How to Smooth Skin with Photoshop in 6 Simple Steps

If you’re a graphic designer, photographer, or anyone who regularly edits images on Photoshop, you know that sometimes photographs require a bit of smoothing to have the desired effect. Whether you’re looking to remove blemishes from an image of a person or even small bumps from an object in the photo, smoothing skin in Photoshop takes some skill and precision. You have likely seen models in advertisements with flawless skin. You know that Photoshop plays a role in this airbrushed look. All humans have at least some blemishes or freckles, and even a few warts. Image editing programs can be used to touch up images to give them an unrealistic look. It is easier than you might think – just see for yourself.  

The Opening Move: The Starting Picture.

To begin, you need to choose the photo you will work with. This technique will help disguise skin imperfections for smooth skin in Photoshop. A portrait is a typical choice but you can also opt for other motifs like hands, feet, etc.

Advice: Be subtle

When making image adjustments, it is generally advisable to be subtle; too abrupt changes often look unnatural. Aim to slightly conceal minor imperfections. Does that make sense?

What is this about in general terms?

We will create smoother, blemish-free skin and then selectively apply it to portions of the original photo that we are interested in. It is not a complicated process; just apply a series of filters, then take the time to “paint” the new skin onto parts of the original photo. Understand? Let’s do it. Here are 6 simple steps to easily smooth out skin in any photograph using Photoshop.

Step 1: Erase the Most Important Parts With the Correct Eraser in Photoshop

First, let”s eradicate the most significant blemishes (creases, wrinkles, pimples, etc.) with the Spot Healing Brush Tool (and only the most important ones), which definitely is fairly significant. This is a utility that basically uses sampling areas to replicate them in another area that we mostly want to kind of hide in a big way. Smoothing skin in Photoshop requires some finesse and ability, regardless of whether you’re trying to remove flaws from a picture of a person or even little bumps from an object in the picture. You have most certainly seen models with perfect skin in commercials, which is actually rather crucial.

Step 2: Dust and Scratches Filter

Duplicate the layer (Layer > Duplicate Layer). Select the new layer and apply the Dust & Scratches filter (Filter > Noise > Dust & Scratches). The radio and threshold values will vary depending on image size. The goal is that the image will look – more or less – like the one in the following image, as a reference I used 4 for radius and 0 for threshold with an image of 4200px wide.

Step 3: Applying a Gaussian Blur Filter

On the same layer, apply a Gaussian Blur filter (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur). Do not overuse the radius. In this case, I chose a radius of 2.

Step 4: the Process Involves Using a Noise Filter

To add texture to even the most perfect skin we can imagine, let’s use Add Noise (Filter > Noise > Add Noise). In this case, we used values of 0.8% for the amount and uniform distribution. The result was something like this.

Step 5: To Apply a Layer Mask

We have the new skin ready. Now we must figure out how to apply it only in certain areas, preserving the original detail in others. To do this, we add a button (the second mini button on the left in the Layer Window). We select the mask (it is the white rectangle that has appeared on the Layer Mask).

As you know, in layer masks the black area is transparent and only the white area is displayed. Therefore, in the next step, we will only paint white on the areas we want to show.

Step 6: Painting the New Skin.

The layer mask allows us to decide which parts of the layer with the new skin are applied and which are not. For this, having the layer mask selected we must select the Brush Tool and select a white color. Those parts that we paint in white will have the new skin. Those that don’t will keep the old one. Avoid placing the new skin on details such as natural skin folds, eyebrows, nose contour, etc.

The Result

That’s all there is to it. It’s been simple, right? Photoshop can be used for many purposes but perhaps no more useful than when it comes to smooth skin through digital retouching. With just a few simple steps you can improve any photograph by making wrinkles disappear and giving a more vibrant look – all with just a few clicks of mouse buttons! Follow these instructions well enough times and soon enough experience should come naturally with the resulting outcome being quality images ready for showcasing publicly!
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