Master of Portrait Retouching 101 in Adobe Photoshop

Open the image as a 16-bit smart object in Photoshop, adjust exposure to reveal texture, and clean blemishes with clone stamp and healing brush for Instagram-ready retouching.

Master dodge and burn in Photoshop using curves, adjustment layers, and a 50% gray helper layer to brighten dark areas, darken bright areas, and apply frequency separation, preserving skin texture.

Master the proper frequency separation workflow in Photoshop, comparing 8-bit, 16-bit, and raw image processing, using low and high frequency layers as taught by professionals.

Master high frequency separation and clone stamp techniques in Photoshop to remove blemishes, preserve texture, and create flawless skin using dodging, burning, and colorizing for advertising imagery.

Learn to apply low frequency separation with the mixer brush in portrait retouching. Separate color from texture on two layers and smooth tones using curves and a helper layer.

Select the lip color, paint and blend inside and outside with alt-click and feathered selections, then refine texture and shadow using frequency separation, dodge and burn, and clone stamp.

Create a new layer and apply the liquify filter to adjust lips, nose, face shape, and eyes, using the face tool and forward warp to refine the expression and contour.

Master portrait retouching in Adobe Photoshop by learning to create and draw teeth with layered masking, warping, color adjustments, and soft detailing for natural, seamless results.

Learn to draw eyes in Photoshop by building layered corrections, using curve adjustments, selection and smudge techniques, and applying gaussian blur and masking for realism.

Copy the left eye to the right and adjust it using duplicate layers, masking, and painting to restore highlights, brighten, darken, and blur edges for seamless eyes.

Learn to clean and change eye color in Adobe Photoshop by using healing brush, layers, soft light, masking, and hue adjustments to achieve natural blue tones.

Fix and draw eyelashes on a new layer using pen pressure brush settings, following the lash lines to make the eyes pop.

Learn to clean up portrait hair with the pen tool on a new layer, refine edges with feathering, and match textures with the clone stamp for a professional retouch.

Create and save a hair brush preset in Photoshop by adjusting brush tip shape, dynamics, and spacing, then define the preset for easy hair drawing.

Master realistic hair in Photoshop by painting with brushes, applying highlights, layering, and masking to create natural strands for beginner-friendly retouching.

Group layers, create a new layer, zoom in, and use spot healing and healing brushes to clean up hair lines, texture, and create a natural, perfect curve in Photoshop.

Learn to draw eyebrows in portrait retouching by creating a dedicated eyebrow layer, painting with a fine brush, and refining with masks for natural, gradual curves.

Colorize the hair with hue/saturation and colorize enabled, adjust saturation to bluish tones, then paint over the hair using a brush in multiply mode to add depth while preserving whites.

Colorize the neck quickly with a color balance adjustment layer, then refine edges with precise brush masking and hair color matching for a natural finish.

Color the face with hue and saturation adjustments, colorizing lips, eyebrows, and hair for natural pop, then refine with curves and a radial gradient.

Learn to change lip color for advertising by selecting lips with the pen tool, applying a solid color layer in soft light, and refining with feathered masks and brush tweaks.

Learn how to change eye color in Photoshop using a hue/saturation adjustment layer, masks, and brushes, adjusting opacity and multiply blend to make eyes pop while refining makeup.

Learn to finalize a portrait by general colorizing, sharpening, cropping, and makeup layering in Photoshop, including selective color adjustments, highlights, and precise brushing to enhance skin tone, lips, and hair.

Apply precise sharpening in Photoshop by creating a smart filter workflow with Camera Raw texture and clarity adjustments, then refine with selective masking on eyes, lashes, lips, and hair.

Crop portrait to square or four by five, align with the rule of thirds, boost vibrance and subtle saturation, then export as jpeg in srgb for Instagram.