Easy Photoshop Slimming

Written by Richard Hales

Firstly, I’d like to thank TipSquirrel for asking me to write a tutorial for him, and as it is my first one I’ll keep it short and sweet.

This is a process that is worth keeping in the Photoshop bag as it can greatly enhance your reputation as a portrait photographer.

The young man in this photograph doesn’t need to lose weight, but I like the photograph.

Step 1

Duplicate the background layer (Layer > Duplicate layer or Cmd J [Mac], Ctrl J [PC])

Step 2

Edit > Free transform (Cmd T [Mac] Ctrl T [PC])

Step 3

In the Transform options there is a box with a W to the left of it (see image) this option allows you to either expand or contract the width of the image as a percentage. For our purposes we need to contract the width so we put an amount lower than 100. As a rule of thumb, anywhere between 95 & 98% will get the best results; below 95% and things start going a little weird.

Step 4

Once you are happy with your image press return or the tick button in the options bar to commit the transformation

Step 5

With the image I’ve selected you don’t need to do this, but with most other images you will need to crop the image to the size of the upper layer. Turning off the visibility of the background layer can help you see where to crop.

Step 6

Flatten the image. If the background is not visible you will get a dialog asking you if you want to discard hidden layers, click OK.

Step 7

This is the most important part: whatever you do, never tell your clients that you have done this!

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Richard Hales Photography

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