Learning how to smooth skin in Photoshop can make a huge difference in the quality of your portraits. Here’s how to do it authentically.
Coming to you from Kristina Sherk with pixel sharkThis comprehensive video covers some essential techniques for smoothing skin in Photoshop. Sherk begins by demonstrating how to use a black and white adjustment layer to polarize red and yellow on the skin. This creates contrast that helps identify problem areas. By following her exact settings, you can achieve the same results. Sherk emphasizes the importance of setting these adjustments correctly to avoid over-polarizing skin tones. This method is vital for anyone wanting to improve their skin retouching skills, providing a basic technique that can be used in a variety of lighting conditions.
The video also introduces the concept of using smart objects to make non-destructive edits. This is especially important because it allows you to adjust the opacity settings later if needed. Sherk explains how to apply a surface blur effect to enhance skin texture without losing detail. By converting a layer to a smart object, you ensure that any changes remain dynamic, which is an important aspect of professional photo editing.
Another important aspect mentioned in the video is the use of the healing brush tool. Sherk shows how to effectively remove imperfections, emphasizing the importance of sampling from precise areas to maintain natural skin texture. She introduces a clever trick that uses the healing brush tool’s blending mode, allowing you to lighten or darken specific areas without affecting the overall skin tone.
Sherk also solves the common problem of inconsistent skin saturation. Using a hue/saturation adjustment layer, she demonstrates how to balance skin tones to ensure a uniform look. This step is especially important when working with different lighting conditions. Watch the video above for the full recap from Sherk.
