)
also I use "direction" control to simulate direction of hair growth. you can choose it in brush settings>shape dynamics>control.
I use some layers for different colors. I used to add some gray hair.


finally for short beard It's nice

 

[giorgi]

ve

Beards are actually fairly easy until you get into longer versions, then the technique changes.

I prefer to use stipple and hair brushes with the Brush Tool.

Original
View attachment 131772

Stubble (it's a little darker here on the forum than it is in my Ps) is used as "under-shading".
View attachment 131774

Light cropped beard.
Note: This guy looked like he would have a softer thick beard to me!
View attachment 131778

Here is a great tutorial on what I'm actually doing!

the video is very helpfull. thanks mate

 

[giorgi]

Beards are actually fairly easy until you get into longer versions, then the technique changes.

I prefer to use stipple and hair brushes with the Brush Tool.

Original
View attachment 131772

Stubble (it's a little darker here on the forum than it is in my Ps) is used as "under-shading".
View attachment 131774

Light cropped beard.
Note: This guy looked like he would have a softer thick beard to me!
View attachment 131778

Here is a great tutorial on what I'm actually doing!

longer version looks much more realistic but I think this doesn't match hair color

 

[IamSam]

the video is very helpfull. thanks mate

Your very welcome!

but I think this doesn't match hair color

Not all beard colors matches hair color! My hair color is brown and my beard is dark brown almost black and grey.

When beards are short, it's more inline with eyebrow color. When longer is when it begins to match the color of the hair. Age is more of a factor as well.

HOWEVER............I was not even trying to match the hair color! I was trying to create a realistic beard which was the purpose of the challenge! Your original sample image did not have much hair to offer a color match.

 

[IamSam]

that's my try I will provide better one after some changes.

Just so I am understanding you, so you are going to post a finished image?

in first look for me, my hair preseet looks realistic.

If you are referring to the edit you posted above, I'm hoping that you don't think that looks realistic! Is that what you are saying?


This is too soft and blurry and there's a hard line at the bottom of the jaw line.


Note the difference in a real beard.....

 

[chrisdesign]

I made him a bit older and gave him a real beard.

 

[giorgi]

Just so I am understanding you, so you are going to post a finished image?


If you are referring to the edit you posted above, I'm hoping that you don't think that looks realistic! Is that what you are saying?


This is too soft and blurry and there's a hard line at the bottom of the jaw line.
View attachment 131812

Note the difference in a real bear

noted!

 

[IamSam]

noted!

I do apologize, but this is not really an answer to my question above. Let me try again..........so you are going to post a finished image?

 

[giorgi]

you are going to post a finished image?

I am, yes I am working at the moment trying different things

 

[IamSam]

Thank you!!! I appreciate your reply!