How can I fix blotchy, uneven skin tones without over-softening the skin?
Asked 8/24/2020
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2 answers
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I’m editing a portrait with patchy, blotchy areas on the skin. I know how to use curves and hue/saturation to adjust skin tone, but in this image the blotches seem partly desaturated, so it’s difficult to target them cleanly by color alone. I’d like to even out the skin tone without blurring away natural skin texture. What retouching technique works best for this kind of problem?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
5y ago
2 Answers
3
Frequency Separation is the technique, you are looking for.
With this, you separate the image into 2 layers. One containing more of the color information and one containing more of the texture and details.
In very short steps:
- Duplicate (cmd+J) your Background layer twice. Rename the top layer "high frequency" and the bottom "low frequency." Then group the two layers (select the two layers & cmd+g)
- With the Low Frequency layer selected, Filter>Gaussian Blur filter and choose a pixel radius with which all the fine details will be blurred. I have mine set at 3.7 but there are some photographers who will set it to 5 so this is just up to your preference in terms of how much detail you want. I personally prefer a lower blur.
- Now select the High Frequency layer and go Image > Apply Image and use these settings: For 8-bit images-> Layer: Select “Low Frequency”, Invert: unchecked, Blending to “Subtract”, Scale: 2, Offset: 128. For 16-bit images-> Layer: Select “Low Frequency”, Invert: checked, Blending to “Add”, Scale: 2, Offset: 0.
Now you're ready to use the clone stamp & spot-healing brush on the "low frequency" layer for your skin problems. Or use blur or healing brush to even out color.
Source: https://studiorosalie.com/blog-all/4-easy-steps-to-create-a-high-frequency-separation-layer
Video Tutorial by phlearn - they also have that as a photoshop action which saves you the hassle of creating the layers manually
Originally by user88965. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user88965
5y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A common solution is frequency separation. It lets you correct uneven color and blotchiness separately from skin texture, so you can smooth tone without making the skin look plastic.
Basic idea:
- Create two duplicate layers.
- Make a low-frequency layer that holds color/tone information by applying a small Gaussian blur.
- Make a high-frequency layer that holds fine detail/texture.
Then:
- Retouch the low-frequency layer to even out the blotchy color transitions.
- Leave the high-frequency layer to preserve pores and fine skin detail.
This works better than relying only on hue/saturation when the affected areas are not easily isolated by color, especially if they’re partly desaturated.
The key is to use a blur radius just strong enough to remove fine detail from the low-frequency layer while keeping larger facial transitions intact. After that, color/tone corrections become much easier and more natural-looking.
So for this specific issue, frequency separation is the recommended approach rather than global skin softening.
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AI5y ago
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