How To Smooth And Soften Skin With Photoshop
Written by E-TECH NIG
In
this tutorial, I'll show you how to improve your portraits by giving your
subject beautifully smooth skin with Photoshop! We'll start by learning how to
remove pimples and other minor skin blemishes using Photoshop's Spot Healing
Brush. Then, after the initial clean-up, we'll learn step-by-step how to smooth
and soften skin without blurring important details, like the person's eyes,
hair and so on, and while keeping as much good skin texture as possible.
To
follow along, you can use any portrait photo. I'll use this image that I
downloaded from Adobe Stock:
The original
image. Photo credit: Adobe Stock.
Here's a close-up of what the young woman's skin
looks like initially:
A close-up of
the original.
And here's what she'll look like after smoothing
and softening her skin:
The final
skin-softened result.
Let's get started!
How To Smooth
Skin In Photoshop
I'm using Photoshop
CC but this tutorial is fully compatible with Photoshop CS6 and
earlier.
Step 1: Make A Copy Of The Image
With the image newly-opened in Photoshop,
the Layers
panel shows the photo on the Background
layer. Before smoothing the skin, start by removing any unwanted
blemishes. To protect the original image, you'll want to work on a separate
layer. Make a copy of the Background layer by pressing and holding the Alt (Win)
/ Option (Mac) key on your keyboard, clicking on the
Background layer, and dragging it down onto the New Layer icon
at the bottom of the Layers panel:
Duplicating
the Background layer.
In the Duplicate Layer dialog box, name the
layer "Spot Healing" and then click OK:
Naming the
layer "Spot Healing".
A copy of the image appears on a new layer named
"Spot Healing" above the original:
The initial
skin cleanup will now be done on a separate layer.
Step 2: Select The Spot Healing Brush
Select the Spot Healing Brush from
the Toolbar:
Selecting the
Spot Healing Brush.
Step 3: Set The Spot Healing Brush To
"Content-Aware"
Make sure the Type option in
the Options Bar is set to Content-Aware:
Content-Aware
should be selected by default.
Step 4: Click On The Skin Blemishes To Remove
Them
Click on any unwanted skin blemishes with the
Spot Healing Brush to remove them. Photoshop will instantly "heal"
the blemishes by replacing the problem texture with good skin texture from the
surrounding area. For best results, make your brush slightly larger than the
blemish. To change your brush size, press the right bracket key ( ] )
on your keyboard to make the brush larger or the left bracket key ( [ )
to make it smaller. If the blemish hasn't completely gone away on the first
try, undo your click by pressing Ctrl+Z (Win) / Command+Z (Mac)
on your keyboard, then resize your brush if needed and click on the same
blemish to try again.
Example: Removing Skin Blemishes With The Spot
Healing Brush
If we look at the woman's forehead in my image,
we see what looks like a large pimple just to the right of center. I'll
position the Spot Healing Brush over it, and I'll make my brush slightly larger
than the pimple itself:
Positioning
the Spot Healing Brush over a skin blemish.
To remove the blemish, I'll click on it with the
Spot Healing Brush. Photoshop analyzes the area I clicked on, finds good skin
texture from the area surrounding it, and then blends the good texture in with
the problem area's original tone and color. Like magic, the blemish is gone:
Clicking to
heal the blemish.
I'll do the same thing with another blemish on
her forehead, keeping the Spot Healing Brush just a bit larger than the area I
need to heal:
Positioning
the Spot Healing Brush over a second blemish.
I'll click on the blemish, and once again,
Photoshop instantly removes it:
The second
blemish is gone.
After a few more clicks with the Spot Healing
Brush to clean up the remaining blemishes on her forehead, her skin is already
looking much smoother:
The blemishes
have been removed from her forehead.
Removing Blemishes, Not Features
As you're retouching the skin, keep in mind that
while it's okay to remove temporary problems like acne or other minor skin
issues, it's usually not okay to remove permanent features
like moles or even certain scars, as these are part of what makes someone who
they are. After all, the goal of image retouching is to help people look their
best, not to make them look like someone else.
Completing The Initial Skin Cleanup
Continue working your way around the person's
face to remove any remaining blemishes. Here's a side-by-side comparison of
what the woman's skin looked like originally (left) and after some quick
retouching with the Spot Healing Brush (right). With most photos, this initial
skin cleanup should take no more than a few minutes. I covered the Spot Healing
Brush quickly here, but you can learn more about it in my Removing Acne, Skin Blemishes With The Spot Healing Brush tutorial:
A before
(left) and after (right) comparison of the initial skin retouching.
Step 5: Make A Copy Of The "Spot
Healing" Layer
With the blemishes removed, we're ready to
smooth and soften the skin, and again, it's best to work on a separate layer.
Back in the Layers panel, make a copy of the "Spot Healing" layer by
pressing and holding the Alt (Win) / Option (Mac)
key on your keyboard, clicking on the "Spot Healing" layer, and
dragging it down onto the New Layer icon:
Duplicating
the "Spot Healing" layer.
In the Duplicate Layer dialog box, name the
layer "Smooth Skin" and then click OK:
Naming the
duplicate layer "Smooth Skin".
We now have the original image on the Background
layer, the initial skin cleanup on the "Spot Healing" layer, and a
new "Smooth Skin" layer above them:
The
"Smooth Skin" layer appears above the "Spot Healing" layer.
Step 6: Apply The High Pass Filter
To smooth the skin, we'll use Photoshop's High
Pass filter. Go up to the Filter menu in the Menu Bar,
choose Other, and then choose High Pass:
Going to
Filter > Other > High Pass.
Why The High Pass Filter Is Great For Smoothing
Skin
If you're familiar with the High Pass filter,
it's most likely because you've used it to sharpen images in
Photoshop. Even though we'll be using High Pass to smooth skin,
not sharpen it, many of the steps are the same. The High Pass filter looks for
edges in the image and highlights them. An edge is an area
where there's a big, sudden change in brightness or color between neighboring
pixels. With portrait photos, the edges are usually along the person's hair,
around the eyes, the mouth, and so on. Skin texture, on the other hand, has
relatively low amounts of detail with much smoother transitions. These areas
are not considered an edge, so rather than highlighting them, the High Pass
filter fills these areas with neutral gray.
If we were sharpening the image, the High Pass
filter would allow us to sharpen the edges (the details) without affecting the
skin. But for smoothing skin, we use High Pass for the opposite reason. We'll
detect the edges not so we can sharpen them but so we can smooth and soften
everything except the edges. Let's see how it works.
The Radius Value
The High Pass filter detects edges and
highlights them, and the Radius option at the bottom of the
High Pass dialog box controls the "thickness" of the edge
highlighting. In other words, once Photoshop has detected an edge, the Radius
value tells it how many pixels on either side of it to include as part of the
edge. Low Radius values will highlight only the finest details in the image.
But to make sure we don't end up softening these important details, we need to
highlight the areas around them as well, which means we need a larger Radius
value. For a typical portrait shot, a radius of 24 pixels works
well:
Setting the
Radius value to 24 pixels.
If your subject is further back in the photo, or
you're working on a lower resolution image, a smaller Radius value of 18
pixels or even 12 pixels might work better. Why these
specific values? It's because it's important for the next step that you choose
a Radius value that's easily divisible by 3. For example, 24 divided by 3 is 8,
18 divided by 3 is 6, and 12 divided by 3 is 4. Nice, easy numbers. Again,
we'll see why in the next step.
Click OK to close the High Pass dialog box. Your
image will turn mostly gray. Solid areas of gray are the non-edge areas with
little to no detail, like the skin, while large, high contrast halos highlight
the edges:
The result
after applying the High Pass filter.
Step 7: Apply The Gaussian Blur Filter
We need to blur the High Pass filter effect. It
may seem counterintuitive, but the blurring will actually help to bring out
more good texture in the skin. Go up to the Filter menu,
choose Blur, and then choose Gaussian Blur:
Going to
Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.
In the Gaussian Blur dialog box, set the Radius value
to exactly one third of the value you used for the High Pass filter. In my
case, I set the High Pass radius to 24 pixels, so I'll set the Gaussian Blur
radius to one third of that, which is 8 pixels. Click OK to close the dialog
box:
Setting the Gaussian
Blur radius to one third of the High Pass radius.
With the blurring applied, the High Pass effect
now looks softer and less detailed:
The result
after applying the Gaussian Blur filter.
Step 8: Change The Layer Blend Mode To Linear
Light
In the Layers panel, change the blend
mode of the "Smooth Skin" layer from Normal to Linear
Light:
Changing the
layer blend mode.
This blends the High Pass result in with the
image, creating a high contrast, over-sharpened effect. It may look terrible,
but don't worry. It will look even worse in a moment:
The image
after changing the Smooth Skin layer's blend mode to Linear Light.
Step 9: Invert The Layer
Go up to the Image menu,
choose Adjustments, and then choose Invert:
Going to
Image > Adjustments > Invert.
With the layer inverted, the image goes from
being over-sharpened to looking like a weird, blurry mess with big ugly halos
around everything:
The result
after inverting the "Smooth Skin" layer.
Step 10: Open The Blending Options
To reduce the halo effect, click the Layer
Styles icon at the bottom of the Layers panel:
Clicking the
Layer Styles icon.
Choose Blending Options from
the top of the list:
Opening the
Blending Options.
Step 11: Drag The "Blend If" Sliders
In the Layer Style dialog box, look for
the Blend If sliders at the bottom. There are two sets of
sliders, one labeled "This Layer" and one below it labeled
"Underlying Layer". We need the top sliders (the ones labeled
"This Layer"):
The Blend If
sliders.
Notice the slider below each end of the gradient
bar. These sliders control how the "Smooth Skin" layer blends with
the image below it based on the brightness levels of the layer. The slider on
the left is used to blend the darker areas of the layer and the slider on the
right blends the lighter areas:
The dark
(left) and light (right) sliders.
Reducing The Light Halos
Start by reducing the lighter halos. Press and
hold the Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) key on your
keyboard, click the slider on the right and begin dragging it
towards the left. Holding the Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) key tells Photoshop to
split the slider in half so that as you're dragging, only the left side of the
slider moves while the right side stays in place. Watch your image as you drag
the slider and you'll see the lighter halos fading away. Drag the slider almost
all the way to the left to reduce them as much as possible:
Dragging the
left half of the slider on the right.
Here's the result after dragging the first
slider. Most of the lighter halos are now gone, or at least, they're much less
noticeable. Only the darker halos remain:
The lighter
halos are gone after dragging the slider on the right.
Reducing The Dark Halos
To reduce the darker halos, press and hold
your Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) key, click the
slider on the left and drag the right half of it towards the
right. Again, you'll need to drag almost all the way to the right for most of
the dark halos to disappear. Click OK when you're done to close the Layer Style
dialog box:
Dragging the
right half of the slider on the left.
And here's my image after dragging both sliders.
Her skin is looking very smooth, but so is everything else in the image. We'll
fix that next:
The darker
halos are gone after dragging the slider on the left.
Step 12: Add A Layer Mask
To limit the smoothing effect to just the skin,
add a layer mask. Back in the Layers panel, press and hold the Alt (Win)
/ Option (Mac) key on your keyboard and click the Add
Layer Mask icon:
Adding a
layer mask while holding Alt (Win) / Option (Mac).
A black-filled layer mask thumbnail appears
on the "Smooth Skin" layer. This hides the smoothing effect from view
so we can paint it back in only where we need it:
A
black-filled layer mask has been added to the "Smooth Skin" layer.
Step 13: Select The Brush Tool
Select the Brush Tool from the
Toolbar:
Selecting the
Brush Tool.
Step 14: Set Your Brush Color To White
Make sure your Foreground color (the
brush color) is set to white. You can see your current Foreground
and Background colors in the color swatches near the bottom of
the Toolbar. The swatch in the upper left is the Foreground color. If it's not
set to white, press the letter D on your keyboard to quickly
reset the colors to their defaults:
The
Foreground color (the brush color) should be white.
Step 15: Paint Over The Skin
Before you begin painting, check your brush
options in the Options Bar. Make sure that Mode (short for
Blend Mode) is set to Normal, Opacity is at 100% and Flow is
also at 100%:
Making sure
the Mode, Opacity and Fill options are all set to their defaults.
Then paint over the skin to reveal the smoothing
effect. A soft-edge brush will work best. We already know that we can change
the brush size from the keyboard using the left and right bracket keys. Add the
Shift key to change the brush hardness. Press Shift and
the left bracket key to make the brush softer, or Shift and
the right bracket key to make the brush harder.
Example: Painting To Reveal The Smooth Skin
I'll start by painting over her forehead. Since
we're painting on the layer mask, not on the layer itself, we don't see the
brush color as we paint. Instead, we reveal the smoothing effect in the areas
where we've painted:
Bringing back
the smooth skin in the woman's forehead.
Next, I'll paint over her nose, her cheeks, and
around her eyes to reveal the skin smoothing in those areas. Adjust your brush
size as you go to avoid painting over details that should remain sharp. If you
do slip and paint over the wrong area, press the letter X on
your keyboard to set your brush color to black, and then paint over
the mistake to hide the smoothing effect. Press X again to set
your brush color back to white and continue painting to smooth
and soften the skin:
Revealing more of the smoothing effect, but just
over the skin.
Finally,
I'll paint around her mouth and over her chin to smooth and soften those areas,
while at the same time being careful to avoid her lips:
Revealing the
smooth skin in the lower areas of her face.
Viewing The Layer Mask
To see exactly where you've painted, press and
hold your Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) key and
click on the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers panel:
Holding Alt
(Win) / Option (Mac) and clicking the layer mask thumbnail.
This switches your view from the image to the
layer mask. The white areas in the mask are where you've painted to restore the
skin smoothing. Black areas are when the smoothing effect remains hidden. It
looks a bit creepy, but viewing the mask is a great way to make sure you
haven't missed any spots, and you can paint directly on the mask if needed. To
switch back to your image, once again press and hold Alt (Win) / Option (Mac)
and click on the layer mask thumbnail:
Use the mask
view to look for any areas you missed.
Step 16: Lower The Layer Opacity
At this point, we've smoothed and softened the
skin, but the effect is too intense. To reduce it, lower the opacity of
the "Smooth Skin" layer. In general, an opacity value of between 40%
and 60% works best, but it will depend on your image. I'll set mine to 50%:
Lowering the
opacity of the skin softening effect to 50%.
And with that, we're done! Here, after lowering
the layer opacity, is my final result with her skin now looking great:
The final
skin smoothing result.
And there we have it! That's how to easily
smooth and soften skin in Photoshop! For more portrait retouching tutorials,
learn how to reduce wrinkles,
how to change eye color or
how to whiten teeth with
Photoshop! Or visit our Photo
Retouching section
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