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Let's admit it—everyone wants a cool profile picture of themselves on their social media. But it's hard to make a picture perfect. And even if the picture turns out great, it may lack a certain magic in it that makes it truly outstanding. There's a saying that begins with "when life gives you lemons..." Well, sometimes life doesn't give you even that. What to do then? Digital artist Max Asabin's answer is—Photoshop them in!

The Russian retoucher started small, as a hobbyist, but has become a true master and professional of photo editing. Over that time, he has gained a solid followership of 267k followers on Instagram and other social media profiles. The guy's (obviously) digitally savvy, so you can find him on virtually any social media platform that there is. Asabin was also featured on Bored Panda a few years ago and has improved leaps and bounds over that time.

More info: Instagram | Facebook | maxasabin.deviantart.com | behance.net | twitter.com | youtube.com | asabinart.tumblr.com | asabinart.artstation.com

His secret is that he has no secrets that he's unwilling to share. He's always open about the process of doing these photos, and always shows the initial work side-by-side with the finished picture. In a sense, his works are very educational, as he provides tons of tips and learning material along with his photos. First, he makes a composition of a few roughly cropped images. Then he finely crops it in, and that's where the tricky part usually begins.

The Photoshop wizard then adds fine details, blends in lighting and shadows, and adjusts the color scheme so that the person blends in seamlessly with the whole composition. Afterward, he polishes it up and voila—you have a picture of yourself that you'd never get in mere reality. From magical to hi-tech, to post-apocalyptic, the possibilities look near limitless for Asabin's skills.

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#5

You Will Be Surprised By This Russian Artist's Photoshop Skills (New Pics)

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George Chesterson
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Beautiful. Reminds me of pre-Photoshop darkroom work of the artist/photographer Jerry Uelsmann.

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Believe it or not, it wasn't always like this. He was as unskilled at photo editing as most of us. He began with Photoshop CS6 at 2007 and never looked back. As of now, that's 13 years of experience. Impressive. What's more, he is completely self-taught, which explains the amount of knowledge the guy has and is willing to share. All in all, the dude's as inspiring as his works. And if you, fellow reader, are struggling at cropping the image, please know that once Max has struggled too just like you.

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You Will Be Surprised By This Russian Artist's Photoshop Skills (New Pics)

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Tori Wheeler
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I like that he used actual bird wings and then was like, "Nah, f**k it, I'm gonna make these look however I want."

troux avatar
Troux
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But....the wings in the second look NOTHING like the wings in the first? The overall structure, the color, the direction they're pointing, the feather length.

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Kat Rogers
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

STUNNING~ SET HIM UP WITH THE BEAUTIFUL LADY IN WHITE, IN #4!

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You Will Be Surprised By This Russian Artist's Photoshop Skills (New Pics)

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mph seti
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I really like Photoshop that doesn't look Photoshopped. Also, the best CGI in movies is the CGI you never notice.

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You Will Be Surprised By This Russian Artist's Photoshop Skills (New Pics)

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Ava Proctor
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

idk why but my favorite thing to say is "shoto-phop" im just really weird

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You Will Be Surprised By This Russian Artist's Photoshop Skills (New Pics)

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FurryManiac
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

first one looks like dove Cameron, second looks like Jennifer Lawrence(anyone else see it)

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You Will Be Surprised By This Russian Artist's Photoshop Skills (New Pics)

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You Will Be Surprised By This Russian Artist's Photoshop Skills (New Pics)

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Note: this post originally had 81 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.

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