skin glow - METHODS

[blaskica]

Hi!

While I was doing my retouch, I was trying to find ways to add some natural glow to the skin. I was familiar with the - Select - Color range - Fill with white method but I wasn't getting the results I was looking for. So I was experimenting and the results I came up with were great so I wanted to share it with this fine community.

First I have to say that this method may already exist and everybody knows it so if you do please neglect this post and me.

After finished skin retouch put - New Adjustment Layer - Black&white. Set the reds and yellows closer to black and put the adjustment layer to Linear light. It should look similar to the example. Fill the mask with black and take large white brush (10% opacity) and paint the areas you want to have glow. The effect can range from bronze to white glow and it can enhance the make up, it depends on your taste. Hope you like it. Do you have some other way to get skin glow? Please share.

PS. Photo by Jazs
1. before
2. after
3. adjustment layer example

[TommyO]

Blaskica,
I like the results and it should be a good non-destructive means of enhancing light and dark areas. Thinking about it in very general terms, that is what is should do - lighten and darken at once. Linear Light combines both Linear Burn and Linear Dodge, lightening pixels with more than 50% lightness and darkening those with less than 50% lightness. This would be similar to having two separate adjustment layers, only with a bit less control. Linear Light has always been part of the "contrast" group, since that is what it seems to enhance.

Good work as always and glad you are posting some of your experiments also !

[blaskica]

Thanks Tommy.
I have to say that even though I am new to retouching and really only have a few examples to show, my taste keeps changing. When I look back at my own work I find that I better like simpler changes I made than the exaggerated ones (even though I was thrilled with them in the beginning). I realized it is because I used more non destructive methods and I "ironed" less pores. I especially appreciate the work of Cris Tarantino and I want to be able to do "natural skin looking" glamor retouches like he does. So that is why I always try to find new ways to enhance my retouches without the plastic fantastic look in the end.

And I really want to know the way Photoshop works, not only the results it gives. I want to understand in example the differences between layer blending modes like you. That is the way, I believe, to really become a master at what you do.

[sidhebeauty]

I do something similar. Use a channel mixer adjustment layer at monochrome using mostly blue channel. Set layer to either soft light, overlay or linear light depending on the degree of change I'm trying to make. Since the adjustment layer already includes a mask, just invert and paint in white to add the effect.

[m@ndy]

I can't remember where I got this method from, but reading from the action:

Copy paste red channel onto a new layer.

Diffuse Glow>Grain 3, glow 6, clear 10.

Gaussian blur 4.9%

Duplicate twice.

top layer - soft light, 70% opacity
middle layer - lighten, 40% opacity
bottom layer - darken, 60% opacity

I collapse them into a group and mask finer details like eyes etc.

cheers Mandy

[gmitchel]

I have a free tutorial that describes how to give portrait subjects a glow.

http://www.thelightsright.com/GivingYourPhotosAGlow

Enjoy!

Cheers,

Mitch

[L33t]

I like Mandy also but too much light, it looks like the picture is overexposed.

[ayie666]

I think you did a great job on that photographs. It's look so natural in full view. (im referring to 2nd photograph). But i have few problem when i looked in small size, and yes, it's looks lil'bit overexpose or overdone of retouching (im still referring to 2nd photograph)

[aus]

Very nice result Blaskica, skin and skin texture looks really nice and natural to me.

[m@ndy]

Mitch - excellent tip with the blend if sliders and I like summary at the end.

I think there is too much newbie pp on my example, but I'm hoping the process still might be of use to others with better skills.

cheers Mandy