Styles

Cyberpunk Portraits in Neon

Cyberpunk is a colour problem. Two competing light sources in opposing hues, usually cyan against magenta, on wet surfaces that double every one of them. Get the colour wrong and it is just a dark photograph with a purple filter.

Cyberpunk Portraits in Neon before, original selfie
before, original selfie
Cyberpunk Portraits in Neon after
after

What it does to a photograph

Relights you with coloured practicals from two directions, so one side of the face takes cold light and the other takes warm, and rebuilds the background as a dense night street with signage, reflections and haze. Skin keeps a neutral core under the coloured light rather than being tinted whole, which is what stops the result looking like a filter.

Which photo to use

Evenly lit source photos work best, because the style is replacing the lighting entirely and existing coloured light fights it. A neutral indoor photo converts better than one already shot under a red lamp.

What people use it for

Gaming and streaming avatars, music and event artwork, profile pictures with a strong graphic identity, and anyone who wants a portrait that reads at thumbnail size.

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