I'm Back plus ::Quick Fix Monday::

Helloooo! Thanks to everyone for your thoughtful comments. It really meant a lot to me. I have a quote that is included in one of my most favorite kits...the Promise of Tomorrow.

That is so true. Going through some trying times is a part of life. Some people's trials are more challenging than others but the one thing that everyone gets to have during these times is an opportunity...an opportunity to grow and an opportunity to learn things about yourself. Sometimes you learn that you have more strength than you thought you originally had. Sometimes you learn that you have courage to deal with it all, even if it is the little voice at the end of the day. Tomorrow always comes and tomorrow is always another opportunity.

It's Monday and I realize it's been some time since I last did my "quick fix" post so without further ado, here it is...


This is another quick fix that I didn't come up myself, but learned in a photo forum...so please don't give me the credit.

Skin in portraits can really stand out, and sometimes in an unflattering way. When doing close-ups of the individual, you tend to capture, well, a close-up of their skin. This can detract from the features you are trying to enhance. Try this quick-fix to lightly (or dramatically) smooth out the skin of your subject.

Here's the photo I worked with...the before.

Step 1:
If your photo is a jpeg, it will be flattened and be labeled as Background. Just double-click that layer and a window will pop up asking you to name the layer. Name it and click OK. Duplicate the layer of the photo by either clicking layer>duplicate layer, OR dragging the layer to the little button on the layer palette that looks like paper folded at the corner.


Step 2:
Once you have your duplicate layers, add a smart blur to the TOP layer (the copied layer) by going to Filter>Blur>Smart Blur.
This will open a box that will ask you to adjust the radius and threshold. I set it all as the following: Radius: 27%, threshold: 25%, Quality: low and Mode: Normal. Then click OK.

This is going to make your image look REAALLLY blurry. It's OK!! :) It only did this to the TOP layer.

Step 3:
Now you need to "hide" that blurred layer so that we can "paint back" in what we want. Do this by going to layer>layer mask>hide all.

Make sure your color foreground is set to white). Using a soft brush with a low opacity (about 25%) start painting in the blur of that top layer. What you are really doing is un-hiding the mask that you put on before, but now you can only blur the places you WANT un-blurred. I am careful to only blur the areas that really need it it, such as under the eyes, forehead, and anywhere the subject has noticeable, deep pores.


You want to make sure you don't get too crazy...the subject should still have their natural laugh lines, dimples and other features that make them unique. Just use your best judgement. If you feel like you have added too much blur, adjust the opacity of that top layer.

On the final image, I boosted the eyes a bit and the curves level and then I burned the edges a bit. I also cloned out a few of the blemishes...only the ones that detracted from the subject's face.

and again, the before (to compare):

And that's IT!! Flatten the layers and do your other editing. Feel free to ask any clarifying questions below. I've had the request to create PDF documents for these fix-its, and I REALLY wish I had the time. Maybe sometime this summer I can, once school is over, but for now this is all I can do.

Enjoy!! :)
Leora