Skin touch-ups in Photoshop?

[justin_broadway]

I was wondering what tools in PS most people use to do skin touch-

ups, and what kind of methods do you use?

[beauh44]

Hi Justin, I usually do something like this: I'll use the healing brush on a separate layer to get rid of any major problems - blemishes, etc. Once I have that layer done, I'll duplicate it. I'll then blur the heck out of this duped layer - ~20 pixel gaussian blur. Next I add a layer mask to the blurred layer. Next I click in the mask in the layer palette to make sure it's selected, then invert it. (Ctrl-I) That makes the blur go away. I'll then "paint" the blur back in using white and a soft brush with somewhere around 20-30 percent opacity on the brush. Some people use the "median" filter (under Filter>Noise) in place of gaussian blur. If I take my time, it works quite well. Here's an example of a girl who had lots of freckles she wasn't too happy about. (Warning! Naughty bits!) http://www.photo.net/photo/4055738 Good luck!

[kim_ramsey]

guassin blur isn't a good technique as it leaves the skin shiney and blurred. Most professional retouchers do not use the blur technique. Not trying to insult you Justin. Because, it is a popular technique. And one that I used for a year or so before I finally figured out how to do it correctly.

Here is an excellent tutorial for skin retouching...

 

http://www.graphic-design.com/Photoshop/beauty_retouching.html

[kim_ramsey]

oops i meant to say Beau...i'm not trying to insult you.

[rdkirk]

I have to agree with Kim. For a long time I tried to make Gaussian Blur techniques work (including some pricey Photoshop plug-ins that just utilized it), but the blurred skin look just wasn't right.

 

Especially when I discovered the the super-clean and naturally textured close-up shots in the fashion magazine make-up ads were also being retouched in Photoshop.

 

These days I just make painstaking use of the Patch tool, the Healing Brush, and Cloning to even skin tone but retain its natural texture. I may later use a Gaussian Blur technique for a particular effect, like "Dream Glow," but not as a skin retouching tool.

[mark pav]

I'm with Kirk. I mostly just use the patch tool, clone brush (carefully), and a few other

things. I do it greatly magnified and bit by bit so that the effect is fairly subtle. My

objective is to make people think that they looked really good that day and not that I spent

hours messing around in Photoshop.

 

Something else I often use is the liquify tool, believe it or not. I use it to pull up those

double chins and make the jaw line more flattering. After I use the liquify tool, I make sure

there are no traces of the "smearing" that it can produce.

 

Here is a before and after. The first is right out of the camera and just resized and the

next is a bit Photoshopped. (I know, I should have saved them as one image).<div></div>

[mark pav]

Here's the after:<div></div>

[beauh44]

Hey Kim! No offense taken! :) I dunno... Maybe it's me; maybe it's my monitor... I looked at the tutorial link you supplied Kim and clicked on the example with the rollover - that girl looked like an alligator before! It'd take me *hours* to smooth that out using the clone stamp or healing brush!

 

I suspect you're striving for the effect you use here, Kim: http://www.photo.net/photo/4003071 but I find it a bit plasticky for my tastes. To each their own!

 

I agree that gaussian blur can screw things up if one isn't careful. It's easy to over-do it. I was working on a different shot tonight and used the same technique (gaussian blur) here: http://www.photo.net/photo/4137870 (Warning! More naughty bits!)

 

I'm not a big fan of the shot I took (or that outfit! I was shooting at a friend's) but I prefer the look that I got with gaussian blur and her skin. I suspect - but don't know - that degree plays a big part in it. For example in the link you supplied with the rollover effect, I doubt it would work well for that. The model in the shot I took was blessed with pretty darn good skin in the first place so I could use it sparingly.

 

So IMHO gaussian blur works fine as long as you don't have to perform major "plastic surgery" to fix something. If you have to use a lot of *something* you probably don't want to use a lot of gaussian blur. I wish Photoshop would come out with a decent "skin blur" filter. Just my .02 cent's worth.

[kim_ramsey]

Beau, that retouch was done by another retoucher. Not by me. But, wanted to see what another retoucher could do with my own photography. I have since started retouching my own photography again, because I like mine a bit better. I retouch for a living. I'd say it takes me about 30 minutes to do a skin retouch. I'm attaching a sample. Now, you must remember that this is a pageant photo and we have gone through that subject on here before. but it gives a basic idea of the technique I use. Which is the clone tool set at 10% opacity and 10% step. The great thing about it is that you can add as much or as little as you want/need. In this case I added more than the normal picture would require. Pageant photos require more retouching than an average photo. I've attached a before and after of the original and retouched version. along with a close up of the skin.<div></div>

[kim_ramsey]

one more thing...I have found that this technique is actually much quicker than the blur technique. because when you use ur clone brush u only have to touch the areas that you feel need touched. where as when u use the blur you have to duplicate layers, add the blur to the entire layer and then erase the areas that you don't want blurred, adjust ur layers, blah blah blah. another thing that blur does is it removes features like the contrast around the nose and eyes. this is a much simpler way to go about it with a more realistic effect. when you use the brush you click the area you want to clone, and then tap over the same area until you get the texture that you want. if doing a light retouch like the poster above did then it may only take 2 minutes. this is the same technique that is used in major glamour magazines where u see pictures of stars such as brittany spears with perfect skin.

[beno_t_marchal]

<p>Justin, most importantly, before I select any tool, I establish a "mental map" of what I

want to achieve.

In my views, most portraits call for a light hand.

I seldom go for the "perfect" fashion style, similar to what Kim does (no offense, Kim, I

know the style

you're showing here is popular

but when I want to photography Barbie dolls, I find it easier to shoot the doll ;-).

<p>In most cases, I want my portraits to tell us something about the subject. However

the subject has flaws that you would hardly notice when talking to them but that become

very preeminent in a still. I try to de-emphasize those using a combination of pre

(lighting)

and post (Photoshop) production and emphasize the "good" traits, typically the eyes or the

mouth.

<p>Technically, I use the healing brush (occasionally the stamp) on a separate layer.

I often reduce the opacity by fading the brush and/or through a layer mask.

I also use curve adjustment layers to burn and dodge. Finally I may add a layer

with extra sharpening to draw the attention on the eyes.

<p>I don't use blur to cover blemishes either although sometimes I simulates a soft focus

filter through blurring. I don't like the spot healing brush because it tends to blur things

(although maybe it's my technique).

<p>A book I can recommend on retouching is

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/073571133X/ref=nosim/

pineapplesoftonl">The Glitterguru on Photoshop</a>.

She demonstrates "extreme" retouching (fashion) and, as I've said, I like a softer touch

but when you know the extreme, it's easy to reduce the opacity.

<p>I can also recommend <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/

0764543180/ref=nosim/pineapplesoftonl">Photoshop CS: The Art of Photographing

Women</a> although I like the Glitterguru better.

<p>--ben

[justin_broadway]

Wow, thanks everyone. All of your posts helped me out alot. Ill try some of these methods in a bit. Again, thanks.

[magumi]

My personal favourite is the Dust and Scratches filter, followed by Gaussian blur for the dreamy look. I use healing brush and clone tool only when absolutely necessary. Let me show you my granny:<div></div>

[magumi]

...cont.<div></div>

[magumi]

....cont.<div></div>

[rdkirk]

Mark mentioned the Liquify tool. I use that with every portrait, almost without exception. Invariably there is an unfortunate bulge or clothing wrinkle that needs to be tucked back into place.

 

That's especially true where flesh extends from confining clothing, like at sleeve cuffs (I always tell women not to wear short sleeves, but they frequently don't listen) and collars. Even very trim people bulge a bit where flesh extends from clothing that's at all snug. The Liquify tool moves it back much more naturally than Distortion or any kind of trimming or cloning.

 

It does take some practice to determine the size of brush to use (it's not quite intuitive--a small correction might actually call for a large brush for a natural look), and the Freeze tool is important to use.