News Details

Whether you’re snapping selfies, capturing precious family moments, or working on professional projects—this guide is a roadmap for skin retouching.

Initially, you can use High-Pass to reduce small imperfections and retain a natural smooth Skin in Photoshop:

• Open image in Photoshop and duplicate background layer (Ctrl / Cmd+ J).
• Invert the layer copy: Ctrl / Cmd + I or Image > Adjustments > Invert.
• Change blend mode to Linear Light.
• Apply High Pass Filter: Filter > Other > High Pass. Set radius based on image resolution (e.g., 6.0).
• Apply Gaussian Blur: Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Set radius based on image (e.g., 4.0).
• Add a Layer Mask and Invert it (Ctrl / Cmd + I).
• Apply brush on skin with white foreground to smooth. Brush settings depend on editing needs. Brushed areas appear in the “Black-Inverted” layer.

Keep reading and learn to achieve perfect results every time!

Easy Tutorial to Smooth Skin in Photoshop

Watch this skin retouching example to see a thorough skin smoothening or retouching. You’ll see the use of the Spot Healing Tool, High Pass filter, and Gaussian Blur.

What Tool to Use to Smooth Skin in Photoshop

Depending on your specific needs and the extent of skin retouching required, you can choose the tools and features that best suit your project.

High Pass Filter Method: Utilizes the High Pass filter along with blending modes and layer adjustments to smooth skin while retaining natural texture.

Spot Healing Brush: Ideal for quickly removing small blemishes or distractions without altering the overall texture.

Clone Stamp Tool: Precisely retouches larger imperfections like scars or wrinkles by sampling from a clean area of the skin.

Automatic Batch Editing: Creating an Action in Photoshop to record steps for batch editing, particularly useful for quickly applying a consistent skin smoothing effect across multiple images.

Third-Party Plugins: Plugins such as Portraiture or Retouch4Me offer advanced options for achieving natural-looking skin retouching with easy-to-use interfaces. 

Note: For further streamlining your workflow seek professional assistance from an image retouching company for flawless results.

How to Smooth Skin in Photoshop: 4 Methods

Your journey for editing uneven skin begins with manual techniques, where you have full control over every pixel. At the end of this section, you will find automated techniques in Photoshop for skin smoothening.

Method 1: Smooth Skin in Photoshop High Pass

When to Use: Retain natural skin texture while reducing minor imperfections, like fine lines or small blemishes.

Example: Enhancing a model’s portrait by smoothing out fine lines and blemishes while keeping her natural appearance.

Using this method you will achieve this:

Step 1: Prepare the Image

Open the image in Photoshop. Then, duplicate the background layer (Ctrl / Cmd+ J).

Step 2: Invert the Image

Selecting the layer copy press shortcut: Ctrl / Cmd + I or  Image > Adjustments > Invert

The outcome of this:

Step 3: Change Blend Mode to Linear Light

Step 4: Apply High Pass Filter

Find the option first: Filter > Other > Highpass

I set the highpass radius based on the resolution of the image 6.0. So, you need to set the highpass radius based on the resolution of your image.

Step 5: Apply Gaussian Blur

Find the feature this way: Filter > Blur > Gaussian 

Next, just like applying a highpass filter add a blur that too will depend on the image you have. Anyway, as you have seen in my picture, I have to add a 4.0 radius for the image.

Step 6: Add a Layer Mask and Invert

Selecting the current layer—add a layer mask. The picture will be blurry at this stage. Adding a layer prepares it for the next step when you will reveal smooth skin! 

Make sure to Invert the layer. Shortcut: Ctrl / Cmd + I

Step 7: Apply Brush to Smoothen Skin

The brush setting will again be based on your editing needs. However, for my picture, these are my settings for the selected picture. nevertheless, make sure you keep the Foreground White, to apply the brush.

Apply the brush on the skin to smoother. Notice your brushed areas appearing in the “Black-Inverted” layer.

Final Result:

Method 2: Spot Healing Brush

When to Use: Quickly remove small blemishes or distractions without altering the overall texture.

Example: Removing stray hairs in a model’s headshot, maintaining focus on the face.
Tools Needed:

• Spot Healing Brush tool
• Healing Brush tool (optional)

Steps you need to follow:

• Select the Spot Healing Brush tool from the toolbar.

• Adjust the brush size according to the area you want to retouch.
• Click on the blemishes or imperfections you want to remove. Photoshop will automatically sample nearby pixels to blend the area seamlessly.
• For more control, you can use the Healing Brush tool to manually sample a specific area and apply it to another.

Using this method you will achieve this:

Method 3: Clone Stamp Tool

When to Use: Precisely retouch larger imperfections like scars or wrinkles.

Example: Blending a scar on a fashion model’s chin for a flawless portrait.

Tools Needed:

• Clone Stamp tool
• Healing Brush tool (optional)

Steps you need to follow:

• Select the Clone Stamp tool from the toolbar.

• Adjust the brush size and hardness based on the area you want to retouch.
• Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) on a clean area of the skin to sample.
• Paint over the imperfections you want to remove.
• Use the Healing Brush tool to blend edges and further refine the retouching if needed.

Using this method you will achieve this:

The next section is about the automatic technique. Check it out if you want to save time in editing skin.

Method 4: Achieve Automatic Smooth Skin in Photoshop

When to Use: Quickly smooth skin across multiple images, ideal for batch editing.

Example: Enhancing portraits of celebrities at a red-carpet event within a tight deadline

How to do it:
You can create an Action in Photoshop to record steps. Let’s say you are following “Method 1”. By recording all the steps apply the Action on each image for quick batch editing.

Here are the steps: 

Step 1: Go to the “Window” menu and select “Actions”.

Step 2: Click on the menu bar (horizontal lines) in the “Actions” panel and choose “New Action”. Give your Action a descriptive name (e.g., “Batch Skin Smoothing”). “Record” the editing steps (e.g. Using the High Pass Filter Method)

Step 3: Click the square “stop” button next to the record button in the “Actions” panel.

Step 4: Open all the photos you want to edit. In the Actions panel, select your newly created “Action” (e.g., “Batch Skin Smoothing”). Click the “play” button at the bottom of the Actions panel.

Find another time-saving method in the section below.

Method 5: Use Skin-Smoothing Photoshop Plugins

When to use: Helpful addition to your workflow, but be mindful of their limitations. 

Examples: Creating specific beauty looks for fashion or quick fixes for blemishes and uneven skin tone in social media touch-ups.

There are several third-party plugins available that specialize in skin retouching. These plugins often use advanced algorithms to achieve more natural-looking results than what’s possible with Photoshop’s built-in tools.

Some popular options include:

• Portraiture
• Retouch4Me

These plugins typically have easy-to-use interfaces with sliders and options to control the amount of smoothing, skin tone adjustment, and other details.

Here are the steps for using a dedicated skin retouching plugin:

1. Install the plugin according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
2. Open your image in Photoshop.
3. Duplicate the background layer to create a copy for editing.
4. Apply the plugin filter to the duplicate layer.
5. Adjust the plugin’s settings to achieve the desired level of smoothing and skin enhancement.
6. You can further refine the effect using masking techniques to protect certain areas like eyes and lips.

Final Notes on Achieving Smooth skin in photoshop

So, that’s the lowdown on smoothing skin in Photoshop! We’ve covered a bunch of methods, from basic to more advanced, to help you get that perfect look in your photos. Whether you’re fixing tiny blemishes or tackling bigger imperfections, we’ve got you covered.

Don’t forget, there are also handy plugins out there to make the job even easier. And if you’re unsure about anything or want to share your own tips, drop us a comment! We love hearing from you.

Make sure to check out our other blogs too. We’ve got loads more helpful stuff waiting for you. Learning how to smooth skin in Photoshop is just the beginning of your editing journey, and we’re excited to be part of it!