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PHOTOGRAPHY
Adding a tattoo in Adobe Photoshop.
Tattoos have existed for centuries and last forever, but fashions change frequently. Before taking a seat at your nearest tattoo parlor, learn how graphic artist Erica Larson uses Adobe Photoshop to apply a virtual tattoo in a few simple steps.
![Headshot of Erica Larson – Adobe associate creative art director, designer, and artist](/content/dam/cc/us/en/creative-cloud/photography/discover/tattoo-composite/assets_desktop/erica-larson_156x156.jpg.img.jpg)
Erica Larson dreams up inspired designs every day as an Associate Creative Director on the Adobe Studio team. She makes stuff that makes others want to make stuff.
Take a quick one-minute look at Larson’s composite technique in the steps below.
Before you start creating a tattoo composite.
Use these sample images or practice with your own.
Step 1: Prep your image
Start by opening the model photo in Photoshop and move the tattoo art wherever you’d like. In the Layers panel, Larson set the Blend Mode of the tattoo layer to Multiply and reduced the opacity to meld the tattoo onto the model’s shoulder.
![Add photoshop tattoo art image as new layer to model image and set blending modes to multiply](/content/dam/cc/us/en/creative-cloud/photography/discover/tattoo-composite/assets_desktop/step-art/tattoo-composite_step1.jpg.img.jpg)
Step 2: Clean up
Next, Larson added a layer mask to the tattoo. With the layer mask selected, she used the Brush tool and painted with black to hide those areas of the tattoo that are off the shoulder.
![Add Photoshop mask to tattoo layer and brush to hide areas of tattoo that extend off the shoulder](/content/dam/cc/us/en/creative-cloud/photography/discover/tattoo-composite/assets_desktop/step-art/tattoo-composite_step2.jpg.img.jpg)
![Lower brush opacity and paint over layer mask to simulate realistic lighting](/content/dam/cc/us/en/creative-cloud/photography/discover/tattoo-composite/assets_desktop/step-art/tattoo-composite_step3.jpg.img.jpg)
Step 4: Wrap around
Fitting the tattoo around the model’s contours is key. First, unlink the tattoo image from its mask. Next, click on the tattoo thumbnail to edit the image independently of its mask. To finish, select Edit > Transform > Warp, and drag the grid and handles to warp the tattoo wherever you want.
![Use photo warp tools to fit image on to contours of the model’s back and shoulder](/content/dam/cc/us/en/creative-cloud/photography/discover/tattoo-composite/assets_desktop/step-art/tattoo-composite_step4.jpg.img.jpg)
Step 5: Blend in
To make the tattoo look as realistic as possible, Larson selected the tattoo layer and chose Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. She then adjusted the radius to create a subtle blur.
![Before state on the left shows tattoo with no blur, after state on the right shows tattoo with Gaussian Blur filter applied](/content/dam/cc/us/en/creative-cloud/photography/discover/tattoo-composite/assets_desktop/step-art/tattoo-composite_step5.jpg.img.jpg)
New skills, new tats?
Experiment with tattoo designs like Larson’s to see how they’ll look on you or your clients—no needle required.
![Final photo composite with tattoo art blended on model’s shoulder is placed on an album cover](/content/dam/cc/us/en/creative-cloud/photography/discover/tattoo-composite/assets_desktop/step-art/tattoo-composite_step6.jpg.img.jpg)
Note: Project files included with this tutorial are for practice purposes only.
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