Julie Langford

I have been asked by many people via comments, and directly, how I get the clear skin effect on my Portraits
. So, as I am now a leader in the Photoshop Help group, along with my good buddy Faizan Qureshi – I thought I would kick off my participation with this brief tutorial on how it is done.

This was done in Photoshop CS2, but as the effect only uses the standard Photoshop tools, most if not all versions of the program will suffice for this tutorial.

First things first, you will need a file to work on. The settings in this tutorial are based on the low resolution starting image here, and if you use higher resolution images – the settings will be different.

You may right click and save the starting image below and use it to work through this tutorial to practise – you may also upload your finished work into your portfolio for feedback and to show others how you did – You MUST not, however, place the image for sale, or use it for any other purpose other than this tutorial, without my permission

So, follow the steps and have some fun with this.

1. Save the image below and open it in Photoshop

Starting Image

startmodel


2. On the toolbar on the left hand side, click on the healing tool

healing brush tool

Use the following settings for the healing brush

healing brush tool settings


3. Zoom in on the model so that you can see imperfections on the skin. Hold Alt on your keyboard and click on an area of skin close to an imperfection once – release the mouse and the Alt key

healing brush step 1


4. Click the mouse again over the imperfection that you want to hide, once

healing brush step 2


5. Repeat the last two steps until you have removed all the imperfections, until the image looks similar to the one below.

model after healing brush applied


6. Down on the right hand corner of the Photoshop workspace – you will find the layer pallette – Have a look – you will notice that there is one layer called background, or Layer 1 in the pallette at the moment.

The Photoshop layer palette


7. Go to the menu bar running across the top of the workspace – click on the word – Layer, then click on Duplicate Layer. A box will appear, just click OK. Notice that a new layer, called layer 1, or background copy now appears in the layer pallette above the background layer. Make sure that this top layer is highlighted/selected

8. Just above the highlighted layer, there is a drop down menu [which probably has the word Normal in it at the moment]. Click that drop down menu and click on multiply.
Multiplying the layer


your image will go very dark like the one blow.

Model after multiply


Still working on this same layer

9. On the menu bar running across the top – click on the word Filter, then on Blur, then on Gaussian Blur – a box will appear. Change the settings to that below and click OK to apply the effect.

Blur settings

Your image will now look like the one below

model after blur applied

10. Go to the top menu again, and click on the word Layer, then on New Adjustment Layer, then on Levels – a box will appear. Adjust the settings to that in the image below.

Levels adjustment settings


Your image should now look like the one below

Model after the levels adjustment


Note here that you now have 3 layers in the layer pallette. You will need to be working on the MIDDLE layer [see below] for the next step, so make sure it is selected.

Selection of the middle layer for the next step


11. On the toolbar on the left, click on the History Brush to select it

history brush tool


On the top toolbar menu, set your brush to a small soft brush [so that you can fit it into the corner of the eyes], and set the opacity to 25

All in one stroke [thats important with low opacity] paint over one eye totally to bring the detail and brightness back out. Repeat for the other eye, and then for the lips.

The effect is quite subtle here, but it will make a big difference at the end of the tutorial and will give life to your model.

Your image should now look similar to the one below

model after history brush


12. Now go to the menu up the top and click on the word Layer, then click on Flatten image – this will result in you having one layer in your layer pallette again.

Ok – so your model has great skin now, but she is a bit on the bright side. We are going to darken her up a bit, but if we just do it now, she will likely turn orange with the current saturation level. so we need to adjust it a little.

13. Go to the menu up the top and click on the word Image, then Adjustment, then Hue/Saturation – a box will appear. change the settings to that below.

hue/saturation settings


The image should now look a better colour

model after hue/saturation settings applied


Now lets darken her up

14. Up to the top menu again – click on the word Image, then Adjustment, then Levels – the levels box will appear. Change the settings to that in the image below.

Levels adjustment settings


Your image should now look much darker

model after levels adjustment applied


Finally – we need to bring out highlights and for this we use the dodge tool.

15. Over on the toolbar on the left, click on the dodge tool to select it

dodge tool


Use a soft large brush [about the size of her whole cheek], set the opacity to 18 and work on highlights in the drop down menu [up the top]. Click and drag once across the eye area, then once down the models right cheek to brighten these areas up.

Your image is now complete and should look something like this

finished model


I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. The settings will be slightly different with other images of different resolutions but the methods will be the same. When adjusting levels blur etc on other images, use the sliders to get similar looking effects to what you used here and the effects will work nicely for you.

Good luck everyone, Please come back here and let me know how you got on.