The third installment of the Adobe Photoshop Mega Series is given below. This post is also made as a very detailed and complete guide. Today's topic is the most interesting work of Photoshop - face retouching and skin editing .
Adobe Photoshop (Part 3): The Secrets of Professional Face Retouching and Skin Smoothing
Written by : Team Daily Tech News
Website: Tech News 24
Assalamu Alaikum. In the last episode of the Photoshop series, we learned about selection and background removal techniques. In today's episode, we will discuss a topic that will take your editing skills a few steps further. We will learn how professional photographers edit photos of models, how to remove blemishes and smooth skin without ruining skin texture.
There is a huge difference between a simple filter on Facebook or Instagram and Photoshop retouching. With Photoshop, you can control every pixel of your face if you want. Let's start today's masterclass.
Chapter 13: Why is face retouching important and what are its main principles?
A person's face may have acne, sunburn, or wrinkles. The camera lens can often make these blemishes appear more pronounced than normal. The purpose of retouching is to remove these unwanted blemishes and make the image more attractive. But remember, the best retouching is the one that doesn't show that the image has been edited. If the skin looks too plastic, that's an example of bad editing.
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| It is possible to remove blemishes while maintaining a natural look through professional retouching. |
Chapter 14: 3 Magical Tools to Remove Stains
There are three tools that are most commonly used to remove blemishes or moles from the face in Photoshop. They are located inside the healing icon in the toolbar:
1. Spot Healing Brush Tool (Spot Healing Brush - J)
This is the easiest for beginners. You just need to click on the spot once. Photoshop will remove the spot by taking information from the surrounding pixels. It works like magic to remove small pimples or dust particles.
2. Healing Brush Tool
This is a little advanced. Here you have to hold down the Alt key and take a good part of the face (where there is no scar) as a sample. Then click on the scar and that good skin will sit in the scar's place. This is best for removing large scars or long cuts.
3. Patch Tool
When there is a problem covering a large area of your face (such as dark circles under your eyes), the Patch tool is used. Use this tool to circle the area you want to fix, then drag it to a clean area of your face and release. You'll see the dark circles disappear in an instant!
Chapter 15: Frequency Separation – Pro-Level Technique
If you want to do high-end magazine or commercial editing, you need to learn Frequency Separation . This is a method where skin color and skin texture (pores or wrinkles) are separated into two separate layers.
- Low Frequency (Color): This layer contains only skin color and light and shadow.
- High Frequency (Texture): This layer contains the details or texture of the skin.
This means that when you smooth the skin, you only blend the colors but don't lose the original look or texture of the skin. This is the secret to true professional retouching.
Chapter 16: Step-by-Step Guide: How to Smooth Skin?
Let's learn a very simple natural skin smoothing method:
Step 1: Open your image and press Ctrl + J to make a copy of the original image.
Step 2: First, clean large pimples or blemishes with the spot healing brush.
Step 3: Now go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Blur the face in such a way that the spots are not visible but the shape is still visible.
Step 4: Then hold down the Alt key on your keyboard and click on the 'Mask' button at the bottom of the Layers panel. You will see that a black mask has been created and your blurred effect has been hidden.
Step 5: Now take a white brush (Brush Tool - B). Set the brush's Hardness to 0% and Opacity to 30-40%.
Step 6: Now lightly brush the areas of your face that feel rough. You will see that your skin is becoming very beautiful and naturally smooth. (Caution: Do not brush over the eyes, lips, and nostrils).
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| The process of perfectly smoothing the skin using masking techniques. |
Chapter 17: Changes in eye brightness and lip color
After beautifying your face, you need to pay attention to your eyes and lips.
- Eyes : Using the Dodge Tool, lightly rub the whites and corners of the eyes to make the eyes look bright and lively.
- Lips : Create a new layer. Set the blending mode to Soft Light. Now use a brush of your choice to paint over the lips. You will see that the lipstick or color of the lips has changed very naturally.
Chapter 18: Dodge & Burn – Highlighting the Face Structure
Just like controlling in makeup, in Photoshop it is called Dodge & Burn .
- Dodge (brighten): Use the dodge tool on the high points of the face, such as the tip of the nose, forehead, and cheekbones.
- Burn (darken): Use the burn tool under the jaw and near the hairline on the forehead. This will make the face look sharper and slimmer.
Chapter 19: Liquify – Adjusting the Shape of the Face
Sometimes the nose may look big or the cheeks may look puffy due to the angle of the photo. For this, use the Filter > Liquify (Shift+Ctrl+X) option. Here, you can very carefully reduce or increase any part of the body with the 'Forward Warp Tool'. However, it should be used very sparingly, otherwise the photo may become distorted.
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| The Liquify tool can be used to correct the subtle structure of the face. |
Chapter 20: 3 Common Mistakes When Retouching (Avoid Them)
1. Over-smoothing: Don't make the skin look like wax. This can make a person's true identity disappear.
2. Loss of texture: Always make sure that the pores or texture of the skin appear lighter.
3. Making your eyes too white: Making your eyes too white makes them look ghostly. Always try to keep your eyes natural white.
Face retouching is an art. You need to practice a lot to learn it. In today's mega guide, I have tried to explain each step of professional retouching in a simple way. If you follow these rules and edit 10 different face photos, you will be able to claim yourself as a skilled retoucher.
How is this journey of learning Photoshop going? If you have any specific topics to ask, let us know in the comments. Daily Tech News and Team Tech News 24 are always there for your technical support.
In the next episode, we will learn about color grading and color correction, how to change the colors of ordinary images to give them a cinematic look. Until then, keep practicing and creating something new.
Thank you ,
Team Daily Tech News
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