Improving Skin (1.49 hrs)

Blemishes (spots etc)

Spot Healing Brush

New blank layer
Normal/Content Aware/Sample all layers
Brush just a little bit bigger than blemish
Zoom out to check image
Start small then get bigger to go over again if needed

Clone Stamp Tool

New blank layer
Spot healing brush as above, small brush
Clone stamp tool with low opacity if spot healing copying area that’s not wanted
Spot heal above clone stamp tool areas

Healing Brush Tool

Useful when area is too close to something else that will mean spot healing will not work
New blank layer
All layers, 100% hardness, mid diffusion (softness of edge)

Skin Discolouration (e.g. blotchy skin, sun burn)

Colorise

Use eyedropper tool to select nice bright skin tone
Make a H/S adjustment
Select colourise
Desaturate & adjust hue as necessary
Invert mask & drop layer opacity to 20%/30%
Brush tool, white, no hardness & paint over discolouration
Adjust opacity, hue, saturation in combination to fine tune
Use colour balance adjustment to fine tune. Add a bit of red & yellow for a bit more warmth

Hue/Saturation Targeted Mask

Select H/S adjustment mask
Target adjustment tool & click on area where we have problem, then desaturate & adjust hue
Invert mask & hand paint in where adjustment is to be. No hardness with varying opacity
Increase feather of mask to blend

Curves Adjustment

Select curves adjustment
Bring up black point
Bring up centre to brighten
Invert mask
Brush, opacity 30%/40%, 0 hardness
Paint in over affected area
Increase feather of mask

Shiny Skin Technique 1

Create curves adjustment
RGB – drag white point down. Maybe move middle down until skin looks about right
RED – drag middle up a little to bring bit of red in
BLUE – drag middle down to bring bit of yellow in
Select colour range in mask options
Select localised colour clusters
Amend fuzziness & range to suit
Use + tool to add to selection
Increase feather of mask
Modify curves as needed
Amend layer opacity to suit

Shiny Skin Technique 2

New blank layer
Eyedrop skin colour next to shiny area
Brush tool, blend mode darken, opacity 10%/15%, 0 hardness
Paint over shiny areas
New blank layer
Paint on whole skin with same brush as above
White mask, black brush, blend mode normal, opacity 100%, brush over eyes & brows, nostrils, lips, mouth & anywhere else to remove effect
Reduce layer opacity to 30%/40%

Shiny Skin Technique 3

Duplicate layer (or MERGE TO TOP)
Use Patch Tool, diffusion high, patch away shiny areas with non-shiny areas prior to using curves tool but after touching up skin]Adjust layer opacity as required

Skin Smoothing Technique 1

Copy layer twice Softness & Texture
Turn off texture

Texture Layer

Filter – Noise – Dust & Scratches
Bring up radius until blemishes disappear, bring up threshold to bring up a bit of texture
Filter – Blur – Gaussian
Bring up radius so still able to identify image, skin tone & highlights
Turn softness off and texture on
Opacity 20% ish

Softness Layer

Filter – Other – High Pass
Bring up radius so just seeing texture
Layer blend linear light
Opacity 75% ish (nice soft glow)

Group Layers

Add black layer mask to group
Brush white 0 hardness opacity 100%
Paint over part of skin to soften
Adjust opacities in combination to suit

Skin Smoothing Technique 2

Duplicate Layer (or MERGE TO TOP)
Image > Adjustments > Invert
Blending mode Vivid Light.
Filter > Other > High Pass
Radius between 20 and 26
Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur
Radius between 2 and 4
Black mask
Brush Hardness 45%, Mode to Normal, Opacity 50%, Flow 100%

Remove Shadows Under Eyes

With Patch Tool

Duplicate Layer (or MERGE TO TOP)
Patch tool – normal – mid diffusion
Select around shadow & wrinkles then drag below to a smooth area of good skin
Then repeat smaller areas to fine tune
Then lower opacity of layer to make it look realistic

With Healing Brush

New blank layer
Healing brush – normal – mid diffusion (not too high so as not to bleed into other areas)
Sample just below area to heal, brush just bigger than the blemish area of wrinkles or shadow
Continue resampling and healing
Heal over edges to soften them
Adjust layer opacity to bring back some character
On a new layer can use healing brush tool to do some skin smoothing with a layer opacity of about 30%

Combination Techniques

Duplicate Layer (or MERGE TO TOP)
Use patch tool technique & reduced layer opacity
New blank layer
Reduce other shadows & wrinkles with healing brush tool
Use healing brush tool over patched area with some good source material to bring a bit more texture back
Drop layer opacity back a bit
New blank layer blend soft light
Brush tool & sample a skin tone, maybe brighten it up a bit clicking on foreground colour, 20% ish opacity
Brush over shadow areas to brighten (Dodge) them up

Clone Stamp Tool & Blend Lighten

Duplicate layer (or MERGE TO TOP)Clone Stamp Tool – Blend lighten – opacity 20% ish – align on – sample all layers
Brush size just a bit bigger than area to heal
Sample good area and clone over wrinkles

Dodge Tool

Duplicate layer
Dodge Tool – Shadows – Protect Tones On – Exposure 10%/15% - No hardness
Paint over shadows & wrinkles
Increase exposure if increased intensity required
If worked on area looks a little grey:

Layer blend – luminosity and/or
New blank layer – blend Colour Brush tool & sample area with higher luminosity – opacity 15% ish. Paint in colour over grey area to bring colour back in
Adjust 2 if required with clipped H/S adjustment layer