INTRODUCTION – It is possible to increase the local contrast of a picture and allow the enhancement to only appear in a selected area of the original picture.  This procedure can be applied to eyes or any part of a picture.

OPEN PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS AND LOAD A PICTURE - Open Photoshop Elements in the Edit mode.  Hold the Ctrl key and tap the letter O key (Open) > navigate to a pictures folder and click a picture that shows a subject’s eyes… > click Open.

CREATE A LAYER COPY – Select the Background layer > hold the Ctrl key and tap the J key > double-click the name Background copy and rename it Sharp > click OK.  (You should now have 2 layers)

SHARPEN THE TOP LAYER – Select Sharp > select the Zoom Tool and draw a rectangle around an eye (the eye fills most of the picture area) > select Enhance + Unsharp Mask > set Amount=40%, Radius=70, Threshold=0 > click OK (You have just adjusted the local contrast.  It’s OK to try different values for varied effect.)

CREATE A NEW BLANK LAYER– Click the “Create a new layer” icon (upper left area of the Layers palette) > if necessary, drag the new layer (Layer 1) below Sharp. (You now should have 3 layers)

GROUP WITH PREVIOUS – Select Sharp > hold Ctrl and tap the G key (you’ll see a small down pointing arrow on left side of Sharp).

PAINT THE EYES – Select Layer 1 > press the D key (forces black/white at bottom of Tools Bar) > select the Brush Tool > resize the brush to about 1/4th eye size using the [ and ] keys > paint the eye with black (allows the sharp eye to show through) > hold the Space Bar and drag the picture to the other eye and paint it too.

TEST THE RESULTS - Hold the Alt key and toggle the visibility eye of  Background > if you haven’t already, you can restore to full picture view with Ctrl + 0 (the number).

CONCLUSION  - This procedure is designed for the eye that is unremarkable.  It can be used to enhance other objects such as the center of a flower, or any object that needs to stand out from the rest…

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