The technique outlined below is one that I currently use to give the models in the photos I manipulate more animal-like ears. I wrote this tutorial under the assumption that the user would have a basic knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and would be using at least Photoshop 6.0 or higher. Click here for an example of what the final ear ought to look like.

Step 1

Using the Rectangular Marquee Tool, draw a box, or whatever shape you wish, around the ear you want to manipulate. Be sure to leave enough room to accommodate the changes you want to make to the ear.



Next, either copy and paste the selection onto a new layer or right-click the selection and select Layer via Copy to create a new layer with your selection on it.

Step 2

Reselect the ear on the new layer by holding down the Ctrl key (Command key on a Mac) and clicking on the layer in the Layers pallet. Also make sure that the “ear" layer is highlighted in the Layers pallet.



Step 3

With the selection made, select Filter > Liquify from the menus at the top of the screen. The Liquify Filter interface will appear.

Select the Warp Tool from the tools on the left. I typically use this tool to shape ears, however, the Twirl Tools can also be handy. Select your Brush Size and Brush Pressure under Tool Options on the right side of the screen. The Brush Size I use varies depending on the resolution of the photo I am using. Usually I choose a size just a bit smaller than the round part of the ear. I almost always use a Brush Pressure of 50.



Step 4

The Liquify Filter typically gives the manipulated area a distorted or stretched look. With time and practice, you will be able to use it to create all sorts of ear shapes while minimizing that stretched look

Using whichever tool you have selected, begin to shape the ear slowly by stretching it out little at a time. I would also suggest pushing some of what you stretch back in as you go. One of the things that will make the ear look more realistic is if you keep the folds and grooves of the ear uniform. Thin them out towards the tip of the ear. It is important to remember that this step takes time, don’t rush it. If you mess up, start over or undo your last step. As I said before, this takes practice. It took me a while before the ears I did looked as I thought they should.

When you like the way the ear looks, select OK.

Step 5

At this point you should have a descent looking pointed or otherwise manipulated ear on a layer above your base photo. Be sure to look at the entire photo to see if your ear matches what you are trying to accomplish overall. Everything should look good except for whatever was behind the ear in the photo. That area will most likely be really distorted and will need to be removed.



This can be accomplished using the Eraser Tool or by creating a Layer Mask on the ear layer. Using either technique, carefully erase or mask the distorted area behind the ear until the ear and its surroundings look natural.



Step 6

The final step in the ear manipulation process is to make sure that the texture of the new ear is consistent with the texture of the rest of the photograph. When I use Liquify Filter to point an ear, there is usually a spot or two where you can tell the ear has been stretched. Much of this is dependent upon how much noise is in the base photograph. The more noise, the more stretched noise will be visible. This takes away from any realism you are trying to achieve.



To combat this problem, use the Blur Tool to smooth out any areas of stretched noise being careful to avoid softening the edges of the ear. Once smoothed out, create a feathered selection around the smooth areas by using the Lasso Tool to draw a shape and then selecting Selection > Feather… (just a few pixels will do) from the menu at the top of the screen.. With your selection made, select Filter > Noise > Add Noise… and try to match the noise in the base photo. You may have to blur the selection as well to match the texture.



Keep in mind that there is no real recipe for how to created a pointed ear as every situation is different. Play around and experiment until it looks good.