How to Swap a Person Out in Photoshop

How to Swap a Person Out in Photoshop

Wedding photographers and portrait artists frequently encounter clients who love a group photo but want to replace one person who didn't look their best. This common request becomes simple when you understand the right techniques for seamlessly swapping people between similar images.

The process involves careful selection, positioning, and blending to create a natural-looking result that appears as if it was captured in a single shot.

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Video by PHLEARN. Any links or downloads mentioned by the creator are available only on YouTube

Practical Tips

These essential techniques will help you achieve seamless person swapping results:

  • Make your initial selection generous to give yourself extra room for blending and adjustments
  • Lower the opacity of the replacement layer to see through it while positioning and aligning with reference points
  • Use layer masks with black paint to hide unwanted areas and create smooth transitions between images
  • Apply the clone stamp tool on a new layer to fill in background areas where overlap occurs
  • Match the size and positioning by using transform tools and aligning with fixed elements like furniture or other people

Explore more techniques for manipulating people and objects in your photos:

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