A guide to expressions

Without wasting time, lets begin.

I'm going to start of with this crap photo :




Now like Zara, I'll be using the liquifying tool which can be found here : Filter -> Liquify.


Step one :

Duplicate your image, just in case you want to redo your mistakes later on.




You don't have too but i will just for guidance.

Step two :




Now open up liquify and...

Step three




I dont bother change my brush density or pressure but use the ones set by photoshop. You can change it if you want to but I don't bother. Use the brush and drag bits of skin. You could either drag straightly from the skin or you could cut the eyebrow out first and liquify it separately. Depends on which is more comfortable for you. Avoid using TOO big or TOO small brushes as they drag them out of proportion. Here are some tips for expressions :

Main expressions:

Angry : Eye brows arch inwards (like frowning). Mouth frowning and eyes can get slimmer
Sad : Eye brows are arched upwards like a slanting line from the T zone to the end of the eye. Mouth sad and eyes could get bigger.
Sexy : Eye brows usually arched inwards but they don't go too sharp like anger. They are usually raised towards the end to give that 'Oh yeah?' kinda look. Mouth can be anything from a pout to a mysterious smile.

I suggest you study expressions or real faces. Here are some examples i did ( using the same base photo). They are to hard to explain with words so hopefully you could copy them or copy then modify for practice =D







Photo expressions in order ( i call them these xD) :

Umm :: Bring it on! :: Uh... umm...err :: Awww :: Muah Muah Muah :: Oh really baby!? :: sad :: sad :: Anger

My photos with edited expressions :






The rest of my photos are ingame expressions, then edited slightly. I love ingame expressions. Some great expressions in game :

Mostly, i try any of the hacks. I love using Jaydee's hacks and Aikea_guinea's hacks. Trust me the facial changer n Decorgal and Shaklin's is far useless. They give stoned-stiff expressions if you ask me.
Just keep on trying the hacks and they're great. My favourite angelic smile is the Aikea_guinea's hack -> hangout -> Lie back -> listen. I used that for Mira Rose's beach photo on my Flickr.

TIP 2 :

1. Tilted heads give better expressions
2. Eyes play an important role!! -so make sure you photoshop them according to your expression (eg. don't do a big wide eyes when you're smiling happily, the eyes should be squinting xD)
3. When doing expressions for tilted heads (such as my green angel photo), use the same method but of course, the eye brows should be dragged proportionally as in the eye brow on the outer part is longer than the hidden one.

I hope that helped you! My hands are freezing right now so ignore any spelling errors. Please post your tries and feel free to ask more questions. I'll be happy to answer anything I've left out. =D Cheerios!