In this tutorial, I will show you how to repair some image noise from a low-quality shot, and I will show you an extremely quick and easy way to smooth out a person's face. The woman in this shot is not a model, and she has a lot of character so we don't want to overdo it with the smoothing. We will make it look real and natural.
The Image
You can get the image we're using in this tutorial from Free Range Stock here. The technique can be applied to a beauty shot as well, you would just have to adjust the settings on some of the steps to get a more extreme smoothing effect.
Step 1
If you look at the blue channel, you will notice that it doesn't look so good. There are a lot of JPG artifacts that you don't really see when looking at the RGB composite, but it's good to fix it for a variety of reasons. Importantly, it will reduce the color noise in the image and give us more flexibility when making corrections later down the line.
Duplicate the Background layer. On the new layer go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Enter 10 for the radius. Hit OK. Set the layer's blending mode to color. Double-click on the layer to the right of the name to open the blending options. Under Advanced Blending, uncheck the R and the G. This makes the layer only affect the blue channel no matter what we do to it. Now go back and check out the blue channel. Looks better.
Step 2
Now I will use Curves to balance the color in the image. I suggest using Curves over Levels for everything. Curves just gives you much more control.
Download my curve preset to your hard drive.
Create a new Curves Adjustment layer at the top of the layers palette, then click the little button to the right of the Preset control, and select Load Preset and load the file.
Step 3
The technique that we are going to use to smooth out the face doesn't require very much cloning at all. I do want to use the Healing Brush Tool (J) on any major freckles or blemishes, in this case her four large freckles.
Create a new blank layer just above the background copy. Select the Healing Brush (J) and make sure that "Sample All Layers" is checked on the property bar. Paint over those spots to remove them.
A good rule of thumb is to never modify your source image in any way. That is why we used the healing brush on a new layer. You never know when you might need to go back to where you started.
Step 4
Select the three layers below the Curve layer. Drag them down to the New Layer button to duplicate them. Hit Command+E to merge the three duplicates.
Select the Polygonal Lasso Tool and click around her face until all the skin is selected. It doesnt need to be too neat. Now go back, and while holding Alt, click around and deselect anything that is not skin like the eyes, eyebrows, lips, and nostrils. Go back once more and deselect any areas of detail that need to remain, like the edge of the nose, her dimples, her collar bones, and the edge of her chin. This is what my selection looks like as a quick mask:
Hit Shift+Command+I to invert the selection and then Delete to delete those pixels. You won't actually notice a change because the layers below are the same as the layer we are working on.
Step 5
Go Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Enter 20 for the Radius. Set the layer Opacity to 75%. Select and duplicate the same bottom three layers just like we did before. Hit Command+E to merge them. Put that layer just above the blurred layer. With the new layer selected, hit Command+Alt+G. This creates a clipping mask, which is indicated by the arrow pointing down on the layer. This means that the layer on top will use the bottom layer's transparency as a mask.
Step 6
With your new layer still selected, go to Filter > Other > High Pass. Enter 4 for the Radius.
Now you can really see how that clipping mask is working, but not for long. Set the blending mode of the layer to Linear Light and set the Opacity to 40%. Done!
Rollover the image below to see the before / after...
This will pretty much work on any portrait, but the goal isn't to make the person look like a model, it's just meant to smooth things out a bit yet still look natural. That is why it works well on everyday average people.
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User Comments
( ADD YOURS )Aloke Pillai March 25th
Awesome Stuff!
Aloke Pillai
( )Erika March 25th
Any suggestions for making that area by her ear a little more natural looking? The hair is kind of killing me. LOL.
Otherwise, love the tutorial.
( )Joefrey Mahusay March 25th
Nice tut again. Thanks for sharing.
( )Andrew D March 25th
Wow, great tutorial, very speedy and helpful. Thanks!
( )alvarocker March 25th
That’s so fast!
thnx
( )goldenthunder March 25th
very clever! quick but still quality. Thank you!
( )Luca March 25th
Nice one, good stuff.
( )Shane March 25th
Quick and easy tutorial – thanks for sharing.
( )kamilos March 25th
nicely done! thanks
( )Sunburn March 25th
Another good one from psdtuts!
( )tuan March 25th
great.
( )thank you~
Wolfgang March 25th
Wow,
( )you brought me some Tricks I did’t know.
Thank you!
Arnaud March 25th
Good techniques !
( )giackop March 25th
good tut!! thanx
( )barat March 25th
Because this is portrait picture You should include one more step – eye sharpening. In portrait we always set depth to eyes , eyeh should be most sharpen
( )Ars'lan March 25th
Yeah! I were waiting for this one for a long time! Brilliant work dawg… would you come up again with the skins and tone tutorial waiting for another one!
I like it!
( )Credit March 25th
Yeah ! Great tut !
( )Easy and fast retouching, that’s what i like
moh March 25th
Thank you so much. That will sure come in handy soon.
( )Mark Abucayon March 25th
Really nice one, great job though its simple but it has new idea right there. Thanks.
( )Markus March 25th
There is many ways to do that, but this tutorial is fast!
( )Andrei Constantin March 25th
yup, that’s right; one of the smallest yet coolest tutorial about image noise
( )xceed March 25th
cool!!! this one is awesome
( )Wouter March 25th
Nice and fast
( )BogDinamita March 25th
now that’s what I’m talking about!!
( )Day March 25th
This was very helpful, thank you so much.
( )bweb March 26th
It’s more than fast! Really big tanks
( )Ali March 26th
fastest tut ever here, thanks for good tutorial.
( )b00m March 26th
hm Nice, but I think is better be one’s own man
( )HipHopMakers March 26th
Great Tutorial.
( )Dragolux March 26th
Very nice technique. Nice and simple and easy. Thanks for the tut!
( )Red Wine March 26th
i had radius 4 in step5 and 1 in step6. Did someone try it? (photoshop cs3)
( )and i cant get that curve preset
Zamahara July 28th
I can’t get the curve preset i don’t know why it has something to do with the fact that i have cs 4 ??? i really like to try it if some one can help me I’ll be so thank full
( )Ben Griffiths March 26th
The end result on this is amazing, thanks for a fantastic tutorial
( )JokR March 26th
I already knew most of the techniques used but I can’t help but noticing the amazing result you achieved
( )great stuff man nice work and hope to see more tutorials like this
Kate March 26th
This looked like it would have been really good. But I couldn’t download your curves preset and was surprised that apparently, I’m the only one who can’t.
Oh, well.
( )Jenny March 26th
I always love facial/skin retouching tut’s that aren’t just the same ol same ol thing. This one is great!
( )Alex March 26th
Nice tut. Forehead needs some more work, however.
( )Terry March 26th
you did her a favor!!! man what a monet!!
nice tut… she should thank you too!!!
( )nitesh March 26th
its awesome i did everything liked mentioned but ur download curve is not working please check it again
( )god056 March 26th
i was expecting something like those found on other sites, but i got a surprise of my life! this one is so short that it actually made me try it. lol
( )god056 March 26th
which brings to my attention my lack of knowledge about the rgb passes. if someone will be kind enough to write simple description, which, how, and when to tinker with the rgb then that would be great
( )BroOf March 26th
Really Helpful!
( )Alberto March 26th
I agree with barat about eye sharpening, but still this tutorial is so fast and the end result is great!
( )Thank you!
kailoon March 26th
Great! simple and effective!
( )jh March 27th
you know whats funny, I got nearly the same exact result using surface blur and a mask, seriously try it. The curves help though.
( )internet & web design blog March 27th
real good tuturial to achevie quick results
( )JR March 27th
I’m confused at step 5. I’ve just deleted everything except the skin on the layer I’m working on, and now I apply a gaussian blur to that inverted selection? Seems I would need to re-invert to get the skin selection again, then blur? Sorry if I am unable to make certain assumptions here. Thanks for the clarification.
( )f0ox March 27th
http://alltutorials.ru/ – уроки фотошоп, уроки photoshop cs3, уроки по фотошопу
( )dario March 27th
great job!
http://www.dariobologna.com
( )http://www.flickr.com/photos/dariobologna
Constantin Potorac March 27th
Great technique man. Thank you for sharing
( )Jon March 27th
Nice tut. Another option I’ve found better than using the gaussian blur is to use…
filer/noise/median. It’s similar to gaussian blur. It kinda keeps the detail but still smooths out the image. Just try it, it’s hard to explain!
( )Kyle March 28th
@ jh – I’d like to see your surface blur results. In my experience surface blur looks fake like a painting and when your final output is print, it just doesn’t cut it.
@JR – On step 5 you need to just deselect everything and then do the blur.
( )dip March 28th
sry to say but it’s kind of confusing with the layers. not possible to follow the “create, merge layer” instructions.
( )gfxbussi March 28th
This one is very good … as the other are
( )Antonio March 31st
Muy bueno!!
( )Daniel April 1st
very nice techniques here, very helpful. Thanks a lot!
( )Samantha April 2nd
That is amazing. I’ve touched up photos before, but now I can do it like a pro! Thanks!
( )a_Guan April 2nd
i can’t download your curve preset… why ???
( )Joe April 6th
I can’t download the curve preset either, tried on 2 computers. Tutorial looks great otherwise!
( )Geschenkideen April 9th
Nice TuT!! thx for the work
Frank
( )Lee Page April 9th
Wow great tut, thanks
( )Porno April 11th
esto es maravillosisimo para hacerle un regalo a nuestras madres
( )godonholiday April 15th
Hi, great tutorial… i just have a few questions…
when you say select the three layers below the curves layer in step 4 do you include the background layer in that selection(the original image)? other wise i only have the duplicated bg layer and the healing layer?
you also show the results in step 4 as a quick mask, do we need to do that step or is it there just to show the selection?
cheers
( )Native_Son April 19th
Great Tut. Great Result…
( )Candi V April 24th
I am not able to get the color preset to download… is it still available?
( )REko April 25th
what is CMD :S
( )Electronick May 8th
The best and more configurable skin retouching tutorial I have ever seen.
Thanks!!!!
( )TH May 14th
Very nice.
( )king June 3rd
Very nice…very nice techniques here, very helpful. Thanks a lot!
( )Vasiliy June 4th
Nice))
( )Clyde Maxwell June 11th
Excellent tutorial you’ve put everything together in such a simple and effective manner thanks for the great work.
( )ashley June 23rd
mines didn’t work. i got lost in step 4 or 5. my mask still shows up in the end and there’s no soft finish. also when i do the linear light blending, the selected pixels become high in contrast and extremely red.
( )i need some help please.
Niklas June 28th
@Ashley: I’ve got the same problem. The technique seems to be powerful enough, but I simply can’t get the hang of it. Any help would be appreciated.
( )Vlad July 4th
Adding this effect is cool , but not always good , the tutorial is good , but not everyone is looking for “glamour” effects , also in the case of over working the image you end up by having a completely different image.
nice effect and fav’s to you , next time try assisting the new comers to the clone tool almost as easy as you did this tutorial.
( )Mansoor July 24th
Thanks for Posting.
( )Excellent Tut.
april August 16th
good tut, but better if left screen shots of the stacking order of the layers.
( )Aiyana October 2nd
Awesome! So easy to follow & really quick. Thanks heaps
( )kevin October 15th
|: i have to either be a moron or not very good at photoshop because i got lost on the 2/3 part.
( )Carl November 28th
Done! Really nice tut, waiting 4 more. TXS
( )Matt December 29th
Great stuff. Thanks!
( )Diana January 11th
IN THE step 4: Select the three layers below the Curve layer…, i dont know how to do it, i press shift, crtl but nothing happen. I use Photoshop CS, can u help with this problem, i understand all the steps except this, and i think that is a useful tut.
( )akhtar January 24th
good and nice
( )Rabin February 13th
this is the easiest one
( )Will Sherwood March 31st
AWESOME… No beyond awesome… B…AWESOME!
( )Wilson April 1st
i got lost in step 4
Select the Polygonal Lasso Tool and click around her face until all the skin is selected. It doesnt need to be too neat. Now GO BACK,
go back where?
thanks 4 the tutorial anyway
( )photo retouching May 6th
Another really classy tutorial from your website!
( )Iwana May 11th
It’s great!Thanks a lot
( )Arx May 11th
Such a great tutorial!
But….
I got lost in Step 4. Could someone please explain what layers I should have at this Step? I have the original, the copied one, the curve layer and the one were I used the healing brush.
How I should continue? Any help would be great.
( )dead guy May 19th
Is this tutorial in Mac. do any one knows it in windows XP?
( )Bankuuuu May 31st
Hi,
( )The Tutorial Is Good…
But I Did Not Got The Final Result So Good….
Next Time Tell In Detail..
Thanks
retoucher77 June 4th
lovely effect. Thank you for posting this tutorial
( )منتديات ماى بكتشرز June 11th
Thanx this really nice Effect
( )تجريبي June 11th
Your Message…
( )thank u vere match
Eline July 1st
can’t download the preset…
( )Lim July 8th
Hi,
20 radius for Gaussian blur ???? Gaussian blur sucks and makes the skin unatural, too smoothy, too many informations are lost… That’s why you have to use High pass later…
Not very persuasive…
( )jafar July 9th
thank u very much>>>>>>>
( )Krishna Borah July 17th
Its really nice have this type of tutorial for we get the opportunity to know the uses of various tools in details. And also description of like this type are not available else where.
( )goga July 18th
T H A N K S A L O O O O O O T !
( )robb July 22nd
awesome tuts.
( )i never thought it is that easy.
thx for sharing.
umaporn July 22nd
Thank you so much.
( )Zamahara July 28th
I just can’t download the curvs and can’t make my own ’cause i have a diferent menu in preset and channel can some one help me please
( )AScrubb August 4th
I must have missed a step. The image came out red and not smooted . Can anyone help me with the step I missed. I will be happy to email the image.
( )Zorj August 18th
Help Pls….
In Step 4…it said “Select the three layers below the Curve layer.” But there’s only two layers created as u said. Where’s the 3rd layer ? Hay..pls correct the steps…fast..pls
( )Fab September 4th
Thanks so much!! it’s a great tutorial that helps to save a lot of time!!!
( )sakis October 5th
great tip..
prety fast to.
thanks alot
( )Clippingimages October 7th
Thanks for the tutorial …. It would be a great help
( )Dennis Dunbar October 30th
Interesting technique. Blending the smoothed and non-smoothed areas requires some finesse, but this does give pretty pleasing results without looking over-blurred.
( )Pat Anzanello November 14th
Thank you!
( )Love it!
Jason Collin Photography November 17th
Wouldn’t quite call this retouching super fast and easy….but it’s a good technique and I’ve been using a similar one myself for awhile.
( )sandy November 24th
i was searching dis toutrial
( )thanxx a lot
SANDMAN December 16th
u have no idea how to explain things. u expect me to guess out of blue sky how to use different options that u used. garbage!!!!!!
( )koko December 29th
Wow…beautiful..
( )photo retouching January 2nd
very nice tutorial
( )purab January 25th
so nice and so fast.
( )