Part of why I love my job, photo retouching, so much is because I love making people look like the best versions of themselves.  The problem when you edit with most skin smoothing actions is that they loose details.  I love that nice glow and pore free skin (wish I had it in real life!) but I am not a fan of loosing details in the face, like cheekbone contour, nose detailing.  And while masking can help keep detail in the eyes, brows, and mouth…it can look fake if you’re not careful.

So I set about finding a way to smooth skin without losing details.  I’m calling it Naturally Smooth Skin.

Here’s my beautiful friend and her son, in a snapshot from Halloween.

Before:

After:

What it does:

• Smooths pores.
  Reduces fine lines and small wrinkles.
  Leaves edge detailing intact.

What it does not do:

• Remove pimples or large wrinkles.
  Create a fake plastic appearance.
  Loose details in the nose and cheeks.

Are you excited yet?  I am!

I had a few lovely photographers test this action for me, and here’s what they said:

“Laura’s Skin Softening action is easy to use and makes the skin look great!  Just run the action, paint on the skin with a soft, white brush and adjust the layer opacity to your taste.  I like to use it at about 75%.  It’s especially nice for use on more “mature” faces!  And best of all, it’s FREE!” ~Wendy Mayo, www.wendymayophotographer.com

Wendy’s Image Before:

Wendy’s Image After:

Meg Says

“Hi Laura,

that action is very good! simple to use and effective.   I found this one of Carole, affectionately known as Auntie Carole, on new years eve. The photo is extremely unflattering due to a very high iso and on board flash. Skin smoothing action had it back to acceptable to send to her in seconds. Here’s the different strengths:

Original:

default of 47% this looks good and “untouched” but the pigment and shine have been largely toned down

and below is at 70%

Shannon says “Quick and simple to use, and it looks realistic too!”

The best part?  It’s free.  That’s right, free.  For now

Want it?  Go get it!

Dress It Up: Naturally Smooth Skin

Please comment if you like it.  If you do, I might be encouraged to make more

Tagged as: photo editing, photo enhancing, photo retouch, photo retouching, photography, photography editing, photography retouching