make transparent skin for oldifying image

Question

I am new to graphic design and have started to learn Photoshop.

I want to create a transparent image of mask like the attached image. It is the mask of an old person that is applied to the face of a captured image. So far I tried creating the image by reducing the opacity of someone old's face but that left the color of his skin. If I take some white old person's face it don't work on black.

How can I make these wrinkles on a grey, semi-transparent image or make these out of some old person's face?

Answer 1

Here is a convoluted idea

1. Turn the image grayscale (one way to do it would be Image->Adjustments->Desaturate)
2. Use levels to exaggerate the contrast (skin almost white, creases and shadows almost white)
3. Invert the colours to make a negative (Image > Adjustments > Invert)
4. Use the inverted grayscale as a mask on a solid black colour layer
5. Paint black in the mask the features you don't need (such as the eyeballs, nostrils, etc)

The result will be an image where the creases and shadows are almost solid but the skin is transparent. You can apply this image to another by placing it in a top layer and selecting blend modes such as multiply, overlay, etc.

Note: The chances of this being extremely realistic are quite narrow. All faces don't have the same structure/proportions.

Example of an image created using this technique (with no intention of being realistic or tidy, just for illustration purposes)