You can make anyone into the Joker.

This Instructable is inspired by the movie The Dark Knight.

I used this simple camera phone picture of my daughter and changed her into the Joker using Photoshop CS3, but I'm sure any photo editing program will work just fine.

Step 1: Bring in the Photo.

Bring the photo in who you want to turn into the Joker. (I prefer someone who is already smiling in the photo.)

Save the file and name it what ever you want.

Name the layer "Original" to keep things organized.

Step 2: Copy the Layer and Call It Liquify.

Make a copy of the Original layer and call this layer Liquify.

(This is where it gets interesting.)

Step 3: Liquify It

"Liquify" or use your photo editor to distort the image.

Go to Image then Liquify.

Step 4: Using Liquify

In this step she is really looking like the Joker.

Use the Foward Warp Tool in Photoshop or your photo editor's equivalent.

Push out the corners of the eyes outward.

Make the eyebrows evil looking with points at the top like in the photo.

Push out the corner's of her mouth. (This makes her mouth look like scars.)

EXTRA: I also pinched in her nose by using the Plucker Tool.

Brush Size: 61
Brush Density: 66
Brush Pressure: 100

Step 5: Add the Color to the Face

Make a new layer with nothing in it. Call it "Color."

Make sure the "Color" Layer is selected.

Use the Brush Tool to paint black around the eyes. The brush size about the size of the eye sockets.
(Doesn't need to be neat you'll fix that.)

Use the Brush Tool on the lips, and the "scars." Paint them red.

Step 6: Blur It UP

With the "Color" Layer selected.

Use the Gaussian Blur under Filter-Blur then Gaussian Blur, or your Photo editor's equivalent tool, and blur the heck out of the color.

I used a Radius of 12 pixels.

Just blur the color so it looks similar like the photo below.

The result should look like photo 3 in this step.

Change the Opacity to 55%.

Step 7: Add Intensity to the Color

Make a copy of the "Color" Layer.

The new layer's name will not be important. (As it will be merged later.)

I used the Multiply setting on the Layer to Intensify the color, as shown below.

Step 8: Merge the Layers

Merge the "Color," "Color Copy" and "Liquify" Layers together into one by RIGHT clicking and choose Merge Layers. (This step may be different on your Photoshop Edition or Photo editor.)

Then rename the merged layers into "Color & Liquify 1"

Step 9: Blur the Background

Make a copy of the "Color & Liquify 1" Layer

Call it "Color & Liquify 2"

Use the Lasso Tool (Photoshop) to select the background around the person. Don't worry about little hairs.

Once selected use our friend the Gaussian Blur again under Filter-Blur then Gaussian Blur use a radius of 9 pixels. (Play with the setting to get your desired effect.)

Deselect by holding down Ctrl+D.

Use the Blur tool around the edges of your subject and the background. (Blend the background to the foreground see photos 5 & 6 for example.)

Step 10: Makeup PLEASE!

Add a glow to give off a whiter face like the Joker. If your subject has a darker skin tone you can use white paint on the face and use the same in Step 6.

Make sure "Color & Liquify 2" is selected.

Go to Filter-Distort then Diffuse Glow use following settings:

Grain: 0
Glow Amount: 8
Clear Amount: 10

Step 11: Lighting!

Now that your almost done add the final effects.

Make a copy of "Color& Liquify 2" Layer and call this layer "Hard Light."

Under the Layer settings select Hard Light.

Change the Opacity of the "Hard Light" Layer to 40%.

Select all the layers except the "Original" Layer, RIGHT click and hit merge layers.

Call this layer "Finished."

Step 12: Eyes You Can See

In this photo the eyes are hard to see so I used the Dodge tool to lighten them up.

Use the Dodge tool.

Under the Range setting make sure "Midtones" is selected.

I used 38 as the brush size but just make sure it's same size as your subject's eyes.

Lighten till you see the whites of their eyes.

Step 13: Make Her Look More Dead-ish

Make a copy of the "Finished" layer and call it "Desaturate."

Make sure the "Desaturate" Layer is selected.

Go to Image-Adjustments then Desaturate. (Gives a dead look.)

Under the layer settings change the Opacity to 13% or so.

Merge the "Finished" & "Desaturate" Layers call it "Finished."

That's it your done. Hope you have fun with this project. Mess with the settings to make more adjustments. JOKER-IZE!