There are countless tools and techniques out there to take your retouching even further. But these techniques are more than enough to get you started and we’re confident that you’ll see an immediate impact in your photos. Some edits might need dozens of Layers to accomplish the same goals that we set in this example. We started off by saying that retouching doesn’t have to be a complicated process, but it certainly can be.
SKIN SMOOTHING LIGHTROOM 4 SKIN
These two Curves Adjustments Layers should combine to create a natural, smooth skin tone free of distracting shadows or highlight that are too bright. Invert the Layer Mask again, set the Blending Mode to Luminosity, and now paint on the highlight areas that you wish to smooth out. In the Curves dialog, drag the midpoint down until the brightest highlights of the image are more even with the rest of the exposure. Your goal should be to reduce harsh shadows and bring out some of the detail.īurning (darkening) can be achieved using the exact same process. Paint over any dark areas that you want to lighten up – think dark under eyes and any distracting shadows. Set the Blending Mode to Luminosity and then use the Brush Tool at a Flow of about 10% to paint white on the Curves Layer Mask. Hit Okay and then hit CTRL or CMD + I to invert the Layer Mask of the Adjustment Layer, making it completely invisible. To begin with dodging, create a Curves Adjustment Layer and, in the Curves dialog, drag the midpoint up until the darker areas of the image are at a level that you like. This can all be done using Curves Adjustment Layers and Layer Masks. Simple Dodge & Burnĭodging and burning is a process of enhancing highlights and shadow areas to add definition and, in the case of skin retouching, even out skin tones. You can then paint that texture over the Healing Brush to recover some of the detail. If that’s not working, get as close as possible using the Spot Healing Brush and then use the Clone Stamp Tool to sample some skin texture from a nearby, unedited spot. First, you can use the Spot Healing Brush Tool to paint over that area several times until you get a result that looks good. But painting larger areas with the Spot Healing Brush Tool, especially areas that have delicate textures like skin, can result in loss of texture and a blotchy appearance. Larger blemish removal works almost exactly the same way, you’ll only be using a larger brush and painting over a larger area. You should only have to adjust the brush size to closely match the size of the area you’re trying to remove – Photoshop will handle the rest. With those settings selected, create a new layer and then use the Spot Healing Brush Tool to paint over any hairs, lines, or small blemishes on the skin.
This allows you to work on a new, blank layer without making changes to the original photo. Sample All Layers simply tells Photoshop to use the information from all Layers in your project. Content-Aware instructs Photoshop to use the image information around the area that you paint to fill and replace the contents within the area you paint. With the Spot Healing Brush Tool active, make sure that Content-Aware and Sample All Layers are selected in the options. When working with small blemishes in Photoshop, the Spot Healing Brush Tool should be your go-to.
Flyaway hairs that cover the face and wrinkles around the eyes and mouth are two common types of distractions that, when reduced or removed, can help accentuate the parts of the image that matter most. Retouching skin is about making a bunch of small changes while preserving the more important details that make your subject unique.
SKIN SMOOTHING LIGHTROOM 4 PRO
Ready for more? PHLEARN PRO gives you instant access to over 140 in-depth tutorials, teaching you everything there is to know about Photoshop, Lightroom, and photography.įrom a comprehensive course guaranteed to take you from retouching beginner to a seasoned master, to a deep dive into pro techniques like Frequency Separation, PHLEARN PRO is your next step to creating extraordinary photos.
SKIN SMOOTHING LIGHTROOM 4 HOW TO
Learn how to use the Spot Healing Brush Tool, Clone Stamp Tool, and Curves for professional, natural-looking results. Aaron shows you how to make short work of hair, fine lines, and larger blemishes as well as how to smooth out skin tones with a simple dodging and burning.
Skin retouching doesn’t have to be a long and complicated process.