Head Swaps

We've all been there. Mom, Dad, the kiddos, the baby...yes, even the baby is looking at the camera with those perfect above the mantle, canvas- worthy grins...except Grandma. Grandma is looking at the birds flying overhead, mouth agape and one eye half closed, modeling the intoxicated pirate look, unlike the sweet soft smile she was sporting .258 seconds ago .Sigh. So what is to be done? Toss it? Keep it and give it to them anyway? Nah...this is the perfect time to apply a head swap.

So how is it done? Well there are a few ways...but here's one.

Let's start with the picture. 

Adorable, right? The little girl is laughing while Mom swings her through the fresh Spring air.

UNTIL...you look a bit closer.

Enter Jaws Theme Song.

Dun-dun-dun-dun.

But it happens to the best of us. Especially when it's selfie time, right? Or is that just me?

Well, we think we'll just scroll and find a similar image, except the next best one happens to look like this:

The bird just flew out of no where and not the kind where it's perfectly balanced in the portrait, soaring through the air like a painting, but rather smack in front of the girl's face like the Halloween flick, The Birds.

Enter Mission: Head Swap.

Don't we love Photoshop?

Pull up both images side-by side.

Determine which head you would like to swap.

Select the Lasso tool.

Lasso around the Head.

Copy. (Ctrl+C)

Then re-visit your final image and paste the new head. (Ctrl+V)

The head may be somewhat larger, smaller, or angled slightly, but have no fear. Photoshop is here. Simply select the Edit Tab, then Transform. From there, the scale and rotation can be easily tweaked.

Then comes the blending...

Create a layer mask and with a low opacity black brush, gently brush away the unwanted areas to blend the two heads into one perfectly amazing head. How does one create a layer mask?

Then comes the cloning. That band-aid-looking tool? It's a life saver. If any stray ears, weird flyaway hairs, etc are not where they need to be, simply select the healing brush tool, grab from nearby areas with the tool selected to Replace and cover up those ears and flyaway hairs. Next, select the tool to Normal and blend it all together.

Then...Wa-Lahhhhh!!!

(You don't have to sing that part, but it usually makes it better.)

Head swapping can be really fun too for things like putting your brother's head on animal bodies and bikini models. I kid...I kid...It has come in useful for myself several times, but I mostly use this method for large groups. Here's a quick example:

These are some SOOC shots I took at a recent wedding. In the first shot, the groom is doing something strange with his mouth and the mom in the green looks like she's getting ready to smile, but just isn't quite there. In the second image, everyone is smiling, but the dad on the right has his eyes closed.

I did a quick head swap of the dad from the first image and Wa-Lahhhhh!!!

The Finished Product.

So whether you want to swap bodies with Jennifer Lopez, play a prank on your brother, create a creepy Halloween image, or create that perfect image to be hung on the wall for generations to enjoy, head swaps can be a useful thing.

~Robin