Buzz
In this article, Mytour will guide you on how to blur wrinkles, flaws on the facial skin, using dodge and burn tools, non-destructive photo editing techniques in Photoshop.
Note: You need to use Photoshop CS2 or newer versions. Among them, Photoshop CS6 is more commonly used than current CC versions. You can download Photoshop CS6 here.
How to Edit and Beautify Skin in Photoshop.
Step 1: Open the image you want to edit. It's recommended to use high-resolution images with detailed skin because this article guides you on how to edit and smoothen skin in Photoshop. Using low-resolution images may result in pixelation.
Step 2: To start, use Chanel Yellow to blur skin imperfections. Access Image =>Mode =>CMYK.
In the Channels panel, select Yellow. Copy this channel by using the Ctrl/Cmd+A =>Ctrl/Cmd+C shortcut.
Step 3: Undo the steps by pressing the Ctrl+Shift+Z or Cmd+Option+Zn shortcut on Mac until you return to RGB mode. Press Ctrl/Cmd+V to paste, and Channel Yellow will appear as a new layer. Name this layer Flaws.
Step 4: Reverse the layer by pressing Ctrl/Cmd+I, then change the blending mode to Light.
Reduce the Opacity of the image until you feel satisfied. You can add a layer mask and erase surrounding areas on the face if they affect the color or details of the surrounding areas.
Here is an illustration before and after using the Yellow channel to blur skin imperfections:
The image after skin beautification in Photoshop
Step 5: The next step is to use the Spot Healing Brush to blur wrinkles and imperfections on the face.
Select the Background layer, then duplicate the layer using the Ctrl/Cmd+J shortcut. Move this layer to the top, then rename it to Wrinkles & Blemishes.
Step 6: Use the Spot Healing Brush to erase wrinkles and imperfections on the face. Reduce the Opacity of the layer to blur wrinkles and imperfections on the face.
After completing the process, you may notice that the skin appears better than before:
Step 7: If you are satisfied with the result, you may not need to proceed with the following steps.
However, if you want to continue refining and enhancing skin in Photoshop more meticulously and deeply, you can refer to the additional steps below.
Before proceeding with the next steps, the first task you need to do is to convert all layers into a single Smart Object. To do this, hold down the Ctrl/Cmd key while selecting all layers.
Right-click on the layers and select Convert to Smart Object. This action helps you save time by allowing you to make changes to the facial structure without having to undo and redo everything. Rename this layer to Original.
Step 8: Duplicate this layer and rename it Smoothness. Select the Smoothness layer, then access Filter =>Blur =>Surface Blur. Set the Threshold to 255 levels, then adjust the radius to blur the area on the face.
Reduce the Threshold until you can see the details. The skin will appear blurred. Click OK to apply the filter.
Step 9: Duplicate the Original layer, then move this layer to the top. Name this layer Details. Use this layer to restore the details lost in the Smoothness layer.
Step 10: Access Filter =>Other =>High Pass. Adjust the radius setting until you can blur the details.
Step 11: Change the blending mode of this layer to Linear Light. Now the skin will appear less blemished, but still somewhat rough and artificial. Here is the image before and after using Airbrush:
Step 12: The next step now is to do color concealment. Select the Details and Smoothness layers, then press Ctrl/Cmd + G to group these 2 layers together. Name this group Airbrushing.
Step 13: Add a reversed layer mask in the group by holding down the Alt/Option key and clicking on the Add Layer Mask button on the Layers panel or access Layer =>Layer Mask =>Hide All.
Make sure you've set the Foreground color to white, then select the Brush tool. Use a soft brush with Opacity set to 50% to brush around the skin area. Adjust the Opacity of the group to fine-tune the amount of airbrushing applied to your image.
Step 14: Select the Eye Dropper tool, then choose a color sample you want to use for the skin tone. Make sure your eyedropper tool is sampling colors for all layers.
Collapse the Airbrushing group, then add an adjustment layer Solid Color from the Layers panel or access Layer =>New Fill Layer =>Solid Color. Choose the Foreground color automatically. Click OK, change the Blending Mode of this layer to Color.
Step 15: On the Layers panel, click to select the layer mask and invert it by pressing the Ctrl/Cmd + I shortcut.
Use the Brush tool and start painting around the skin areas to balance the skin color. Adjust the Opacity to fine-tune this layer. After completion, rename the layer to Skin Color.
Step 16: Next, add a Dodging & Burning layer. For this step, Mytour will use a different image to show you the results of skin beautification in Photoshop when applying this effect. This image applies the steps performed above.
Create a new layer and rename it to 'Dodging & Burning'. Set the blending mode of this layer to Soft Light.
Step 17: Fill the layer with 50% gray. To do this, access Edit =>Fill and set the Contents to 50% gray, then click OK.
Step 18: Select the Burn tool and set the Range setting in the options bar to Midtones and Exposure to 50% or less. Brush over the areas you want to darken. To lighten, use the Dodge tool.
Ensure that the Range setting is set to Midtones, then start brushing over the areas you want to lighten. After completing adjustments with the Dodging & Burning layer, you can increase the brightness by accessing Image =>Adjustments =>Brightness/Contrast. Check the Use Legacy box, then adjust the brightness to achieve the desired effect. Additionally, you can also reduce the Opacity on the Dodging & Burning layer to reduce the effect.
Here is the image before and after using Dodge and Burn. Use the Dodge & Burn tool to highlight bones and muscles, brighten eyes, fuller lips, ... without losing facial features.
Step 19: In this tutorial, Mytour uses non-destructive editing techniques (Smart Filters, Layer Masks, ...), so you can go back to any layer to adjust settings. Refer to the layers you can edit in the image below:
Conclusion
For younger subjects, you may skip deeper skin beautification effects in Photoshop. But for older subjects, make sure you have set the tone reduction for a more realistic look.
Use Dodge & Burn tools to highlight bones, muscles, and other facial features without losing facial contours.
You can edit and beautify skin in Photoshop using the described techniques below.
Not only blurring wrinkles in photos with Photoshop, users can also effectively blend text into photos in Photoshop using the Text tool, easily blending text into photos in Photoshop.
When using Photoshop, users encounter many Photoshop errors and cannot edit photos, there are many different Photoshop errors due to various reasons so we cannot know in advance what those errors are, Mytour has a series of articles about Photoshop errors, if interested, you can refer to them.
An important step when editing photos with Photoshop is saving the photo in Photoshop after editing, if you don't know how to save it, your effort will be wasted, saving photos in Photoshop also depends on what your purpose is so that when exporting the photo file, there will be different qualities
