Hints for skin retouching with PS6

Many serious photoshop-ers have adopted a smoothing filtration...The objective is to provide an effect similar to the soft-focus lenses, used mainly in portrait. The method is not perfect, since the results depends mainly on the resolution of the image, but it could be easily adapted to many other images.

Soft Focus 3:
Apply Gaussian Blur with a Radius of 1
Fade the result to 25%
Apply Gaussian Blur with a Radius of 2
Fade the result to 20%
Apply Gaussian Blur with a Radius of 4
Fade the result to 17%
Apply Gaussian Blur with a Radius of 8
Fade the result to 14%
Apply Gaussian Blur with a Radius of 16
Fade the result to 12%
Apply Gaussian Blur with a Radius of 32
Fade the result to 11%

Have you guessed the progression ?? The radius is the power of 2 (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, etc...) and the Fading is 1/4, 1/5, 1/6, 1/7, 1/8 etc...
I have also programmed SoftFocus 2, which starts the fading with 1/3 instead of 1/4, and a Soft Focus 1 starting with a fade of 1/2. You have to try several set-ups, and select the one that applies best to your image.

Now that I have described the Soft Focus method, let me explain how I do it selectively on parts of the image: I start by duplicating the layer, and in Photoshop, you can add a Mask to the layer. The mask is a way to hide/reveal the pixels of the layers, depending on the pixels of the mask. If the mask is white, then the layer is completely visible. If the mask is black, it is invisible. Grey gives you a transparency effect. On the duplicate layer, I add a "black" mask, making the soft-focus layer completely invisible. With the paintbrush, paint in white over the skin, making the soft-focus appear on these areas. You can also dose the effect by using different levels of gray. If you make a mistake, it is so easy to correct: just paint the region back in black.

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Is this the forum where such "hints" should be shared ? Just a guess, hope this is not repetition to anyone... and for the photo-purists who dislike re-touching photos, apologies in advance,

Nadim

Glad you're here!

Hi Nadim,
Seeing as this has been an "invitation" only forum so far, I'm glad to see you made it here! Your apparent PS knowledge will help many users (myself included) although I only have the LE version at present and use PaintShopPro7 as it is much cheaper than PS! Maybe in the future should I warrant owning PS I will spring for it. In the meantime, I will still be reading your posts with interest as learning is always "interesting"! Glad you're here!
Nahau

How to do with other software ??

HI Nahau,

I have never used the Jasc Paint Shop Pro, but I heard so many positive feedback on this software that I am sure it would be capable of doing all the things PS6 does.

Here is an explanation of the commands that could be used with other photo editors:

Gaussian Blur... most software has this filter
Fade... you can simulate this function by duplicating the layer first, then applying the filter above (Gaussian Blur), then setting the opacity (or transparency) to the level indicated after the Fade command in my script, then flatten (merge) the two layers.
Masking layers to hide the effect: you can apply the entire suite of Gaussian Blurs and Fades on a duplicate layer, then delete from this layer the areas you don't need to smooth, such as eyes, contour of lips, texture of tissues, etc...

This forum is an outstanding idea... Talk to you later, nadim

Thanks Nadim

Hi Nadim,
Once long ago, I did shoot some wedding photos for a friend using a soft filter. The photos turned out really well and one of the portraits was blown up and distributed to family and friends. It was very nice and crisp though "soft", if that makes any sense!
I will try what you suggest on a photo I have of my daughter. It isn't really a portrait, but it's a nice picture anyway. Thanks.
nahau

Hi Nadim,

I read your skin retouching hints with great interest,and I have allready added it to my Photoshop actions window.

Here's something that might be chalenging for you.The following links to a picture that was scanned
in a harry without descrening and it has the paper patern carried over.Can you suggest a method to rid the picture of the patern?

http://members.tripod.​com/koumou/glasses.htm

Thanks
Koumou

Hi Koumou,

tough challenge... Basically, here is what could be done... if you look carefully, the pattern is repeatable, therefore "easily" subtractable. What you should do is create a similar pattern, reverse it, and "overlay" it with the image, which is similar to a subtraction.

I tried a sample: I selected a portion of the background on the right bottom corner, and I reused twice in the image as an example, one on each eye:
http://home.earthlink.​net/~nayared/glasses1.​jpg

What you'll need to do is replicate that same portion while taking care of the boundaries, in order to create a seamless pattern, then use it to subtract the pattern.

This is not perfect, the image would lack some contrast after this operation, but you can remedy it by playing with curves.

You can always try using the technique I mentioned above, and "paint" in "black" the mask around the edges, but it is not going to give you as a good a result as subtracting the pattern.

BTW, I've seen some of your postinig... you're good as well in retouching photos.. how would you proceed in such a case ?

Nadim

LOL... this thread is pretty old!