Removing pores and smooth skin

[CarlRetoucher]

Hi,

Could someone give me some advice on how to remove the pores around this ladies eye, I've tried dodge and burn but struggling to get the right look.

Thanks

Carl.

[mistermonday]

Dodge and burn is really the best approach for this. D&B is pretty straight forward so why don't you post your attempt and other members will be able to provide feedback and suggest how to improve.
Regards, Murray

[CarlRetoucher]

Hi,

thanks for the reply, Ive actually found a tutorial on here i that i'm using to help.

http://www.youtube.com/user/jonaswtu...16/RM0byiIcTJ0

[CarlRetoucher]

Hi,

I'm still struggling to do D&B effectively, the skin is so bad and dry that I'm finding it hard to get the smooth skin around the eye. The image is very detailed and so this attached image at low-res does really show that.

If someone could give me some advice how to D&B this, id be very grateful or guide me in the direction of a tutorial to tackle bad skin like this?

Thanks

Carl

[mistermonday]

Carl, there are 4 or 5 major methods of doing D&B. Which one are you using and which part of the process is giving you the trouble?
If you aiming for a high end retouching job on this image, then you will need to do a D&B at the pixel level with a small brush and it will be a lot of work, and that's normal.
If you are looking to use one of the "blurring / skin softening / de-grunge / inverted high pass" techniques, the work will go much faster but result may not be acceptable for certain end usage.
I find this image work very well using separate adjustment curve layers, one for dodge and one for burn. Its just a lot of tedious work.
Regards, Murray

[pellepiano]

Didnt know if you wanted them completely removed, but I had a fast go, replacing some of them, with the healing Brush, using skin from nearby areas, and also some D&B and a slight color change,

[marex]

I have used only lighten and darken, and 7% flow

[Lou R]

I'm wondering why anyone would dodge and burn to smooth this skin. I would start with cloning at about 50% opacity and set the mode on "lighten". I would then use the Blur tool also set on "lighten". And I always keep my brush soft so that no visible edges show.

[Starliteny]

I did this using Gimp. I used the smudge brush, and a little bit of soft light.

[gho64]

Thank You for the suggestions.

Hersul

[micireland]

This is my final result.. If you like I'll tell you my method step by step..
http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/mem...-smothing.html

[kav]

Originally Posted by Starliteny

I did this using Gimp. I used the smudge brush, and a little bit of soft light.

Nooooo.... I just died a little inside .

Originally Posted by marex

I have used only lighten and darken, and 7% flow

Bleck guys be gentle .

Originally Posted by CarlRetoucher

Hi,

Could someone give me some advice on how to remove the pores around this ladies eye, I've tried dodge and burn but struggling to get the right look.

Thanks

Carl.

This isn't bad skin at all. It just needs a little refinement. If you're having too much trouble try lowering the sharpening or any contrast adjustment to your raw file so that it's a bit softer. If you remove too much, it looks weird. The examples posted should demonstrate that. Here's a real suggestion. when it comes to test dodge /burn methods you do need to test them until you get a feel for them. Try it out on some skin and make sure you can blend it without the detail/skin going flat. If it goes too flat or looks painted over, that's bad. I vary how I work a bit depending on the response, but it's mostly curves for the primary work. I make sure that the brush settings are low enough that that I paint over the image in a natural manner. If they're too harsh, a lot of details will be overpainted quickly. For really small areas you're going to find yourself using a harder brush. One brush won't cover everything. You will need to learn to adjust.

Drawing techniques and practices that work well by hand carry over into photoshop. Drawing with a really scratchy stroke looks terrible on paper and achieves a similar effect in photoshop. You want it to be smooth and deliberate. Since this is detail work you must be sure that you're capable of doing it. Open a blank document and see if you can do nice fluid straight lines and curves. If you can't do that much, you're going to experience endless frustration with this stuff, and it doesn't matter if you're using a mouse, small tablet, large tablet, etc. What matters is that you can pick up the tool and use it to that level of accuracy. I usually start with the larger softer passes and gradually go smaller to get the finest details. They may look like lines there, but they do have shape and attenuation. You must pay attention to this.

Okay I've written enough here. Also the youtube video is a prime example of what to avoid :P.

[gho64]

Hi,

You did not include the URL of the youtube Video

Thank You,
Hersul

[kav]

It's higher up in the thread. The OP linked it in a later post, and it looks horrible. Everything about it is just bad and generic. The reality is that doing work at the same level of all the photographers and assistants out there (like what is shown on youtube there) does not bring in or maintain decent work.

[cspringer]

I used my SkinFix and Wrinkle/Blemish actions. My skinfix action use to be just a HighPass filter until byRo had me add a gaussian blur which knocked it up a few levels (thanks again!). The Wrinkle/blemish action uses the Polaroid Dust and Scratch Remover. I also used my PWL II acton to tone down dark areas.

I don't have a problem with your original image and I think my third one is a bit overdone even though many take it much further.

You can download them here.

http://photocamel.com/forum/image-ed...t-actions.html

[qpixo]

To me, I wouldn't bother to remove skin pore and try to keep as realistic as possible. Like a picture has not been retouched but would only applied slit frequency. But I guess it's just a personal taste.

I noticed a few retouched pictures, they do too much retouch, smooth skin out, blurry and it losts depth...