Find Your Perfect Lipstick Shade on a Photo

Want to try a lipstick shade without buying it? Try it on the photo first. Select the lip area, add a fill layer, tune the red with Hue/Saturation, then adjust the blending mode and opacity until it looks real. Trying a few shades in Online PS costs you nothing.

Before you start

• Open your browser and go to Online PS (zaixianps.cc).
• Have the photo you want to apply lipstick to ready — 1000×1500 or larger is recommended so you can work on the detail.

Steps

1. Open Photoshop and import the image
   
   1. Click File → Open at the top left (or drag the image onto the page)
   2. Your original image layer is visible in the Layers panel on the right
2. Create a Solid Color fill layer (the lipstick base)
   
   1. Menu Layer → New Fill Layer → Solid Color… (or right-click the layer → New Fill Layer → Solid Color)
   2. The color picker opens — choose the lipstick color you want (you can change it any time) and click OK
3. Add a mask to the solid color layer and invert it
   
   1. With the new solid color layer selected, click the Mask button at the bottom of the Layers panel to create a white mask
   2. Select the mask thumbnail (the white square) and press Ctrl+I (Cmd+I on Mac) to invert the mask to black, so the solid color layer shows through in the lip area
4. Paint the lip contour on the mask with the Brush
   
   1. Set the Brush tool (B) foreground color to white, hardness to 0%–10%, and lower the opacity a little (30%–50%)
   2. Paint along the lip contour on the mask; the white areas reveal the color of the solid color layer
   3. If “no color shows up”, check:
      
      • whether the foreground color really is white (mask painting must use white)
      • whether you accidentally selected the fill layer itself instead of the mask (the mask thumbnail should be highlighted)
5. Adjust the blending so the lipstick looks natural
   
   1. Select the solid color fill layer, right-click the layer → Blending Options…
   2. In the dialog, tick Blend If: Gray on the left; two black-and-white sliders appear below
   3. Hold Alt (Option on Mac) and drag the middle of the left slider to the right to create a gradient, so the color fades naturally inside the lips
   4. Fine-tune the right slider as needed to control how strong the color is at the edges
   5. Click OK to confirm
6. Want another color? Just double-click the color swatch on the solid color layer
   
   1. In the Layers panel, double-click the small color swatch next to “Color Fill”
   2. The color picker opens — pick another lipstick shade and confirm
   3. No need to repaint the mask; the color updates instantly

References

• Online PS
• Adobe Photoshop official documentation