The author of the video lesson: Elena Vinogradova
Looking through a glossy magazine, we often look at the photos of models with genuine envy. And then, peering into our own reflection, we dream of a perfect appearance. The secret of this appearance is quite simple – it is the magic of Photoshop.
This lesson aims to reveal to you a few secrets of professional retouching. This lesson will be useful to everyone, both professionals and medium-sized Photoshopers.
So, open Photoshop, select a photo and start the magical transformation.
Step 1. Duplicate the photo layer and name it skin (Layer – Duplicate Layer). Arm yourself with an instrument Curing brush
(healing brush tool) and with its help eliminate all visible defects (acne, hairs that have fallen on the face, etc.). Then select the tool Patch
(Patch Tool, this tool is in the same tab with the Curing Brush) and use it to work on the skin on the neck to make it smooth, eliminating wrinkles.
Step 2. Create a duplicate layer skin and name it high pass. Do the following Filter – Other – Color Contrast (Filter – Other – High Pass). Set the radius based on the image below. For his image, the author chose 20 pixels. Then apply Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur. The value of the blur radius you again have to pick up yourself. The author chose 10 pixels. Now invert the resulting image on the layer. high pass (Ctrl + I), blending mode for a layer Linear light (Linear Light). Add layer mask
(Layer – Layer Mask – Hide All). Choose a soft brush with a diameter of about 170 pixels. and go over the skin in places where it is necessary to achieve the effect of “smooth skin”. Reduce the opacity, in the case of the author is 60%, and merge the layers (ctrl + E).
Step 3. Now choose the tool Clarifier 
(Dodge tool) and set it up like this: Range – lights, exposure – 7%, brush diameter – 140 pixels. Work out the clarifier area around the eyes. Now let’s study the background. Duplicate the active layer and name it. background. Using tools Patch (patch tool) and Stamp (Stamp tool), remove unnecessary parts (extra hair, spots or stains).
Step four. Let’s make up. Create a new layer (Shift – Ctrl – N) and name it eyeshadow. Take soft brush
approximately 40 pixels in diameter. Set the blending mode for the layer to Soft light (soft light). Select the desired color and move the brush across the eyelids. If the color you chose does not look as good as you would like, you can fix it with Image – Correction – Colortone / saturation (Image – adjustments – hue / saturation). Adjust the hue, saturation and brightness of the color. Create another new layer and soft brush (choosing a different color) paint over the upper eyelids. Blend color with Eraser
(eraser). Settings: Transparency – 30%, Hardness – 0%, Diameter – 150%.
Now let’s work on the lights and shadows in the make-up.
Let’s do the shadows. Create a new layer and, using a soft brush, paint in black the area on the outside of the eye on which you would like to emphasize. Apply to this layer Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur (Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur), the blur radius of the author 40 pix. Now with the help Eraser (eraser) erase the unwanted area that comes on the eyeball, and make a soft transition between the black color on this layer and the other colors in the eye makeup.
If the result with the shadows suits you, then you can stop there, or, if you wish, we will continue. Create a new layer, set the blending mode for the layer. Soft light (soft light) and using a soft brush, go through the color gradient that we created earlier above the upper eyelid. Fill the resulting color with Eraser (eraser) and lower the opacity.
Let’s work on the area of light in the makeup for the eyes. Create a new layer, set the blending mode for the layer to Soft light (soft light) and a soft white brush paint over the areas on the inside of the eyes (this trick allows you to visually open your eyes) and under the eyebrow. Blend with the eraser and lower the opacity.
Step 5. Let’s work light and shadow on the image.
Let’s start with the shadows. Create an adjustment layer Layer – New Adjustment Layer – Curves. Now you need to select the values, the author has the following: Output (output) – 98, Input (input) – 155. Invert the mask on the adjustment layer to hide the effect (Ctrl + I) and use a soft white brush to work on the shadows on the image (forehead , cheeks, chin – on the contour of the face, under the chin, above the collarbone). Now apply to the adjustment layer Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur, The author used a blur radius of 50 pixels. If necessary, hide unnecessary areas with the mask eraser.
Let’s do the study of light.
Create an adjustment layer Layer – New Adjustment Layer – Curves. The values of the author are as follows: Output (output) – 138, Input (input) – 115. Invert the mask on the adjustment layer to hide the effect (Ctrl + I) and use a soft white brush to work through the light on the image. Apply Filter – Blur – Blur according to Gauss. If necessary, hide unnecessary areas with the mask eraser.
Step 6 Adjust the colors in the photo. Create a hue / saturation adjustment layer Layer – New Adjustment Layer – Hue / Saturation. Lower the saturation level to around -20. Create the next adjustment layer Selective color correction Layer – New adjustment layer – Selective color correction. Author settings – Red: Blue: – 20, Yellow: +30. Invert the mask on the adjustment layer to hide the effect (Ctrl + I) and work only the hair with a white brush.
Create the next correction layer selective color correction Layer – New adjustment layer – Selective color correction. Author settings – Neutral: Blue: +8, Purple: -3, Yellow: +8, Black: -2.
Add expressive eyes. Create a Curves Adjustment Layer Layer – New adjustment layer – Curves. Author’s settings – Output (output): 143, Input (input): 109. Invert the mask on the adjustment layer to hide the received effect (Ctrl + I) and work only the iris of the eye with a white brush.
Step 7 Merge all layers into one. Create a duplicate of the resulting layer. Choose a tool Dimmer
(Burn tool), adjust it (Range: Shadows (shadows) Opacity: 5%) and work through the shadow areas in the image.
Then select the tool Clarifier (Dodge tool), adjust it (Range: Lights, opacity: 7%) and work through the areas of light in the image.
Finally add contrast, duplicate the layer and apply to it. Filter – Sharpness – Sharpness.
Note. The lesson is translated from the free PSD Photoshop monthly magazine. To gain access to viewing the magazine, registration is required, which will take less than a minute.
All settings specified in the lesson are suitable only for the image that was used by the author. If you want to practice on this photo, then you need to download the archive with the materials attached to the magazine.
Author: Carla cabras
