Whether you are an established professional photographer, a rising star of social media, or just a human being willing to look good in portraits, the ability to do some portrait touch-up is a very useful skill. With the necessary instruments and powerful techniques at hand, even the most trivial snapshots can be polished and turn out to be fabulous images.
While good lighting and makeup can save the day, a tad of digital face editor retouching can really help your photo go up a notch.
Let’s dive into 10 face retouching techniques that will empower you to create those flawless, magazine-worthy portraits.
1. Start with the Basics: Spot Removal and Skin Smoothing
Every great face editor retouch begins with clear, smooth skin. The spot-healing brush is your best friend here. Use it to target blemishes, minor skin imperfections, or stray hairs. For a smoother texture overall, experiment with subtle blurring or surface blur tools. Go easy—remember, the goal is a natural look!
2. Refine Your Features with Dodging and Burning
Dodging and burning offer a way to sculpt your subject’s face with light and shadow. To dodge, use a face editor with a soft brush to lightly brighten the cheekbones, the bridge of the nose, or under the eyes. Burning works the opposite way: gently darken areas to add depth and create a slimming effect.
Key Targets:
- Cheekbones and under-eye area: Brightening adds a lifted, youthful look.
- Nose: Dodging the bridge narrows, while subtle burning along the sides refines the shape.
- Jawline: Burning creates shadows for a sharper definition.
- Eye sockets: Careful darkening adds depth and drama.
Tools of the Trade:
- Dodge/Burn Tools: Most editing software has dedicated tools for this.
- Curves Adjustment: Gives more precise control over shadows and highlights.
- Brushes with Soft Edges: Blending is essential for a believable effect.
3. Enhance Those Eyes: Brighten and Sharpen
Brightening Tools:
- Selective Exposure Adjustment: Boost brightness, specifically in the eyes.
- Curves Adjustment: Targets the whites or irises for subtle brightening.
- Color Balance Adjustment: Cool down the whites or enhance the color of the irises.
Sharpening Options:
- Basic Sharpen Filter: Apply minimally, only to the eyes, to avoid graininess.
- Unsharp Mask: Gives more control over amount, radius, and threshold for precise results.
- High Pass Filter: Great for subtle definition, boosting fine details.
Pro Tips:
- Separate the Whites and Irises: Adjust each for maximum impact and a natural look.
- Catchlights: A tiny white dot in the eye adds sparkle and life.
- Zoom In: Assess your work at 100% view to avoid over-sharpening.
Things to Avoid:
- Overly bright whites: Your eyes should look vibrant, not radioactive.
- Excessive sharpening: This can lead to halos around the irises.
4. Give Them a Winning Smile: Whiten and Adjust
A bright smile completes a great portrait. Use a face editor with a teeth-whitening tool with an adjustable brush size, being careful not to overdo the glow. For subtle adjustments to tooth spacing or shape, try a dedicated ‘liquify’ or ‘warp’ tool. Use it with extreme caution for natural results.
5. Don’t Forget the Brows: Shaping and Filling
Perfectly sculpted brows can frame the face beautifully. Using a fine-tipped brush, add individual hairs where needed, matching color and directionality to your subject’s natural brows. Shape subtly with a ‘clone stamp’ or ‘healing’ tool, preserving their unique character.
6. Add Some Color: A Touch of Blush or Contouring
Give your portraits a healthy boost with a hint of blush on the apples of the cheeks. Opt for a face editor with soft-edged brushes and build color gradually. If you want more definition, contour very lightly under the cheekbones with a neutral, cool-toned shade.
7. Give Depth and Dimension with Frequency Separation
Frequency separation is a fantastic way to target skin texture without losing natural details. Separate your image into a low-frequency layer (smoothness) and a high-frequency layer (texture). Fix uneven texture on the low-frequency layer while preserving pores and fine lines on the high-frequency layer.
8. Master Background Clean-up for Distraction-Free Photos
Don’t let cluttered backgrounds ruin your shots! Remove stray elements, power lines, or any distracting objects from the frame. Often, the ‘patch’ tool makes this swift and seamless, blending the adjusted area naturally with its surroundings.
9. Use the Power of Layering and Masking
Layering and masking are the secret weapons in your face editor’s arsenal. By mastering these techniques, you gain incredible control over your edits, allowing for precise adjustments without compromising other areas of your image.
Here’s a breakdown of their magic:
The Power of Layering:
- Imagine Layers as Transparent Overlays: Think of each layer as a sheet of acetate. You can stack them on top of your base image, each containing specific adjustments. This lets you work on, say, brightness without affecting your color corrections on another layer. Organization is key. Give your layers descriptive names like “Eye Brightening” or “Skin Smoothing.” This keeps your editing process organized and allows you to revisit specific adjustments later.
- Non-Destructive Editing: Layers are fantastic because they’re non-destructive. Unlike traditional editing, where changes are permanent, layers allow you to adjust any edit later without affecting the original image. This lets you experiment confidently, knowing you can always tweak or revert.
Masking: The Art of Selective Adjustments
- Masks: Think of a layer mask as a black-and-white image that acts like a stencil. Black areas on the mask hide the adjustments on that layer, while white areas reveal them.
- Brush Tool: Use the brush tool to paint on the mask, revealing edits in white and hiding them in black. This allows you to target specific areas for adjustments.
- Refine Edges: Feather the edges of your brush strokes to create a seamless blend between the adjusted and unadjusted areas.
Masking Applications: Empower Your Retouching
- Skin Smoothing: Target only imperfections and blemishes with a mask, keeping desired texture details untouched.
- Eye Brightening: Apply brightening adjustments selectively to the whites of the eyes while leaving the iris unaffected.
- Background Cleanup: Erase unwanted objects by masking the unwanted area on a dedicated adjustment layer.
10. Finish with Global Adjustments: Color and Tone
Once your detailed face editor retouching is complete, it’s time for final tweaks. Apply overall color adjustments to achieve the desired tone—warm, cool, vibrant, or vintage. Play with contrast and exposure for the perfect level of brightness.
Final Words
Face retouching, when approached skillfully, can elevate your portraits to a whole new level. Remember, a gentle touch makes all the difference. Aim for polished portraits that still radiate your subject’s natural essence. With the techniques in this blog, practice, and a little patience, your photos will begin showcasing the flawless, captivating images you’ve always envisioned!
Read More: Photoshop Hacks for Beginners: How to Erase Unwanted Objects From Your Pictures
