Four to Go*
Summary: The fourth part to One for the Money*
Mr. Styles, your boss (and the CEO of the company you work for), offers to help you expand your OnlyFans business.
But can he watch you sleep with someone else?
Word Count: 7.8k
*Contains Mature and Explicit content! Please only consume what you feel comfortable with!💞You are so much more important!*
Mr. Styles is calm as he slips off his jacket, unfazed by the curious look on Max’s face.
“Uh…all right,” Max replies, sneaking a second glance at you for confirmation. “So, you…you’re just gonna…be here? Or…?”
Mr. Styles nods, taking a seat on the lounge chair near the wall, loosening his tie as he sits. “See, Peach always tends to need a little…encouragement. So, that’s why I’m here.”
He smiles at you, and your heart leaps.
“To give it to her.”
You have absolutely no idea what to say. What to think or feel. Part of you is somewhat comforted by his presence and the other part is wildly confused by it.
“Okay…” Max clears his throat and cocks an eyebrow up. “Well…we were just gonna go over some ground rules—”
“Excellent.” Mr. Styles beams as he leans back. A hand is waved as instruction to continue. “By all means.”
Your lips press together into a thin line.
“All right. I was just gonna ask how you feel about kissing,” Max begins, returning his attention to you. “There’s no right or wrong answer. Sometimes it can make things feel less serious, but it’s up to you.”
“Oh, I’m fine with it,” you say, shrugging once. “It’s just a kiss.”
Out of your peripheral, you catch Mr. Styles tilt his head.
“Okay. And condoms?”
“Yeah, I brought some.”
“Perfect, and I’ve got some, too.” Max looks around the room in thought. “Uh—oh. The safe word. I know we agreed on the color system, but if you have a particular word that feels best…?”
“Color system is fine,” you agree. “I trust you.”
Mr. Styles coughs under his breath.
You look over.
He smirks.
Amused, Max moves for his camera. “All right, then. Do you wanna go over the scene one more time?”
“Uh…honestly? Maybe we just…get right into it,” you answer, slowly slipping your coat off. “I have a tendency to overthink.”
You hear a snort from behind you, and you don’t even have to look to know who it came from.
“Got it,” Max chuckles, surveying the room one last time. “Well, then…I guess I’m ready when you are?”
Your pulse skips a time or two as you nod and allow your covering to fall away, revealing the outfit underneath.
Another one of Mr. Styles' sets. A soft, pastel peach color. It felt fitting, and the room grows oddly quiet as both men take a moment to drink you in.
Max is the only one with a comment to make, smiling gently as he says, “Nice. And it’s comfortable?”
“Very. Yeah, my investor did an excellent job.”
Mr. Styles smirks at your sly comment while Max laughs.
“Ah, so this is the work of the mysterious gentleman in the corner?”
“Indeed.” You nod as you step closer to the bed. “Turns out, he’s incredibly picky.”
Another scoff but you pay it no mind as you shoot Max an innocent grin and take a seat on the edge of the mattress.
Max fiddles with the camera and the lights a moment more before he clears his throat and claps his hands together once. “All right, I think we’re ready.”
There’s a weird flutter in your stomach as you straighten up and prepare to begin, unable to resist sneaking a glance at your boss.
He’s expressionless. Stoically sitting in his chair, relaxed, yet seemingly uninterested.
It’s not unusual for him, but even still, you wonder where the man who dominated you in your bedroom has disappeared to.
And if you’ll ever see him again.
“You ready?” Max calls gently, smiling his encouragement.
“Yes,” you reply, voice oddly timid as you scoot back toward the pillows. “Ready.”
With that, a little red dot begins to blink from the device, signaling the start to the video.
No going back now.
Max makes his way around the tripod, approaching the bed with a confident gleam in his eye. “Hi, Peach,” he murmurs, rather seductively, and your breath catches. “’S’about time we found our way here, yeah?”
You nod again, lip disappearing between your teeth as he kneels onto the mattress and begins to crawl closer.
“Look so fucking sweet,” he continues, letting his eyes trail from your face to your thighs, appreciating every thread on your lingerie set. “Did you dress up just for me?”
You fight the urge to look toward your boss, swallowing thickly as you whisper, “Yes.”
His hands find your hips, smoothing over the curves and dips with ease before slowly guiding your legs apart. “Gonna let me have a taste?”
You feel breathless. Wonderstruck by the fingers inching closer to you, the anticipation building in your gut.
“Yes,” you repeat, nails curling into the silk bedding beneath you as he moves in.
He hooks onto the material and slowly begins to pull it aside, allowing him access to your cunt. Then, his thumb outstretches, ready to swipe across your clit when the sound of a throat clearing echoes across the room.
You and Max both still, exchanging a curious look before turning to sneak a glimpse of the man responsible for the interruption.
Mr. Styles stares back, eyebrow raised. “I’m sorry, is that it, then?”
Max pushes up onto his knees. “Pardon?”
Your boss leans forward. “You have her all spread out, ready and willing, and this is the best you can do?”
Your eyes nearly bulge out of your head as Max tosses you a curious expression.
“I mean…this is what we agreed on,” Max replies slowly. “A little foreplay before the rest of it.”
“And this is your idea of foreplay?”
Max blinks. “Uh…yes?”
“Interesting.” His fingers strum against the arm of the chair but he says nothing more.
A little rattled, you shift beneath Max and wait for him to continue.
Tentatively, he does, pushing through your folds with intense focus. He’s slow with it, letting the air hit you just so until you squirm, hand pushing your thigh open.
Vaguely, you feel a pair of eyes studying you from the corner of the room, taking note of each breath and quiver of your limbs.
And you know he’s watching you. Know he’s observing the technique. And while you don’t mind being watched by him, something about this feels odd.
Max straightens up and moves in to kiss you, slotting his knee between your legs as a hand wraps around the back of your neck.
His tongue is in your mouth before your eyes can close, and you whimper a bit at the aggressive force behind his touch.
He’s quite good. One of the better men you’ve been with, and nothing has even happened yet. You take this as a good sign, allowing yourself to melt into the gesture as his fingers fiddle with the buckle on his belt.
There’s another condescending snort near the wall, and Max sighs against your cheek before turning around. “Yes?”
“Nothing.” There’s a touch of innocence behind his response but the look in his eye reads anything but. “That’s just not how she likes it.”
You feel the blood drain from your face as Max smirks and looks back at you. “Sorry, Peach. Is that not how you like it?”
“It is,” you confirm, shooting a peeved look toward the chair. “Ignore him, I’m sorry.”
Max smiles gently before pressing another kiss to your bottom lip while tugging his pants down.
He manages to get his boxers around his knees before there’s another noise, and you audibly groan.
“Now what?” Max calls, slightly annoyed but attempting to maintain a bit of calm.
Mr. Styles lifts one shoulder in a relaxed shrug. “Just think it wouldn’t hurt to slow down.”
Max lets his head drop, chin meeting his chest as he sighs before replying, “Is that right?”
“Nobody is watching this video for you,” Mr. Styles continues. “They’re watching it for her. They want to see the way she reacts. How she feels. Your cock is nothing more than the sideshow. She…is the main event.”
There’s a weird sort of flutter in your stomach as you let your focus drift to the man near the wall.
Max exhales beneath his breath before straightening up. “All right. Then how do you suggest we proceed?”
Not needing to be asked twice, Mr. Styles stands to his feet and saunters toward the bed. “For starters…” A hand comes out to grasp onto Max’s jaw, tugging his face to the side. “…that’s not how she likes to be kissed.”
Wincing some, Max shoots him a glare while attempting to yank himself free. “Yeah? And how would you know?”
A rather excellent question, and your breath hitches as you await the response.
Mr. Styles doesn’t even look at you as he says, “I’m her fucking partner.”
Another tense silence flitters around the room before Max is finally released.
“And let me guess…I’m touching her wrong, too?” he counters, leaning away from you as Mr. Styles straightens up.
“Yes.” A simple response but the bite behind his tone makes you shiver.
Max scoffs to himself, head shaking with disbelief as he pulls his boxers back up. “Well, maybe it would just be easier if you did it, hm?”
“It would. But then it wouldn’t be your video, now, would it?”
“Mr. Styles,” you begin in a gentle murmur, “please…it’s fine—”
“Doesn’t look fine,” is his only retort, nodding at the gentleman still kneeling above you. “Is this what they pay you for, then? Mediocre sex and cheap camera work?”
“This is what Peach and I agreed on,” Max reminds him. “All right? This is the scene that we created—”
“Nothing about this scene was constructed for her benefit,” Mr. Styles replies. “And if you knew anything about her content, you would know that her audience likes to see her squirm.”
“Well we’re not just catering to her audience, okay? This is about my audience, too—”
“Last time I checked, her subscriber count doubled yours. The majority of viewers won’t be for you. They’ll be for her—”
“Right, and that’s why she’s the one in the frame, all right? I know what I’m fucking doing—”
“No.” Another straightforward answer, and it makes your head spin. “No, you don’t. And I don’t think that’s fair to her or her subscribers. They shouldn’t have to pay for your incompetence.”
Max looks to you. “Is he fucking serious?”
“I—” You push up onto your elbows, feeling a little exposed in your see-through garment. “Mr. Styles, I appreciate the thought. But he’s right. This was part of the plan—”
“Your plan was to fake your orgasm just so he could nut on film?”
Both you and Max still as this reply hangs in the air.
Then, Max crawls off the mattress, and stands to his feet. “Okay, you know what? I can’t do this, I’m sorry.”
“Max…” you attempt to call, feeling rather embarrassed as he begins gathering his things. “Look, he doesn’t mean it—”
“No, I do,” Mr. Styles interjects, ignoring your peeved look of warning.
Max ignores you both.
He strides around the hotel room, throwing things into his duffel before turning the camera off and packing it up.
You attempt to shoot daggers toward your boss, a silent scold, but he simply meets your eye with relaxed indifference.
“Listen, Peach, you seem nice,” Max sighs, moving for the door with his things while shooting you a sympathetic grin. “And I appreciate you for even meeting with me. But…these things never work when the boyfriend gets involved. So, just…enjoy the room. It’s all yours for the night if you’d like it. And…I look forward to maybe working with you in the future.”
Your stomach drops as you nod and watch him exit the room, disappearing into the hallway until you’re left with the perpetrator.
All of fifteen minutes he’d managed to keep his mouth shut, and you huff as you sit up. “Seriously?” you mumble the moment the door is closed.
He leans back against the dresser, regarding you with ease. “That was pathetic, and you know it.”
“How? He hadn’t even done anything yet.”
“Exactly.”
You frown. “Mr. Styles, I really appreciate all of your help. But you were the one that told me this would be good for my account.”
“And it could have been. Just not with him.”
“What was so wrong with him?”
“He wasn’t doing it right.”
“Why? Just because he wasn’t doing it like you?”
“If he’s not doing it the way I would have, he’s doing it wrong.”
Your lips part but you find yourself without a response. After all, what exactly does he expect you to say?
He sighs and crosses his arms over his chest. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. But you can do better than him. Even in porn.”
“Right,” you snort under your breath, settling against the headboard and pulling your knees to your chest. “Well…guess it doesn’t matter now. I’ll just go back to my vibrating cock. Seems to be the only thing people really like.”
You’re attempting to lighten the mood, but Mr. Styles only offers you a rather contemplative look.
“Is that right?” he calls.
You suck in a quiet inhale and nod once. “Yeah. I mean, technically that wasn’t the only thing they liked, but…”
His brow raises.
You clear your throat. “You. They liked you.”
This seems to amuse him, his perfectly pink lips pulling up into a coy grin. “Me.”
“Yeah.” You glance down at your nails. “They, uh…liked your voice? And your…hands? And the way you talked? I guess? It was, um…the main feedback. They wanted to see you in more videos.”
The smug bastard is much too pleased to hear this, practically beaming as he studies you. “They did, did they?”
“Mhm.” You nod, cheeks warming. “So…you’ve got fans.”
“How nice.” He runs a hand along his jaw in thought, smile still much too wide. “And were you happy with the video?”
The million-dollar question. Truth be told, it’s the first video of yours that you’ve ever willingly watched more than once. You can still hear his instructions ring between your ears. Can feel his hands on your thighs. Can taste yourself on his fingers.
“Yes,” you reply quietly, shifting a bit in your spot. “It was…it was really good. I like how it came together.”
“You watched it?”
“…yes.”
“I thought you didn’t like to watch yourself come.”
“Yeah, well…this was different.”
His head tilts. “How so?”
You toss him a frown. He knows exactly why, and you hate his insistence on making you spell it out. “Why do you think?”
“Could be a number of reasons.”
“Except it’s not, and you know it.”
“Perhaps. But I’d like to hear you say it.”
You huff again. “I just like what we did, okay? It was a nice video, a nice scene, and a nice sound bite. Happy?”
Once again, that dark eyebrow dances up, his expression twisting into one of curious intrigue. “Sound bite?”
Shit. Your eyes flicker back down to your hands. “I mean…yeah. You do have a nice voice. Sounds…sounds great on film.”
He runs his tongue over his bottom lip. “You like listening to me talk?”
Again, you feel your pulse skip over its own rhythm as you attempt to convey nonchalance. “Sure.”
But he’s unconvinced by your casualness, pushing off the dresser to step closer to you. “Is that why you were watching the video, then? To listen to me?”
You want to respond but your whole mouth has gone numb.
“Were you using my voice to get off, Peach?” he murmurs, the scent of his cologne finally reaching you as he approaches the bed.
You don’t have to answer for him to know that he’s right. And perhaps you ought to be ashamed of such an admittance, yet…the strange darkness in his expression suggests otherwise.
“Yes,” you breathe, moving your gaze to the white button up clinging to his chest. It’s a rather sheer material, allowing you to see just a taste of his tan skin beneath, and the faint markings of ink from potential tattoos. “Couldn’t help it.”
“No?” He reaches the side of the mattress where you reside, sitting near your feet as he watches you. “Just had to listen to me while you touched yourself, hm?”
He’s so close. So fucking close to you, and the adrenaline you felt that day in your bedroom triples until you feel a bit faint.
“Yes,” you repeat, but it’s strained and airy. You don’t mean to sound so weak, but he always seems to leave you this way.
“How?” His attention to your face pulls you back. “How did you touch yourself? Did you do it the way you always do? Or did you do it the way I do?”
Your focus falls to your lap but he quickly takes hold of your chin to hoist your eyes back up.
“Peach,” he warns, “need you to tell me, yeah? Need to hear you say it.”
And you want to huff. Or scream. Or ball your hands into fists and pound on his chest in retaliation.
Instead, you whisper, “Touched myself the way you told me to.”
A look of pride flashes across his face. “Did you?”
A soft nod. “Yes. Imagined you there with me.”
He drops his attention to your lips. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” You sit up, desperate to bring yourself closer to him. Magnetized by this invisible pull. “Thought about your voice. Your hands. What you would have asked me to do. Wanted to make you proud…be good for you.”
He releases a deep breath, lashes fluttering as if working to keep his grip on his self-control. “Peach…”
“Almost called you,” you admit, fingers outstretching for his knee. “Almost asked for your business advice.”
He tightens his grip on your jaw, leg pushing into your touch.
“Watched it over and over and over.” Your palm glides up his thigh. “Thought about you through every fucking second.”
His expression grows stern as the vile language leaves your mouth, and you can see his dominant demeanor slip through the cracks.
“Just wanted to feel you, Sir,” you whimper, and his breath hitches. “Wanted your cock. Not the toy. Not his. Just you.”
It’s dizzying how quickly he manages to take hold of your hips and force you onto his lap, lacy cunt grinding against his covered bulge.
You both make a noise of approval, your forehead meeting his as you steady yourself by his shoulders.
“Is that right?” he finally speaks, but it’s coarse like gravel.
“Yes.” Your nails dig into his jacket. “It’s not the same when it’s just me.”
“No,” he agrees instantly. “No, how can it be? Such a pretty little thing doesn’t know what she’s doing. Needs someone to do it for her.”
You’re tugging on your lip to cover a whine, nodding quickly in agreement.
“Needs someone to take care of her, yeah?” His nose nudges into yours, taunting you with a kiss that you aren’t sure he’ll actually give you. “Tell her how to make Daddy happy?”
Your thighs are dragged over his for a second time as he grinds you down, forcing another wave of pleasure to roll over you.
“Wanna make me happy, don’t you?” he asks, and it’s so cruel of him to expect your coherence in a moment like this. “Always want my approval. My permission. Wanna do anything I fucking tell you, hm?”
“Yes…yes, please—”
“Please what, hm?” A beat as he inhales you. “What do you want, honey?”
You press your chest into his, gasping when the rings in your nipples are harshly stimulated. “Want you to tell me what I want.”
And he grins like this is the best thing he’s ever heard, hands tightening around your hips rather possessively. “Think you want my cock, don’t you? Want someone to do it right.”
You do. Have never wanted anything more, and it nearly makes your stomach ache from the thought of finally having him in a way you never thought you could.
There’s a brief moment of pause, the implication of your position and request dangling in the already tense air.
His lips are so close, taunting you with a taste, and it takes everything in you not to surge forward and take him for yourself.
He shifts, cock bucking up into your cunt as you sigh again, and just when you think this is the moment the dam breaks, he says, “Did you bring your camera?”
With a racing heart, you nod quickly, glancing toward your bag in the corner of the room.
He doesn’t move, at least not for a moment, instead breathing you in as he thinks. “Where is it?”
“There,” mumble, chin jutting toward the wall.
This time, he nods, squeezing your hips once more before taking a deep inhale and moving you off his lap.
It feels like the end of the goddamn world to have him rip his body from yours, and your chest nearly caves in as you watch him move for your things.
He rummages around in the bag until he finds the camera and tripod, moving to the other side of the bed to begin setting up.
It’s a different angle than Max had picked, and something tells you this is intentional. Whether this is out of spite or because he genuinely disapproved of Max’s camerawork, you aren’t sure.
You study him as he straightens the device and faces the lens toward the bed. Wonder yet again who this man really is. What his motivation is. What his intentions are. You’ve seen a side of him today you weren’t sure existed and despite yourself, you’re becoming addicted to it.
But is this just a ruse? Or is this who he really is?
“Look at me,” he calls, and it’s a dark, sensual instruction. “Good girl.”
He focuses on your face, making sure everything that needs to be in the frame is, and once he’s satisfied, he straightens up.
“I’m gonna hit record,” he tells you while your heart leaps into your throat. “What you choose to do with it is up to you.”
Your lips roll into your mouth, and you scoot back into the pillows. “Okay.”
The moment the red dot begins to flash, the air in the room shifts.
Your pussy practically comes to life as he side-steps into frame, slowly pulling his suit jacket off.
“Hi, Peach,” he murmurs, and your eyes zero in on his shoulders as they’re revealed to you. “Been a while, hm?”
Exactly one week and two days.
Not that you’ve been counting.
You stay silent as he approaches, desperately enthralled by his body as more and more of it is exposed.
He tosses the covering toward the other side of the bed before flicking the first couple of buttons on his shirt open.
“Know you missed me, haven’t you?” he continues, his back to the camera as he kneels on the bed. “Needed someone to take care of you.”
Your chest rises and falls with labored, anxious breaths. It’s torture the way he slowly crawls from the end of the bed to where you wait, taking his sweet time like if you aren’t about to pass out from anticipation.
Glimpses of his tattoos peek from beneath the collar of the white cotton fabric, teasing you with ideas as he finally reaches your legs, forcing your attention back.
“Isn’t that right?” he asks, just loud enough for the mic to pick him up.
“Yes,” you mewl, correcting yourself when you see his stern expression. “Yes, sir.”
“I know.” His fingers curl around your ankles, tugging your thighs apart to make room for his body. “Shame you didn’t ask me sooner.”
You consider this. Consider if this is part of the scene or an actual comment from Mr. Styles himself.
Either way, it makes you pout. “Should have,” you agree. “M’sorry, sir.”
The extra helping of compliance in your tone makes his mouth dance up into a proud grin.
He settles himself between your legs, reaching now for your wrists to bring them to his chest. “Take off my shirt.”
And it’s an instruction you don’t need to hear twice as you shoot up and begin pawing at his buttons.
Despite your shaky fingers, you manage to pull the tie over his head and free the shirt from his body, anxious to shove it down his arms until you can see his chest in full.
When you do…the world changes.
Colors are brighter, sights are sweeter, life is fuller. The body before you is that of real beauty. Sketched by the steady hand of an artist, each line, and ridge, and curve telling a story you desperately want to read.
It’s as if he were painted on a canvas and brought to life, your own work of art sitting right before you on this bed, asking you to indulge him.
Without thought, your palms sweep down his tan skin, drinking in the dips and edges that make up his torso.
He’s strong, and warm, and effortlessly sturdy. The ink littering his collarbone is delicate yet expressive. Two sparrows on each side with a butterfly just below his sternum.
It moves when he breathes, wings fluttering with the rhythm of his heart. You can’t tear your eyes away, and even though you feel him watching, you can’t move past this moment. Can’t fathom anything else but the divinity of the man between your thighs.
He smiles, pushing his body into your hands before grabbing hold of your hip. “Gonna show them your little surprise?”
Your head moves up and down wordlessly as he takes hold of your lingerie set and pulls the material down.
As it falls, he scoots to the side, allowing the camera to find you as your tits are revealed to the audience.
The rings shimmer in the light flittering through the hotel curtains, the initials—his initials—like a badge of honor to claim you to the world.
“So pretty, Peach,” he tells you, not for the first time, yet it makes your ego swell the same way it had before. “Like being mine, don’t you?”
“Yes, sir,” you say without pause. “Wanna be yours. Always.”
He hums, and it’s delicious. Soft green eyes like grass on a summer day.
He kneads your breast in his palm, letting his thumb ghost over the piercing until you keen, back arching from the bed.
He makes another noise, soft but urgent, and you can see that his attempt at dragging the scene out is all for not.
His other hand moves to your cunt, rough fingertip pressing into your clit through the lacy fabric until you’re squirming. He swallows your whispers for more, for mercy, and his brows furrow when he feels how wet you’ve become.
“Lay down,” he nearly grits, practically tugging you onto your back. “Let me see you.”
You settle into the mattress with ease, lashes fluttering when he maneuvers onto his stomach. His hands curl around your legs, forcing them further open to make room for his head as his nose brushes down the fabric on your stomach.
He’s moving for your pussy, lips sweeping across every inch of you he can reach before hovering over where your clit lies.
His tongue comes out and presses into your cunt, despite the covering in the way, and you whine when you feel him. Warm, and wet, and pointed as the tip slides up just to tease you.
“Sir,” you gasp, but it’s his name you’re desperate to say. His real name, the beautiful H still shimmering from your chest, seeming to taunt you.
He hums, and the vibrations echo into your nerve endings, setting each sense on fire. You attempt to move away from his mouth, but his strong hold keeps you cemented to the bed and his firm expression keeps you submissive.
He creates a pattern of licking and sucking. Rhythmic yet purposeful. And the skill behind each nudge of his nose or flick of his tongue far exceeds what you expected of him.
His nails sink into your heated skin, practically forcing you against his lips until the flesh tears, crescent-shaped indents now littering your thighs.
And he’s so close to tasting you but not quite close enough. You’re not sure who this tortures more, but you hate the way he keeps you from what you truly want. What you need.
Your hands find his curls, sweeping through the auburn strands as he makes another noise and nuzzles into your touch.
“Please,” you whimper, and it’s a futile attempt at begging but even still, Mr. Styles seems pleased.
More than that, he seems just as unhinged as you feel, rutting into the bed beneath him as he squeezes his eyes shut.
You imagine he might come just from this little act of foreplay, spurred on by your sounds and pleas. But you need to feel him, and he needs to feel you, and there’s no goddamn way either one of you will be leaving this room until his cock has been inside your cunt.
“Sir,” you try again, tugging on his hair until he looks up. “Please…need you to fuck me. Need it, please—”
He shoots you a displeased sneer, palm slapping into your thigh as punishment for the choice in language.
But you don’t care. Not when he’s this close to conceding, and you know it’s hurting him just as much as it’s hurting you.
Despite his disapproval, he sits up and begins tugging on his belt, yanking it through the loops before ripping the zipper down.
Your greedy hands reach for him, trailing across his large arms and broad shoulders. Fumbling with his pants in an effort to push them down his legs. Slipping into his briefs just so you can get the faintest feel of his cock.
He’s outrageously hard, already leaking when you find him, and despite his conviction, he bucks into your palm.
The slight twitch makes your head spin, and you whine as you scoot closer.
“Please, please, please,” you beg breathlessly, legs spreading once more as he pulls himself free.
The cool air sends a wave of goosebumps from your neck to your toes, but it’s the sight of him in his own hand that really does it.
Pumping himself with delicate precision, he hisses between clenched teeth, “S’this what you want, Peach? Want Daddy’s cock?”
The voice inside your head is screaming but your mouth merely mumbles, “So bad, sir. Need you to make it better.”
He pushes on your leg, cementing it to the mattress while his other fingers hook onto your outfit to pull it away from your dripping pussy.
He seems mesmerized by the way your body reacts to him, and you have to wonder why he’s so surprised. You imagine it should be obvious the effect he has on you, yet the fascination in his eye leads you to believe he never considered this to be a possibility.
“My perfect peach,” he whispers, letting his finger drag through you. You jolt, moaning deep within the back of your throat as he brings his cock closer. “Gonna feel so fucking good for me, aren’t you? Can already tell. Gonna be my good girl.”
He spreads you, studying your pussy with fascination. Allowing his touch to move up and down your soaked folds while he plays with you. As though you’re a toy, meant only for his amusement.
And he’s so wonderstruck as he moves your arousal around, letting it web between his fingers before teasing your hole.
One digit is sweet, but two is ecstasy. Reminding you of just how empty you really are. How badly you need him. All of him.
He works himself in and out for at least two minutes, just to see you stretch for him. And the way he watches you makes your ears ring, your cheeks growing hot.
He could keep you here forever, you imagine. Could make you come from this alone, and you have half a mind to let him.
But you enjoy the feeling of his fingers curling inside your soft walls. Enjoy the way he strokes you, pets you, presses into you. You want to kiss his hand for being so wonderful. For being so generous, and maybe you want to kiss him, too.
The faster his fingers move, the harder you sink. Your muscles dissolve into jelly, and you nearly disappear through the bed when he places a knee onto your thigh.
He’s using his weight to trap you, keep you pliable, keep you submissive. And it works because you don’t consider doing anything else as he finally removes his hand and lines himself up.
“Breathe,” he orders, taking hold of your hip to steady you and angle you up. “Easy, honey. Gotta open you up for me, yeah?”
He pushes in slowly, inching forward with great restraint as your walls stretch around him, mold to him, invite him in. You’ve gone quiet, jaw dropped open in an empty, soundless pant. But he knows what this means, and the bastard smirks as he continues.
Halfway in, and your cunt has latched onto him. Squeezing him so tight, you can see the torture of it on his face. He’s trying to take it easy, be gentle. Make this at least somewhat pleasurable for you but he’s only a man. An older gentleman at that, and it seems as though he wasn’t expecting to lose himself so fast.
“More,” you mewl, wiggling down. “More, sir, please….please, just…go.”
You greedily reach for his shoulders, his neck, his hair. Wanting to wrap your arms and legs around his body and hold him inside of you until this ache goes away.
And he seems to want this, too, driving in a bit faster than before as if to satiate you.
“M’almost there, Peach, be patient,” he scolds, but you can tell the threat is empty. “Gotta make this pretty pussy mine, yeah? Gotta show you what a real cock feels like.”
And maybe his cock isn’t purple, and maybe it doesn’t vibrate, but my god does it scratch that itch. Reaches places inside of you that a silicone one never could and it’s his. The only thing that really matters.
He smells like money and expensive aftershave. Addicting in every sense of the word, and you whine again when he stills.
“Easy,” he warns, attempting to shoot you a stern look, but it dissipates when he sees how ruined you are. “Be good, my love, come on.”
And this nickname makes your heart burst as you whimper and melt into the silk sheets.
He’s almost there, maybe an inch or two from being completely sheathed within your cunt. But he throws all decorum to the side when he decides to ram himself forward, filling you to the hilt as his lips suddenly crash into yours.
The kiss is salty yet oddly sweet. His tongue has traces of you, but it also tastes like him, and both of you together is something you couldn’t have anticipated.
It’s a messy connection, wet and a bit uncoordinated for only a moment before he figures out a rhythm he likes.
You scratch down his scalp almost as if to discourage him from leaving you, moaning while your body works to accommodate his size.
He doesn’t move. Doesn’t attempt to pull back before you’re ready, and you’re grateful for this courtesy in a moment so heated. You aren’t sure if you’re in control of your own mind anymore, but you enjoy following his lead.
You always have.
When he nips at your bottom lip, you’re reminded of how bad you need him. Need that release, and you slip your free leg around his bare hip. “Please,” you whisper, nose nudging into his cheek. “Please, Daddy.”
He groans at the nickname, forehead dropping to your shoulder as he eases back, just gentle enough to torture you.
And so begins the languid but deviously hard pace. A cadenced set of thrusts so deliciously slow, it makes your lungs ache.
Each pull out and push in seems to rip you in half, introducing you to the kind of pleasure you’d only ever heard about.
It feels as though this is what has always been missing from your life. This kind of sex, this kind of understanding, this kind of prowess.
And maybe it’s just his cock, or maybe it’s him, but it doesn’t matter because you’ll take it. Take anything this man offers you, and you’ll thank him for it.
Perhaps a rather uncouth thought, but you’ll correct yourself tomorrow.
Today, you’re his.
“Taking me so well, Peach,” he grunts, hips knocking into yours as he slips an arm beneath your waist. “Look at you, honey. So fucking wet, you hear that? Hear the way you sound for me?”
And you do. How could you not? It echoes around the room, bounces between the walls, and fills your ears like a harmony.
You imagine this might be your favorite part. Listening to the way your body has welcomed him in. You can feel it dripping down to your ass, can see it on his skin, can practically taste it still on his tongue.
Your back arches, chest knocking into his, and the brush of the rings makes you writhe. A squirmy movement that benefits you both as he growls beneath a strained breath and drives in at a harder pace.
“Bet it feels good, yeah?” He captures your mouth with his. “Bet it’s so fucking good. Bet you’ve never had someone fuck you like this, have you?”
With a fervent shake of your head, you wrap your arms around his neck and move to kiss down his jaw. “No, Daddy.”
The arm beneath you coils a bit tighter. “I can tell. This poor, pretty pussy just doesn’t know what to do, hm? Can’t do anything but take it.”
Sweat trickles between your bodies, and it’s salty on your taste buds as you lick the spot below his ear.
You almost swear you hear him purr from the feel of your lips, and it makes your heart soar to know he’s so enamored.
“Show them,” he seethes, the blades of his shoulders rippling beneath your hands. “Show them how good it feels to be fucked right.”
Your head drops back, heavy from the weight of your lust before you manage to look toward the camera.
Already you can see the influx of comments about the man between your legs. Praising him, idolizing him, thirsting after him.
And with your eyes on the lens, you lift your mouth to his, sucking on his tongue with great purpose as you remind the audience who he really belongs to.
After all, his initials are emblazoned across your chest. His mark, his claim, his property.
Whether or not that follows you both outside of this room doesn’t matter. Right now, right here, in this moment…he is yours.
His hips snap forward and he’s losing the battle fast, unable to keep himself from fucking into you with a fervent need for release.
But you certainly don’t mind because the angrier he gets, the harder he goes…the more infatuated you become.
And he’s hitting that spot over and over and over. Like it’s his job, like he always knew where to find it, how to please you. Stars scatter behind your eyelids and you’re drenching his cock and the sheets and his fingers the moment they attach to your clit.
The room fills with sex and whimpers and determined thrusts that have the bed shaking. Nothing else exists but this. Just this. Just him.
“Come on,” he breathes, pinching you between his fingers, tweaking the sensitive nerves until you nearly scream. “Come on, Peach. Let go for Daddy. Let me feel you come on my cock.”
“Please,” you cry because it’s far too overstimulating for you to think straight. It almost hurts, and you writhe beneath his hand. “Please, can’t—”
“But you will,” he tuts, thumb pressing into your clit as though punishing it. “You will because you’re my good girl. Aren’t you? Do exactly what I say, don’t you?”
Your head rolls back into the pillows, spine arching as you whisper, “Yes, sir.”
“Good.” He removes his arm from under your waist so he can go back up to your chest, pulling on your tit until tears actually gather in your lashes. “Go on, then. Fucking give it to me.”
You can feel the cool brush of his rings against your skin, but the moment you look down at his hands, it hits you.
Unraveling faster than you ever have, you clench around him, and finally release that scream. It’s the strongest one you believe you’ve ever experienced, and it seems to last an eternity as he continues fucking into you.
Then, his hand is on your jaw, tugging something fierce until your eyes meet.
“Look at me,” he whispers, knee still digging into your thigh as his weight keeps you caught in the pleasure. “Look at me, honey. Let me see you come.”
Tears fall from your cheeks and into his hands, almost burning your skin as you shudder around his cock.
You can see the repercussions of it on his face. Can see how connected you two have become in this singular moment.
He’s seconds away from following, and just when you begin to revel in the thought of feeling him fill you…he pulls out.
Straightening up, he takes his cock in his hand, and with a quick, firm pump, he comes all over your tits.
Nothing will ever be able to describe the wave of adoration you feel as you watch him release himself. The knitting of his eyebrows together in pure, unadulterated bliss or the flush in his cheeks as he groans.
His lips are so very pink and swollen, and the expression on his face, like something out of a museum. Structured and beautiful and the perfect showcase of exactly how good he feels right now.
And you watch as the nipple rings—his initials—are drenched in the sticky substance. It looks like art, painted across your chest in featherlike strokes.
The camera catches everything, allowing the audience the best view of his contribution. You imagine it’ll be something you’ll rewatch for years to come. A screenshot engraved in your mind for the rest of time.
You hum contently, eyelids growing heavy as you admire his work, and just when you think the moment is dwindling down, he dips down.
His tongue swipes over your breast, collecting himself on his lips as you groan and push up into his mouth.
He makes a noise himself, both hands gluing to your ribcage as he pulls you closer and keeps you still.
He licks at you like you’re a popsicle on a hot day, smearing his come over your skin, your lingerie set, and his chin.
“So good, Peach,” he murmurs between sucking your nipple into his mouth. “Could fucking stay here all day.”
Once again, your fingers brush through his curls, lazily this time. Almost as if trying to relax him. Thank him.
“Please do,” you whisper, almost as if to yourself, but the softening of his expression tells you he heard.
With one final kiss to your tit, he moves back up and takes hold of your jaw.
His fingers press into your cheeks, right beside your lips as a silent instruction for you to open.
You do, immediately sticking out your tongue for his offering as he leans down.
The spit and come dribble down deliciously slow but the moment they make contact, you whimper.
He keeps his hold on your face, watching as it sits in your mouth, seeming to enjoy the sight of your full submission.
Then, he squeezes. “Swallow.”
You do, quite greedily, and the second it’s down your throat, he’s kissing you again.
And it’s different this time because he’s no longer inside of you. No longer fucking you or showing off for the camera.
He’s kissing you just to kiss you and it makes your head spin as you disappear into his unspoken display of affection.
“My sweet girl,” he says against your lips, and it makes you smile. “Sweet like a peach, hm?”
You giggle into his cheek, nuzzling into him as though his touch is the only thing that can save you.
And maybe it is.
“Thank you,” you finally say, nipping at his earlobe until he smirks.
“For what?”
“I don’t know. Fucking me?”
He laughs as he smooths his palm down your side, drinking in your feverish body as the camera watches.
“Just trying to be a good business partner,” he retorts, and it makes your stomach flutter.
You lean back to meet his eye, already feeling sheepish. “Mr. Styles?”
“Hm?” His focus drifts to your forehead as he absentmindedly brushes back your hair.
“I wouldn’t be…opposed to doing that again,” you admit with a sheepish grin.
And for a moment, he’s amused, staring at you with a look you aren’t sure you recognize but absolutely adore.
Then, his smile falls, and a frown settles over his face. A sad kind of expression that changes the afternoon on a dime.
Suddenly, he’s sitting up and scooting back, tucking himself into his pants before snatching his shirt from the bed.
You watch, confused and a little unsure as he begins packing his things in the same way Max had.
“I’m…I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?” you venture timidly, arms crossing over your chest in an attempt at covering.
He doesn’t reply. He simply turns off the camera and redoes his belt, eyes trained everywhere but you.
“I was just…I was kidding. We don’t have to do that again, I just…I thought—”
“It’s fine.” His tone is clipped. Short and straight to the point. He sounds the way he always does yet it makes your heart sink.
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” you try again, but his head merely shakes.
“You didn’t.” Another vague and frustrating answer. “I just have somewhere I need to be.”
However, you know his schedule inside and out, personal and professional, and you know that he specifically kept today wide open.
Still, he pulls on his jacket and runs a hand through his hair, attention drifting toward the door. Eyeing his escape.
You bite back a sigh. “Uh…okay, well, thank you. Again. For your help.”
He nods, finally glancing over. But he’s not looking at you the way he was before. Now, it’s hollow. Void of any understanding and care. “I told you I’d help, and I meant it.”
“Right.” And now he’s done. “Sure, yeah. Okay. So I’ll…see you Monday?”
Another nod, this time quiet. You can see that he’d like to add something else, but his lips purse together, keeping his secrets locked away.
“Monday,” he finally repeats, moving for the exit. “I expect you to be on time.”
You stare at his back as he opens the door, silently pleading with him to turn around. To look at you one last time. Not leave like this.
He hesitates, hand gripping the handle, knuckles going white. He’s halfway into the hallway and your breath hitches.
Then, he disappears through the frame.
And the door slams shut.
ONE MORE PART, I WILL BE SOBBING TBH
Next Part:
~ Five to Go Live*
Previous Part:
~ Three to Make Ready*
~ Full One for the Money Masterlist
~ Other Harry Blurbs
~ Full Masterlist
Credit for the incredible and perfectly peachy dividers to @firefly-graphics!!
And a shout-out to @fkinavocado for helping me plan! 💞
Taglist: @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @keepdrivingkisses @swiftmendeshoran @tiredinwinter @straightontilmornin @justlemmeadoreyou @harrysdaydreams @tiaamberxx @peterparker1sgf @myfavfanficsever @littlenatilda @vamprry @fdl305 @tchalametishot @ssaama @indierockgirrl @kathb59 @iamjustaholeforyousir @buckyssbestgirl @harrystylesfan2686 @cherryluvhobi @indierockgirrl @narry-heart @daphnesutton @uniquesexything @amateurduck @ilovec0lbybr0ck @winterrays @milfrrynation @definegirlfriendsx @allthelovehes @amiets2 @likeapplejuicenpeach @nega-omega @sucker-4-angst @hsgucci94 @gills-lounge @kennedy-brooke @avasversion @stylesfever
(If your name is highlighted it's because Tumblr won't let me tag you, it's very weird and I don't understand it but I tried, I promise 😭💞)
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Neural Filters Tutorial for Gifmakers by @antoniosvivaldi
Hi everyone! In light of my blog’s 10th birthday, I’m delighted to reveal my highly anticipated gifmaking tutorial using Neural Filters - a very powerful collection of filters that really broadened my scope in gifmaking over the past 12 months.
Before I get into this tutorial, I want to thank @laurabenanti, @maines , @cobbbvanth, and @cal-kestis for their unconditional support over the course of my journey of investigating the Neural Filters & their valuable inputs on the rendering performance!
In this tutorial, I will outline what the Photoshop Neural Filters do and how I use them in my workflow - multiple examples will be provided for better clarity. Finally, I will talk about some known performance issues with the filters & some feasible workarounds.
Tutorial Structure:
Meet the Neural Filters: What they are and what they do
Why I use Neural Filters? How I use Neural Filters in my giffing workflow
Getting started: The giffing workflow in a nutshell and installing the Neural Filters
Applying Neural Filters onto your gif: Making use of the Neural Filters settings; with multiple examples
Testing your system: recommended if you’re using Neural Filters for the first time
Rendering performance: Common Neural Filters performance issues & workarounds
For quick reference, here are the examples that I will show in this tutorial:
Example 1: Image Enhancement | improving the image quality of gifs prepared from highly compressed video files
Example 2: Facial Enhancement | enhancing an individual's facial features
Example 3: Colour Manipulation | colourising B&W gifs for a colourful gifset
Example 4: Artistic effects | transforming landscapes & adding artistic effects onto your gifs
Example 5: Putting it all together | my usual giffing workflow using Neural Filters
What you need & need to know:
Software: Photoshop 2021 or later (recommended: 2023 or later)*
Hardware: 8GB of RAM; having a supported GPU is highly recommended*
Difficulty: Advanced (requires a lot of patience); knowledge in gifmaking and using video timeline assumed
Key concepts: Smart Layer / Smart Filters
Benchmarking your system: Neural Filters test files**
Supplementary materials: Tutorial Resources / Detailed findings on rendering gifs with Neural Filters + known issues***
*I primarily gif on an M2 Max MacBook Pro that's running Photoshop 2024, but I also have experiences gifmaking on few other Mac models from 2012 ~ 2023.
**Using Neural Filters can be resource intensive, so it’s helpful to run the test files yourself. I’ll outline some known performance issues with Neural Filters and workarounds later in the tutorial.
***This supplementary page contains additional Neural Filters benchmark tests and instructions, as well as more information on the rendering performance (for Apple Silicon-based devices) when subject to heavy Neural Filters gifmaking workflows
Tutorial under the cut. Like / Reblog this post if you find this tutorial helpful. Linking this post as an inspo link will also be greatly appreciated!
1. Meet the Neural Filters!
Neural Filters are powered by Adobe's machine learning engine known as Adobe Sensei. It is a non-destructive method to help streamline workflows that would've been difficult and/or tedious to do manually.
Here are the Neural Filters available in Photoshop 2024:
Skin Smoothing: Removes blemishes on the skin
Smart Portrait: This a cloud-based filter that allows you to change the mood, facial age, hair, etc using the sliders+
Makeup Transfer: Applies the makeup (from a reference image) to the eyes & mouth area of your image
Landscape Mixer: Transforms the landscape of your image (e.g. seasons & time of the day, etc), based on the landscape features of a reference image
Style Transfer: Applies artistic styles e.g. texturings (from a reference image) onto your image
Harmonisation: Applies the colour balance of your image based on the lighting of the background image+
Colour Transfer: Applies the colour scheme (of a reference image) onto your image
Colourise: Adds colours onto a B&W image
Super Zoom: Zoom / crop an image without losing resolution+
Depth Blur: Blurs the background of the image
JPEG Artefacts Removal: Removes artefacts caused by JPEG compression
Photo Restoration: Enhances image quality & facial details
+These three filters aren't used in my giffing workflow. The cloud-based nature of Smart Portrait leads to disjointed looking frames. For Harmonisation, applying this on a gif causes Neural Filter timeout error. Finally, Super Zoom does not currently support output as a Smart Filter
If you're running Photoshop 2021 or earlier version of Photoshop 2022, you will see a smaller selection of Neural Filters:
Things to be aware of:
You can apply up to six Neural Filters at the same time
Filters where you can use your own reference images: Makeup Transfer (portraits only), Landscape Mixer, Style Transfer (not available in Photoshop 2021), and Colour Transfer
Later iterations of Photoshop 2023 & newer: The first three default presets for Landscape Mixer and Colour Transfer are currently broken.
2. Why I use Neural Filters?
Here are my four main Neural Filters use cases in my gifmaking process. In each use case I'll list out the filters that I use:
Enhancing Image Quality:
Common wisdom is to find the highest quality video to gif from for a media release & avoid YouTube whenever possible. However for smaller / niche media (e.g. new & upcoming musical artists), prepping gifs from highly compressed YouTube videos is inevitable.
So how do I get around with this? I have found Neural Filters pretty handy when it comes to both correcting issues from video compression & enhancing details in gifs prepared from these highly compressed video files.
Filters used: JPEG Artefacts Removal / Photo Restoration
Facial Enhancement:
When I prepare gifs from highly compressed videos, something I like to do is to enhance the facial features. This is again useful when I make gifsets from compressed videos & want to fill up my final panel with a close-up shot.
Filters used: Skin Smoothing / Makeup Transfer / Photo Restoration (Facial Enhancement slider)
Colour Manipulation:
Neural Filters is a powerful way to do advanced colour manipulation - whether I want to quickly transform the colour scheme of a gif or transform a B&W clip into something colourful.
Filters used: Colourise / Colour Transfer
Artistic Effects:
This is one of my favourite things to do with Neural Filters! I enjoy using the filters to create artistic effects by feeding textures that I've downloaded as reference images. I also enjoy using these filters to transform the overall the atmosphere of my composite gifs. The gifsets where I've leveraged Neural Filters for artistic effects could be found under this tag on usergif.
Filters used: Landscape Mixer / Style Transfer / Depth Blur
How I use Neural Filters over different stages of my gifmaking workflow:
I want to outline how I use different Neural Filters throughout my gifmaking process. This can be roughly divided into two stages:
Stage I: Enhancement and/or Colourising | Takes place early in my gifmaking process. I process a large amount of component gifs by applying Neural Filters for enhancement purposes and adding some base colourings.++
Stage II: Artistic Effects & more Colour Manipulation | Takes place when I'm assembling my component gifs in the big PSD / PSB composition file that will be my final gif panel.
I will walk through this in more detail later in the tutorial.
++I personally like to keep the size of the component gifs in their original resolution (a mixture of 1080p & 4K), to get best possible results from the Neural Filters and have more flexibility later on in my workflow. I resize & sharpen these gifs after they're placed into my final PSD composition files in Tumblr dimensions.
3. Getting started
The essence is to output Neural Filters as a Smart Filter on the smart object when working with the Video Timeline interface. Your workflow will contain the following steps:
Prepare your gif
In the frame animation interface, set the frame delay to 0.03s and convert your gif to the Video Timeline
In the Video Timeline interface, go to Filter > Neural Filters and output to a Smart Filter
Flatten or render your gif (either approach is fine). To flatten your gif, play the "flatten" action from the gif prep action pack. To render your gif as a .mov file, go to File > Export > Render Video & use the following settings.
Setting up:
o.) To get started, prepare your gifs the usual way - whether you screencap or clip videos. You should see your prepared gif in the frame animation interface as follows:
Note: As mentioned earlier, I keep the gifs in their original resolution right now because working with a larger dimension document allows more flexibility later on in my workflow. I have also found that I get higher quality results working with more pixels. I eventually do my final sharpening & resizing when I fit all of my component gifs to a main PSD composition file (that's of Tumblr dimension).
i.) To use Smart Filters, convert your gif to a Smart Video Layer.
As an aside, I like to work with everything in 0.03s until I finish everything (then correct the frame delay to 0.05s when I upload my panels onto Tumblr).
For convenience, I use my own action pack to first set the frame delay to 0.03s (highlighted in yellow) and then convert to timeline (highlighted in red) to access the Video Timeline interface. To play an action, press the play button highlighted in green.
Once you've converted this gif to a Smart Video Layer, you'll see the Video Timeline interface as follows:
ii.) Select your gif (now as a Smart Layer) and go to Filter > Neural Filters
Installing Neural Filters:
Install the individual Neural Filters that you want to use. If the filter isn't installed, it will show a cloud symbol (highlighted in yellow). If the filter is already installed, it will show a toggle button (highlighted in green)
When you toggle this button, the Neural Filters preview window will look like this (where the toggle button next to the filter that you use turns blue)
4. Using Neural Filters
Once you have installed the Neural Filters that you want to use in your gif, you can toggle on a filter and play around with the sliders until you're satisfied. Here I'll walkthrough multiple concrete examples of how I use Neural Filters in my giffing process.
Example 1: Image enhancement | sample gifset
This is my typical Stage I Neural Filters gifmaking workflow. When giffing older or more niche media releases, my main concern is the video compression that leads to a lot of artefacts in the screencapped / video clipped gifs.
To fix the artefacts from compression, I go to Filter > Neural Filters, and toggle JPEG Artefacts Removal filter. Then I choose the strength of the filter (boxed in green), output this as a Smart Filter (boxed in yellow), and press OK (boxed in red).
Note: The filter has to be fully processed before you could press the OK button!
After applying the Neural Filters, you'll see "Neural Filters" under the Smart Filters property of the smart layer
Flatten / render your gif
Example 2: Facial enhancement | sample gifset
This is my routine use case during my Stage I Neural Filters gifmaking workflow. For musical artists (e.g. Maisie Peters), YouTube is often the only place where I'm able to find some videos to prepare gifs from. However even the highest resolution video available on YouTube is highly compressed.
Go to Filter > Neural Filters and toggle on Photo Restoration. If Photoshop recognises faces in the image, there will be a "Facial Enhancement" slider under the filter settings.
Play around with the Photo Enhancement & Facial Enhancement sliders. You can also expand the "Adjustment" menu make additional adjustments e.g. remove noises and reducing different types of artefacts.
Once you're happy with the results, press OK and then flatten / render your gif.
Example 3: Colour Manipulation | sample gifset
Want to make a colourful gifset but the source video is in B&W? This is where Colourise from Neural Filters comes in handy! This same colourising approach is also very helpful for colouring poor-lit scenes as detailed in this tutorial.
Here's a B&W gif that we want to colourise:
Highly recommended: add some adjustment layers onto the B&W gif to improve the contrast & depth. This will give you higher quality results when you colourise your gif.
Go to Filter > Neural Filters and toggle on Colourise.
Make sure "Auto colour image" is enabled.
Play around with further adjustments e.g. colour balance, until you're satisfied then press OK.
Important: When you colourise a gif, you need to double check that the resulting skin tone is accurate to real life. I personally go to Google Images and search up photoshoots of the individual / character that I'm giffing for quick reference.
Add additional adjustment layers until you're happy with the colouring of the skin tone.
Once you're happy with the additional adjustments, flatten / render your gif. And voila!
Note: For Colour Manipulation, I use Colourise in my Stage I workflow and Colour Transfer in my Stage II workflow to do other types of colour manipulations (e.g. transforming the colour scheme of the component gifs)
Example 4: Artistic Effects | sample gifset
This is where I use Neural Filters for the bulk of my Stage II workflow: the most enjoyable stage in my editing process!
Normally I would be working with my big composition files with multiple component gifs inside it. To begin the fun, drag a component gif (in PSD file) to the main PSD composition file.
Resize this gif in the composition file until you're happy with the placement
Duplicate this gif. Sharpen the bottom layer (highlighted in yellow), and then select the top layer (highlighted in green) & go to Filter > Neural Filters
I like to use Style Transfer and Landscape Mixer to create artistic effects from Neural Filters. In this particular example, I've chosen Landscape Mixer
Select a preset or feed a custom image to the filter (here I chose a texture that I've on my computer)
Play around with the different sliders e.g. time of the day / seasons
Important: uncheck "Harmonise Subject" & "Preserve Subject" - these two settings are known to cause performance issues when you render a multiframe smart object (e.g. for a gif)
Once you're happy with the artistic effect, press OK
To ensure you preserve the actual subject you want to gif (bc Preserve Subject is unchecked), add a layer mask onto the top layer (with Neural Filters) and mask out the facial region. You might need to play around with the Layer Mask Position keyframes or Rotoscope your subject in the process.
After you're happy with the masking, flatten / render this composition file and voila!
Example 5: Putting it all together | sample gifset
Let's recap on the Neural Filters gifmaking workflow and where Stage I and Stage II fit in my gifmaking process:
i. Preparing & enhancing the component gifs
Prepare all component gifs and convert them to smart layers
Stage I: Add base colourings & apply Photo Restoration / JPEG Artefacts Removal to enhance the gif's image quality
Flatten all of these component gifs and convert them back to Smart Video Layers (this process can take a lot of time)
Some of these enhanced gifs will be Rotoscoped so this is done before adding the gifs to the big PSD composition file
ii. Setting up the big PSD composition file
Make a separate PSD composition file (Ctrl / Cmmd + N) that's of Tumblr dimension (e.g. 540px in width)
Drag all of the component gifs used into this PSD composition file
Enable Video Timeline and trim the work area
In the composition file, resize / move the component gifs until you're happy with the placement & sharpen these gifs if you haven't already done so
Duplicate the layers that you want to use Neural Filters on
iii. Working with Neural Filters in the PSD composition file
Stage II: Neural Filters to create artistic effects / more colour manipulations!
Mask the smart layers with Neural Filters to both preserve the subject and avoid colouring issues from the filters
Flatten / render the PSD composition file: the more component gifs in your composition file, the longer the exporting will take. (I prefer to render the composition file into a .mov clip to prevent overriding a file that I've spent effort putting together.)
Note: In some of my layout gifsets (where I've heavily used Neural Filters in Stage II), the rendering time for the panel took more than 20 minutes. This is one of the rare instances where I was maxing out my computer's memory.
Useful things to take note of:
Important: If you're using Neural Filters for Colour Manipulation or Artistic Effects, you need to take a lot of care ensuring that the skin tone of nonwhite characters / individuals is accurately coloured
Use the Facial Enhancement slider from Photo Restoration in moderation, if you max out the slider value you risk oversharpening your gif later on in your gifmaking workflow
You will get higher quality results from Neural Filters by working with larger image dimensions: This gives Neural Filters more pixels to work with. You also get better quality results by feeding higher resolution reference images to the Neural Filters.
Makeup Transfer is more stable when the person / character has minimal motion in your gif
You might get unexpected results from Landscape Mixer if you feed a reference image that don't feature a distinctive landscape. This is not always a bad thing: for instance, I have used this texture as a reference image for Landscape Mixer, to create the shimmery effects as seen in this gifset
5. Testing your system
If this is the first time you're applying Neural Filters directly onto a gif, it will be helpful to test out your system yourself. This will help:
Gauge the expected rendering time that you'll need to wait for your gif to export, given specific Neural Filters that you've used
Identify potential performance issues when you render the gif: this is important and will determine whether you will need to fully playback your gif before flattening / rendering the file.
Understand how your system's resources are being utilised: Inputs from Windows PC users & Mac users alike are welcome!
About the Neural Filters test files:
Contains six distinct files, each using different Neural Filters
Two sizes of test files: one copy in full HD (1080p) and another copy downsized to 540px
One folder containing the flattened / rendered test files
How to use the Neural Filters test files:
What you need:
Photoshop 2022 or newer (recommended: 2023 or later)
Install the following Neural Filters: Landscape Mixer / Style Transfer / Colour Transfer / Colourise / Photo Restoration / Depth Blur
Recommended for some Apple Silicon-based MacBook Pro models: Enable High Power Mode
How to use the test files:
For optimal performance, close all background apps
Open a test file
Flatten the test file into frames (load this action pack & play the “flatten” action)
Take note of the time it takes until you’re directed to the frame animation interface
Compare the rendered frames to the expected results in this folder: check that all of the frames look the same. If they don't, you will need to fully playback the test file in full before flattening the file.†
Re-run the test file without the Neural Filters and take note of how long it takes before you're directed to the frame animation interface
Recommended: Take note of how your system is utilised during the rendering process (more info here for MacOS users)
†This is a performance issue known as flickering that I will discuss in the next section. If you come across this, you'll have to playback a gif where you've used Neural Filters (on the video timeline) in full, prior to flattening / rendering it.
Factors that could affect the rendering performance / time (more info):
The number of frames, dimension, and colour bit depth of your gif
If you use Neural Filters with facial recognition features, the rendering time will be affected by the number of characters / individuals in your gif
Most resource intensive filters (powered by largest machine learning models): Landscape Mixer / Photo Restoration (with Facial Enhancement) / and JPEG Artefacts Removal
Least resource intensive filters (smallest machine learning models): Colour Transfer / Colourise
The number of Neural Filters that you apply at once / The number of component gifs with Neural Filters in your PSD file
Your system: system memory, the GPU, and the architecture of the system's CPU+++
+++ Rendering a gif with Neural Filters demands a lot of system memory & GPU horsepower. Rendering will be faster & more reliable on newer computers, as these systems have CPU & GPU with more modern instruction sets that are geared towards machine learning-based tasks.
Additionally, the unified memory architecture of Apple Silicon M-series chips are found to be quite efficient at processing Neural Filters.
6. Performance issues & workarounds
Common Performance issues:
I will discuss several common issues related to rendering or exporting a multi-frame smart object (e.g. your composite gif) that uses Neural Filters below. This is commonly caused by insufficient system memory and/or the GPU.
Flickering frames: in the flattened / rendered file, Neural Filters aren't applied to some of the frames+-+
Scrambled frames: the frames in the flattened / rendered file isn't in order
Neural Filters exceeded the timeout limit error: this is normally a software related issue
Long export / rendering time: long rendering time is expected in heavy workflows
Laggy Photoshop / system interface: having to wait quite a long time to preview the next frame on the timeline
Issues with Landscape Mixer: Using the filter gives ill-defined defined results (Common in older systems)--
Workarounds:
Workarounds that could reduce unreliable rendering performance & long rendering time:
Close other apps running in the background
Work with smaller colour bit depth (i.e. 8-bit rather than 16-bit)
Downsize your gif before converting to the video timeline-+-
Try to keep the number of frames as low as possible
Avoid stacking multiple Neural Filters at once. Try applying & rendering the filters that you want one by one
Specific workarounds for specific issues:
How to resolve flickering frames: If you come across flickering, you will need to playback your gif on the video timeline in full to find the frames where the filter isn't applied. You will need to select all of the frames to allow Photoshop to reprocess these, before you render your gif.+-+
What to do if you come across Neural Filters timeout error? This is caused by several incompatible Neural Filters e.g. Harmonisation (both the filter itself and as a setting in Landscape Mixer), Scratch Reduction in Photo Restoration, and trying to stack multiple Neural Filters with facial recognition features.
If the timeout error is caused by stacking multiple filters, a feasible workaround is to apply the Neural Filters that you want to use one by one over multiple rendering sessions, rather all of them in one go.
+-+This is a very common issue for Apple Silicon-based Macs. Flickering happens when a gif with Neural Filters is rendered without being previously played back in the timeline.
This issue is likely related to the memory bandwidth & the GPU cores of the chips, because not all Apple Silicon-based Macs exhibit this behaviour (i.e. devices equipped with Max / Ultra M-series chips are mostly unaffected).
-- As mentioned in the supplementary page, Landscape Mixer requires a lot of GPU horsepower to be fully rendered. For older systems (pre-2017 builds), there are no workarounds other than to avoid using this filter.
-+- For smaller dimensions, the size of the machine learning models powering the filters play an outsized role in the rendering time (i.e. marginal reduction in rendering time when downsizing 1080p file to Tumblr dimensions). If you use filters powered by larger models e.g. Landscape Mixer and Photo Restoration, you will need to be very patient when exporting your gif.
7. More useful resources on using Neural Filters
Creating animations with Neural Filters effects | Max Novak
Using Neural Filters to colour correct by @edteachs
I hope this is helpful! If you have any questions or need any help related to the tutorial, feel free to send me an ask 💖
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