A Beginner's Workflow for Retouching Skin in Photoshop

Knowing how to light, pose, and shoot a portrait is only half of what it takes to make a compelling final image. You also need to have strong post-processing skills. If you are new to portrait photography and wondering how to go about editing your images, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you an effective and straightforward workflow for creating polished results using Photoshop. 

Coming to you from Nathaniel Dodson of tutvid, this great video tutorial will show you the ins and outs of editing a portrait in Photoshop, including using the Healing Brush tool, color correction, and dodging and burning. If you are new to retouching, remember that it is easy to go overboard and end up with an overly artificial result. Generally, the best thing you can do is continually check in on the progress of your work to avoid getting a case of tunnel vision. To do this, try to make a habit of zooming out every few minutes and using the before and after function in Photoshop to see how far you are going with your edit. This will help you keep a better sense of the right amount of retouching. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Dodson. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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