in this tutorial i'll be showing you how i made the head manip for my recent cover! 

i made this using photoshop, but i think you can follow the tutorial in any app/software. 

there are different ways you can do this, you can just add the face attaching it on the neck of the base model or you can add the whole head and neck on the base model. in this example, i will be using second method.   

you need to start with finding pictures. 

when choosing the base image, i look for pictures where the model looks straight forward and their head isn't titled to any side. those are easiest to edit. but even if the head is titled you can make a successful head manip.  

also pay attention to the hair. it's easier if the model has short hair or in the ponytail because you don't have to worry about covering it.   

when the base picture is chosen, you can move on the image for the head manip. you need to look for pictures where models' heads are in similar position. this is very important! otherwise, the end result would look odd. 

other criteria is lighting. choose images that are shot in similar circumstances. my base is shot in a studio with professional lights, so i'm looking for a photoshoot in a studio for the face claim. 

for this example, i chose these pictures:

after i added them both on the same file, i masked the head (not precise, but i'll go back to do it later) and adjusted the size and position to match the base. it's easier is you lower the opacity of the top image. 

how do i make sure the position is right? i make sure that:

1) the shoulders of the top model match shoulders of the base model

2) the heads are the same height 

when i finally decide on the position, i mask the rest of the head and hair and get this:

(i also masked part of the neck that was showing over the base model's shirt) 

usually i have to adjust the colors and lighting of the head/body for them to fit together. i mostly use curve/color balance/saturation/contrast. in this case, pictures fitted pretty good, so i skipped that part    

to make it look more real, i added and drew some hair 

drawing hair is another story so let me know if you would like a tutorial! 

anddddd here's the final cover!! 

resources:

png: metropolis-hero1125 (DA)

hair stock: cindysart (DA)

i hope this was somewhat useful!! <3

if you have any requests comment here or in the 'requesting' chapter!