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The 15 Minute Makeover: Photoshop Beauty Retouching

By jean miele | Published Dec 8, 2011 | Software Techniques

Tagged with: beauty-retouching photo-technique photoshop

Stage 3: Use the Red Channel From the Merged Layer to Smooth the Skin

Now that the Background and all the major retouches have been merged into a single new layer, we get to the fun part! To get started we need to copy the Red channel of the merged layer and paste it into the file as a layer at the top of our layer stack.

To do this, make just the Red Channel in the Channels panel active by clicking on it. Then hit Cmd/Ctrl+C to copy the channel to the clipboard. Next, click on the RGB composite channel and hit Cmd/Ctrl+V to paste the channel as a new layer. With this task accomplished you can now delete the merged layer (named Layer 1 by default) residing just beneath it. Look at the image below for an alternate way to accomplish this task.

You can save some steps when copying the Red Channel to a layer by going to Image>Apply Image. Select Merged in the Layer pull-down and set the Channel pull-down menu to Red. Make sure the Blending Mode is set to Normal, as shown above. This method automatically replaces the merged layer with the Red channel's contents. Bonus points if you can tell me a third way to do this, using a Channel-Mixer Adjustment layer (reply in the Comments section at the end of the article).

Regardless of how you end up with a (monochrome) 'Red channel' layer at the top of your stack, the magic begins when we change the Blending Mode of this layer to Luminosity. Suddenly everything looks lighter and more radiant – and the skin looks amazing.

Radiant Skin: Here we see the result of the Red Channel of the merged layer, with the Blending Mode set to Luminosity.

Some Finishing Touches

The effect shown above works great for skin. If you look carefully, however, you can see that our subject's eyes, hair, and lips do not respond so well to this kind of enhancement. That's often the case, and this effect doesn't work very well on clothing either, for that matter. No problem. Our next step is to mask this layer so the change is applied only to areas of bare skin.

Almost there: The retouched image with and without Red-Channel-Luminosity-Blend-Mode-Smoothing.

A great way to do this is to first select the skin by going to Select>Color Range. With this tool you can quickly select the skin tones, while leaving hair, eyes and lips unselected.

With the Color Range dialog open, click and Shift-click in the main image window on areas of skin to add them to the selection. Option/Alt-click on non-skin areas to remove them from the selection. Adjust the Fuzziness slider to expand or contract the selection parameters.

With our selection still active, we add the layer mask by going to Layer>Add Layer Mask>Reveal All. The mask will automatically appear in the shape of the selected areas. Refine the mask as needed, using brushes and, if necessary the (awesome) Refine Mask Edge feature in the Masks Panel.


You can see that our merged red channel layer is now linked to a layer mask. Dial back the opacity of this layer, to taste. Be conservative. Less is more here.	Make a duplicate of the merged red channel layer (shown at the top of the layer stack) and blur it by going to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Reduce the opacity of this layer, also to taste.

In the example below, you can see a progression of the steps we've just undertaken. Once we fixed the most obvious flaws via our retouching layer, we used a copy of the Red channel to make the skin smoother and then applied a layer mask (as well as a duplicate) to restrict the smoothing to skin areas.

From Left to Right: A) Retouched Image with no smoothing. B) Red channel smoothing visible everywhere. C) Soft-edged layer mask that restricts smoothing to the skin. D) Image with the layer mask applied.

Your Layers panel may look a little crowded, but we've really only done about five or six basic edits – et voilà! I think this is a remarkable result for the effort.

The final image shows just how productive those 15 minutes can be.

I hope you'll find this method a useful (and fun) addition to your arsenal of Photoshop techniques. Of course you can build on these steps for even more control and flexibility. Sometimes I'll use multiple smoothing layers, all placed in a layer group, with a single layer mask. On some images I'll even add a Curves adjustment layer clipped to the smoothing layer(s) for the best results. And if you're a fan of actions, this entire workflow can easily be recorded and later run automatically and interactively, saving even more time on future projects.

Jean Miele has been digitally editing images for over 15 years. A working commercial photographer and highly sought after Photoshop instructor, his fine art images and workshop schedule can be seen at www.jeanmiele.com

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Total comments: 167

Ethical issues regarding retouching (btw why is it called that, it implies it was "touched" already) have been with us even before the age of computers, as journalists have had to struggle with this for decades with real airbrushes, and the issue of "perfection" has huge cultural and social implications in that unrealistic standards are set by the media that put pressure on our teens and young adults.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retouching#Social_and_cultural_implications

Comment edited 30 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Fantastic article, it is any way to save or bookmark this info?

Comment edited 18 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Wow that was wonderful... and complicated. For this kinda stuff I hate Photoshop.
I know professionals love professional tools cause they like more control, but when they start using them only cause it makes them look smart and more competent is when their attitudes become snobby.

I personally would use Photoshop to remove blemishes and an automatic retoucher like Portrait professional, to simplify my life.

But I am not a professional... :-)

0 upvotes

I think a lot of folks here are forgetting that photo retouching is not a new invention. 50 years ago we were dodging and burning in our darkrooms, and most of Ansel Adams great masterpieces were indeed "retouched."

Retouching has been going on since the dawn of photography, so they need to get off their high horses and stop claiming it "isn't photography."

It may not be something you want to do. It is just another tool the photographer has available to him or her.

As far as the "mother nature" crap goes.... ask your wife if she is willing to stop using makeup or touching up her hair. And you probably don't need to shave or comb your hair either... since that is also "unnatural."

3 upvotes

To the people who are complaining about ANY retouching of faces, I can only say that I can understand your point of view.

However, anyone who wants to be skilled at Photoshop retouching should appreciate learning the tools to achieve certain effects such as these.

If you do not care for the end result and do not wish to apply them, then that's perfectly understandable, but if you don't know how to best use these tools to achieve a certain effect, then you have no choice.

1 upvote

Thank you very much for an excellent tutorial. I'm afraid a very large contingent of photographers can benefit especially from your comments about not overdoing the skin adjustments. If the pores are completely gone, it will look "fake" and "amateurish" in a very bad way.

Although I have used red filters for b&w conversions of portraits, I had not thought of using the red channel for routine skin beauty treatments, so it's much appreciated. The red channel will do wonders for almost any skin "color/tone" imperfections because many blemishes are "redder" than the normal skin areas.

The workflow you propose is really good and you explain very well. I'm going to add your excellent workflow to my "beauty treatment" workflow.

Thanks very much,

Dan

Comment edited 8 minutes after posting

1 upvote

the pore things is also reflected in makeup. the more matte the skin looks, the more unreal the skin can look. and it's the same principle - shine enhances pores/lines/dimension, matte reduces them.

0 upvotes

You must have many girlfriends.

0 upvotes

I'm sorry, but you shouldn't be WANTING to do this.
Unless you think your mother or girlfriend is just plain ugly...
Have some respect for nature... it's as bad as make-up and maybe even plastic surgery...
Maybe you should just be shooting in JPEG so it comes out blurrier no?
Otherwise, what's the use of shooting RAW to get the most detail into an image?
And the word says it all; RAW... just like it is in real-life... that's what I shoot...
I use nothing but the exposure and such settings and some post-noise-reduction if the ISO made it really bad.
I wouldn't touch the pores or birthmark on my girlfriend...

Oh well... modern times I guess...

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 38 seconds after posting

1 upvote

"I wouldn't touch the pores or birthmark on my girlfriend..."
Ask if she would.

0 upvotes

Thanks for sharing this 15-minute. I've been at a loss of improving the image. I'll try this.

0 upvotes

Awesome... i would consider this technique a nice trade 'secret' that not alot of books cover. I learn alot from this article and looking forward to more.

0 upvotes

Great tutorial -- extremely practical stuff. Thanks!

0 upvotes

Exceptional tutorial. Thank you for generously sharing your advanced knowledge in this area. I have been trying to do this for years using books and online tutorials, and this was the first that brought it all together in a compact, well-articulated and simple to follow tutorial. I've been practicing this technique all week in my spare time. As a former longtime classical piano student, I am a great believer in practice, practice, practice!

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

0 upvotes

Thanks for taking the time to let me know, wildplaces. Really glad you found the tutorial helpful.

0 upvotes

using photoshop is not real photography. improve your technique, don't depend on software to make your images for you.

0 upvotes

Sometimes it is difficult to find models with perfect skin or to find makeup artists at rates and availability that you can afford. Post processing is a very economical method to achieve expensive results.

Sometimes wives, friends, and clients want portraits that are more ideal than reality.

1 upvote

I'm afraid I have to disagree here. Photography is a two step process. Taking the photo, and then developing the photo. Before Digital there was no Photoshop but there was a Dark Room and, many photographers did their own developing. The terms in Photoshop like Dodge, Burn, Cropping are all terms taken from working in the Dark Room years ago. These and other tools were used then and now replaced by tools like Photoshop. Now, of course, the original capture is important but, making a good photograph a great photograph one must use all the tools available just like they did years ago.

1 upvote

Help! I absolutely cannot get this copy red layer thing to work and tried all the suggestions below and really need someone to dumb this down further Here's what I am doing (CS5,5 Win7)-
1. Select Merged Layer - Highlighted blue, eyeballs for all other layers turned on.
2. Select red channel. Red Channel is blue, only Red channel has eyeball on. Image is grey as it should be.
3. Option 1 = CtrlC/CtrlV and Paste appears in history and merged layer goes b/w. Channels tab has red channel only selected, reselecting RGB produces faded green/blue image, no new layer is added
Option 2 - Apply Image. Hit OK, no layer is created but Apply Image appears in History tab.
Option 3 - Select red channel, ctrl A does nothing, Select Canvas appears in history. Manually select all the channels with eye on red channel only but all are blue, ctrlC/ctrlV produces a new channel Paste appears in history but color is lost from all layers. Selecting channels produces CMY images.
Thx for all help.

0 upvotes

Hi wkay. As I mentioned before, copying and pasting the Red Channel into the file as a layer is definitely the trickiest part. Let's try a different way to do Step 2: Once the retouching is done, do not merge your layers into a new layer. Instead, create a Channel Mixer adjustment layer on top of all of your other layers. Check (turn on) the "Monochrome" checkbox in the Channel Mixer dialog box. Set the Red Channel to +100, and all the others to zero. Then use "the claw" to merge everything into a new layer. (This layer will be exactly the same as if you had copied and pasted the Red Channel from Channels into Layers!) Delete the Channel Mixer adjustment layer, and proceed to Step 3. Hope this helps!

0 upvotes

Thx, worked great! But stuck on the Select Color Layer mask step, just shows the selected area only or a grotesque color composite..

0 upvotes

The idea is to use Select>Color Range as an easy way to select the skin, so we can use that selection to make a mask that will reveal the smoothing layer only on the skin. This will work best if the rest of the picture doesn't have too many colors similar to the skin you're trying to select. Regardless of whether you use Color Range or another selection method, these are the steps: 1) Make a selection of the skin, but not eyes, hair, clothing or backdrop. 2) With the selection active, add a layer mask to your smoothing layer. The mask will reflect the shape of your selection, making the smoothing layer visible only in the area that was selected, and hiding it everywhere else. 3) Refine the mask with brushes, the Mask Edge feature in the Masks panel, or your favorite method.

0 upvotes

Thanks Jean, great article and very helpful. Its made a huge difference in my retouches. I would love to know more about how you clean up and retouch hair.

0 upvotes

Thanks, Robert. What I did here is just kind of a digital haircut, using the same techniques described in Stage 1 of the article. I use the Clone Stamp Tool and Spot Healing Brush to copy sections of the image background into a new layer, concealing flyaway hair.

0 upvotes

Nice work! Quick and straight-to-the-point, concise and effective, well done!

0 upvotes

I honestly think that the person could done a better job, because one side of her eye is larger than the other, and one of the eyebrow is arching more than the other. There is also a dimple near her right cheek, and creases on the lower jaw area that needs to be addressed.

0 upvotes

He was writing a concise article on fixing skin blemishes and softening skin showing another technique; no claim was made to perfection.

0 upvotes

Excellent article. Thanks so much for these techniques.

0 upvotes

It's nice to learn a new skill that will improve my wife's outlook on life!! I think I'm safe with that remark, because she doesn't surf dpreview. On a more serious note, for those of us on a budget, and with limited skills, it would be great to have a recap for Photoshop Elements.

1 upvote

Thank you for this great demonstration. However all this discussion about the angels' sex makes me smile and reminds me when they first colorized the old black & white movies. Purists were, rightfully, scandalized and denigrated the whole idea, while others just pushed the "no color" or "b&w" button on their remotes and continued to watch the movies in their original b&w appearance.

0 upvotes

Jean, you've got people contributing - brilliant. Good presentation. Myself, I am very manual although sometimes I'm flawed and try others' advice. If we can't pintch each other's ideas and shape them to our own likeing, well that would be the end of art full stop.

The exciting thing about the visual arts is that the result is subjective. Some of the world's most well known photographs are hated by some - this is simply because human perception varies from one person to another. If you believe in people having different viewpoints, then they should be allowed to express them, in this case visually.

And just because you might not like a result, that doesn't mean to say that it has no value. What I find in my own results is that, while I might hate them, the customer might love them. Being commercial - that relevant.

So thanks Jean and thanks dpreview for creating this section of the site - also for not including a don't like button which would have been so negative.

0 upvotes

Thanks, Anthony.

0 upvotes

Skin needs to be retouched? Says who? Idiots who don't realise that we don't need images of non-existent perfection to aspire to. What is even the point of pretending we are something we aren't. The camera never lies but photoshop gives you a certain flexibility with the truth!

0 upvotes

Hi there!! I agree with you... we should aim for all we can do with the camera. Still, one keeps trying to improove light conditions with flashes and WB compensations and all other stuff... ;) it was allready used in the dark room with chemicals and filters on the film!

0 upvotes

'The camera never lies'? I live in a three-dimensional world. My photographs are two-dimensional. Guess I've been deluding myself all these years.

4 upvotes

nice, thanks for this! :)

0 upvotes

Just a point in passing. Working with a couple of images, one with flat lighting on the face and the other with higher contrast with strong facial shadow, the "red channel smoothing" technique does not work too well on the darker lit images - other smoothing operations (if smoothing is actually desired) should be used - possibly by editing red channel layer for luminosity. For the darker images, the luminosity bump becomes difficult to control unless you use a very low opacity on the smoothing layer and thereby largely defeating the smoothing operation.

The basic retouch operations are, of course, "spot on" :)

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 2 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

i very much enjoyed the tutorial... I learned a couple of new tricks despite using Photoshop for many years!

0 upvotes

Very nice tutorial, thanks, will give it a go.

0 upvotes

Just a very moderate use of the diffuse glow effect, would have been enough to brighten op this picture.

0 upvotes

Diffuse glow can be very nice for skin. The effect is similar to this in that it both brightens and softens. And I agree that a "moderate" amount of Diffuse Glow can be very nice, although Diffuse Glow will tend to give more of a soft-focus/diffusion filter kind of effect.Try: Filter>Distort>Diffuse Glow - on a copy of the Red Channel Layer, after changing the blending mode to Luminosity. This provides both the benefits of the much nicer skin from the Red Channel and the "glowiosity" of Diffuse Glow.

2 upvotes

Thanks for the tip

0 upvotes

Interesting article. My recap of what Jean said is:

1. Retouch the skin "as necessary"
2. Perform any other adjustments "as necessary".
3. Smooth the skin "as necessary"

The tutorial certainly presents a straight forward Photoshop technique to accomplish the above three steps. The presentation is well done, and the technique works well (I just edited an image using this style).

All in all, a well done article - certainly taught me some new things about Photoshop that I never knew about before.

The other thing it taught me is that the "retouching war" about appropriate retouching is as filled with opinionated and meaningless commentary just as the "camera war" is about the right tool for shooting.

2 upvotes

Hi. Great tutorial but Im having problems at the last bit. Once i have made the 'select colour range' I'm not getting the 'Layer>Add Layer Mask>Reveal All' option only. Reveal all option is there but not 'Add Layer Mask'.

Thanks

0 upvotes

Thanks, Paulfk.
We want to add the layer mask to the layer we've created from the Red Channel, so make sure that's the active layer (highlighted in blue), once you've made your selection. With this layer active, it should be possible to add a layer mask using any of these three methods: 1) via the menu: Layer>Add Layer Mask>Reveal All. 2) By using the Masks Panel: click on the 'Add a pixel mask' icon. 3) By clicking on the 'Add Layer Mask' shortcut button at the bottom of the Layers Panel.
It's also possible that the "Layer>Add Layer Mask>Reveal All" menu item might be "grayed out" because a layer mask has already been added to the Red Channel layer. If that's the case, delete the mask, and proceed as above.
Hope that helps.

0 upvotes

Thanks for the information. I will have to try the red channel technique.

0 upvotes

Thank you for sharing your technique, Jean. It is way more efficient than one I use. As for comments by some here questioning the need for doing such retouching I can only say that people find reasons to deliberate and dwell on everything, and in case at hand many forget that each of us (and for a women especially) has perception how we see ourself. More times than not reality of picture DOES NOT go alone with ones perception, and hence, unless photographer is working in documentary field, retouching is what allows to anwer such call. It is also a tool that bridges from documentary to art component of the still photography, IMHO. And, what a heck - many marriages were saved with its help too. :)

0 upvotes

This is an excellent job of re-touching, and a great workflow through photoshop. Comments about it looking better before are just disingenuous. The lighting and radiance are better in the second version. so if you are judging a photo purely on its merits, the second one is superior. There was no liquify or pulling or stretching. The artist here took great pains to develop a workflow to keep skin texture and fade the lines and wrinkles back in. The next time I shoot a senior session for a high school kid with his acne that he is already self conscious about, I will have him call you and you can tell him why natural is better and how i shouldn't take it out.

0 upvotes

I really think its sad that someone posts such a nice helpful tutorial and people jump all over it with a philosophical issue about beauty retouching. From my perspective, this is rather simplistic and quick way of retouching but it gets the job done nicely and is easy enough for most people to follow. People's preferences vary greatly in regards to how much retouching they want done just as some people prefer more or less makeup and hair styling coloring vs natural. I may or may not prefer any style but I know that there are some who do. When I retouch for a client, I ask for an example of how they want the work done. If they just say I want it perfect, it doesn't really tell me what I need to know because what is perfect to one is not perfect to another. BUT I have to know how to do retouching ranging from flawless perfection to a very natural look so that I can make all my clients happy.

8 upvotes

I absolutely agree, kudos for a great tutorial. I think this is useful stuff. If you think different, you don't have to use it. Posting knowledge is more helpful than bashing... (and it is much more appreciated)

3 upvotes

Very nice tutorial.
The "red layer" trick is pretty effective and step-forward.
But I feel it could just as be reached by using the right exposure at the time of shooting. You can make a first measurement of light on your subject's skin tone then dial-in a +2/3E compensation to obtain a similar effect. Those with an Olympus camera can make sure face recognition is ON and don't even have to compensate exposure.

0 upvotes

Thanks Jean. Nice article. Seems that some folks feel that retouching portraits makes them less desirable. I wonder how many of them have seen portraits of themselves that they like? My experience suggests we need all the help we can get when we document our faces for posterity. Thanks for the tips.

0 upvotes

Much appreciated, NYC Jim. Thanks.

0 upvotes

Have to agree with a lot of the sentiments here. Business and photography aside, she looks far more pretty without the photoshop disaster.

But then as a documentary photographer I don't make my money through the perpetuation of body dysmorphia so I guess I don't 'get it'.

2 upvotes

Different jobs need different tools to get them done. Sometimes I have to deliver the beauty look - for documentary work it is contra productive, I agree.

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

1 upvote

I can't see the watermark that says "this is not real, this is a faked face" ? Perhaps less retouching and we would have less in the way of body image issues with the vulnerable out there ?

2 upvotes

I use Alien Skin's Image Doctor 2, and it's unbelievable how well it works. Draw a circle around the blemish with the selection tool, run the filter, and you're done. It even preserves totally natural skin texture in the retouched area.

0 upvotes

Useful info, BUT...

IMO the real beauty is in NATURAL skin, hair etc. The purpose of makeover is to HIGHLIGHT the beauty, not to mask bad-looking things. It you do not like your object, better do not shoot (unless you are after money). Or you could put a rubber mask on the model's face, that'd be perfect...

2 upvotes

Nice article. I like the red channel technique as another/alternative method for skin smoothing.., I'm gonna try that when I get the chance. Thx

A lot of sensitive folks responding to this hot-topic/button issue regarding retouching portraits. I don't think the authors intent was to stir up a debate on whether you should do it or not or whether you agree with it or not..., simply a tutorial on some methods one could go about implementing if one would choose to do so. (But a nice debate anyway ;o)

This is just knowledge, techniques, information that we can either ignore, disregard or put into our tool kits for a day and time when it is useful..., but to call something fake or judge it based on your own rules or style is not fair either. I would have to ask.., if you are so against retouching of this nature, and don't do it, then why would you even bother to read the article? Just so you could tell everyone they are fake or sellouts for having their own style and workflow? - LOL

11 upvotes

The article starts with the statement: "Skin needs to be retouched. Even beautiful skin with great makeup."
This article thus starts with a value judgement, after which it addresses the technical issues to achieve the goal set by the judgement in the opening sentence. I have no issue whatsoever with the rest of the article, but starting like that is kind of weird.

0 upvotes

And you feel that you express no value judgement in your response? It's amazing how we all we all see 1 subject, scene, whatever so differently - I think that's what makes us 'individuals'

Nice article - If I did not appreciate it, I would not respopnd, I would continue doing things as I have always done and never opting to learn - but that's just me, acting like an individual.

0 upvotes

Good article, However, I think I can get 80% of the improvements using LR3 or ACR 6.x in much less time.

1. Use the clone/heal brush for pimples, blemishes, moles, and other localized skin flaws.

2. AdjustmentBrush with -50 to -55% for both Clarity and Sharpness. 75% feathering and Flow. Then no more than 30 seconds softening wrinkles, pores, bags-under-eyes, and other skin flaws. With people 40+ years old, I often include -5 to -10% de-Saturation in the AdjustmentBrush.

3. With .dng's or raw .cr2's/.nef's/etc, all changes are reversible and can use snap-shots. Also, you don't have the huge .tif or .psd files with multiple layers.

4. Granted, these simple retouches won't be sufficient for an art director with a model for advertising. I find them more or less adequate for "normal-walk-of-life" people who appreciate looking like they just got back from a restful vacation. Few people want to look like their early morning reflection in the bathroom mirror.

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

2 upvotes

Her retouched eye looks fake. Sorry but as a painter, and someone who draws portraits as well as photograph portraits I think he went too far.
I use either Canon 1DsMkII FF DSLR and Canon 85mm f/1.2 at f/1.2 or a crop sensored DSLR. Sometimes I use the Canon 135 f/2 L at f/2.
Also I use the FF DSLR Kodak SLR/n with Nikon Ai 85mm f/2 at f/2.
These provide the softening of the details that woman require. Because used wide open on FF the DOF is so slight everything but the pupil in the eye's is getting softer the further you move from the focal point of the pupil of the eye.
But go ahead use his techniques woman will love you for it and you will save money by not purchasing a true portrait lens and camera. Just do not over do it.

1 upvote

Love all the "i hate retouching" and "In my county, women don't wear makeup" comments. Now that you can show your comment to your girlfriend, wife, significant other, friends, etc. so they can see what a sensitive, politically correct, western zen person you are, let's get back to reality.

If you want to be a professional portrait/beauty/fashion photographer, you will be doing this to some extent, or you won't be making money.

Please realize that by choosing what lighting, focal length, f-stop,background, etc you will be using, you have already retouched the person. Do you take portraits of someone when they roll out of bed in the morning? That is about as natural as they can get. Photoshop is just another tool. You either learn how to use it, or you are behind in the game.. Just learn some discretion, as mentioned in the article.

Great tutorial.

19 upvotes

Well said.

0 upvotes

"...let's get back to reality." Funny stuff ;)

Made a living as a portrait photographer doing my "retouching" with lights, film selection, dark room work and optics alone. Yeah I know I am old (37), it was before Photoshop became widely adopted.

That said, I think you are confusing a lot of different things here. For some people a beauty shot does not include a plastic look. There is quite some distance between a face full of morning and acne to the polished ceramic look that has become the standard today, I would say. Surely it has become a necessity to achieve this, for editorial work today. Thankfully not all magazines find it pleasing to eradicate every last bit of personality from peoples skin.

I just find it funny that photographers do not feel the least bit responsible for perpetuating this impossible and unattainable look. And I do know that photography is essentially manipulation. What I don´t like is the current visual discourse and its effect on young people.

6 upvotes

Uh, I'm 43. Been in a darkroom since I was 5. So, retouching with film and developer selections and print manipulation is different from photoshop. Yeah. Shooting B&W with a 25 red and opening up a stop or two, then burning and dodging in the darkroom is really different. Right. Oh, and that Zeiss Softar doesn't count either. Come on.

Responsible for perpetuating this unattainable look? Perhaps we should destroy all classical sculpture/paintings for perpetuating this unattainable look.

For editorial work today? Where have you been for the last 37 years? I didn't realize editorial shots weren't retouched 'till photoshop came around.

I never said anything about going for a plastic or ceramic look. Notice the phrases "to some extent" and "learn some discretion." If someone shows up with a big pimple on the end of their nose, or severely blotchy skin, you wouldn't fix it? Even if your client asked you to? Please.

8 upvotes

When I do this (which I dont, unless its really necessary) - duplicate layer, Nik Color Efex - Dynamic Skin Softener - tweak as you wish, apply, remove anything you dont like by masking layer, tweak transparence and merge. Finished in few minutes or faster..

Ofc there are ways to get pretty natural look, usually involving bit of LAB and palette work.

Easiest is simply to have good model, with good skin and great makeup, saves you a loads of time..

0 upvotes

'Beauty Retouching' Absolutely nonsense!
The retouche of beautiness will provide ugliness.

Comment edited 40 seconds after posting

4 upvotes

I agree...natural is best, touch-up is fake.

1 upvote

I like all these "it's too plastic/barbie doll look" comments. This tute actually retains a lot of the original detail unlike most magazines or ads do.

I too like natural. That's why I don't let any of my 3 wives wear lipstick, foundation, eye liner, and other makeup. They just have to deal with the perpetual downward spiral of lookin' like an old hag. There's no reason for them to "pretty it up" for any occasion.

Whitening toothpaste is made from the devil. Regular toothpaste is fine...

4 upvotes

ROFL

this is awesome.

I swear, the snobs are out in full force. I will say, if you don't like retouching, then please huff and puff elsewhere. It's such a foolish arguement considering that it's an absolute necessity in the industry. Really, I'm laughing my butt off reading these comments. Some folks are either nuts or just plain dumb. No disrespect to any poster but I think we have just entered bizzarro world.

Wtf lol, no retouching...hahaha nice ;)

0 upvotes

"Some folks are either nuts or just plain dumb"

And some others insist on lying all the time. Because retouching is lying.

"we have just entered bizzarro world"

Indeed we have; in all magazines, whether for men or women, people see unreal dolls' photos that are miles away from reality. No skin marks, no wrinkles, glaring white teeth. Not to mention "adjusted" thighs and buttocks. It's bizarre indeed. And - again - lying.

0 upvotes

"Because retouching is lying."

This is not documentary photography, or phtojournalism. This is a specific photographic genre called "beauty", where a certain amount of retouching is mandatory. Lying or telling the truth has nothing to do with this.

0 upvotes

"Skin needs to be retouched. Even beautiful skin with great makeup."
How can anybody write this without stopping and asking "Hey, what the hell did I just write?" I understand that people retouch their photographs, but stating that it needs to be done is ridiculous.

4 upvotes

Virtually any professional (excluding photojournalists) who ever takes a portrait of someone, male or female, will have to do some edits to skin, even if its just hiding a single blemish. That's as much a part of the job as configuring the lighting setup.

5 upvotes

But that is not what Jean Miele is claiming. His opening statement is not about hiding blemishes or doing some edits, but it is about that the real look of skin should be converted into something else. It might seem to be a subtle difference, but it is not. I do not oppose hiding blemishes, but saying (a priori) that skin needs to be retouched is a bigger claim than it might seem, and, to me, a problematic symptom of a possibly harmful confusion of the real and the virtual.

0 upvotes

Oh please. I am a street shooter and go for documentary truth.

But the human eye does not see skin the way a lens does. Simple fact.

When I shoot portraits of people I care about, I make the minimal appropriate adjustment, including skin softening if needed. It is not lying. It is recreating the effect of standing before them.

It is very simple minded to think that photography, like poetry, has anything to do with 'truth.' That is the biggest lie of all. Books have been written about this. Wise books. The 'truthfulness' of the photograph is the biggest illusion of all.

3 upvotes

I think you are confusing two things here.

Indeed, a photograph is not a true representation of the world. In that sense, there is no truth in photographs. Photography is about what to photograph, at what time, with what settings, et cetera. Photography, thus, is about the choices of the photographer.

In this case, I do not agree with the choices of Jean Miele. More specific; I do not agree with his value judgement. This has little to do with truth or lies, and is no critique either on retouching in itself. It is a critique on a way of thinking that, in my eyes, can be harmful, and therefore should be challenged.

0 upvotes

I think the arguments pro and con are not absolute, but a personal decision of the photographer, the client (or audience) and the subject. What I take away from a wonderful technical piece such as Jean's is a work flow and technique that I can apply to my own work, in my own way. I do not begrudge an author's point of view...or editorial license. The one sharing these valuable lessons has a right to that. He may or may not agree with how his techniques are used by you, by me or by others, but his teaching has definitely influenced how I approach editing in photoshop and has given me new insights into photoshop technique and a new arsenal of tools that I can apply in many situations, for portraits and beyond.

0 upvotes

you can do the same thing , even better, with portreture plugin

0 upvotes

Great article - although I only use Elements 5, everything except channels can be done there (though they can be emulated). Good reminder of various techniques, I learned a few new tricks. (Especially the 'claw', which doesn't appear in any menu.)

To those who don't like the results - remember *every* action done can be *reduced* in effect by reducing transparency on that particular layer.

1 upvote

I appreciate the article, but I still do prefer the original. It's the difference between a real person and a Barbie doll.

5 upvotes

Total comments: 167