Character Portrait - The Photoshop: Professional Retouching and Compositing Tips, Tricks, and Techniques - page 348

Note
In the final image I added some smoke to the end of the cigar using a smoke effect
brush; there are many available for free on the internet ( Figure 6.28 ) . Sometimes
I'll do this by using a picture of smoke photographed against a black background.
I then add this picture to the top of the layer stack and use the Screen blend mode
to hide the black background, leaving just the smoke. Free Transform can then be
used to resize the smoke, while the Move tool can be used to position it.
Figure 6.28
The Painterly Textured Effect
This painterly look is a finishing touch that I like to add to my pictures. The technique
makes use of the Reduce Noise filter; it's best done at the very end of the retouching.
1. With the uppermost group active, add a merged layer to the top of the layer stack
by choosing Select > All > Edit > Copy Merged > Paste. Rename this layer paint-
erly , and create a copy of it by pressing Command/Ctrl-J. Rename this copy
sharpness .
2. Turn off the sharpness layer by deselecting the layer's eye icon. Click the painterly
layer and choose Filter > Noise > Reduce Noise.
3. In the Reduce Noise properties, set the Strength slider to 10 and all other sliders to
0%. Click OK ( Figure 6.29 ) .