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Once again, I'm coming to ask questions. And hopefully, once again, you PS elites will help!
I'm trying to figure out how to get that really touched-up look that a lot of models use. It makes their skin look perfect and bright. For example, Playboy magazine has a lot of touched-up photos to where you can't see any imperfections. Mac and Bumble is another prime example.
Any thoughts? I took some pictures (not nude!) of my girlfriend recently and want to do this for her for fun. Any thoughts? I also see this 'touched-up' technique used on popular fashion magazine covers.
Playboy magazine has a lot of touched-up photos to where you can't see any imperfections
I thought they used tons of that sex make-up stuff! And then they'd rub it all over eachother
Well, the patch tool is one thing that could help the process.
I would play around with more make-up and such, but I really have no idea how to apply makeup or even do lighting... I do know how to diffuse light though, but that's very basic.
About the Patch Tool, i'm not familiar, can you please give me a quick hand at how to use it? Many thanks to you in advance!
A good book that deals with photographs I would recommend (I use this for teaching my retouching class)...
Photoshop Restoration & Retouching by Katrin Eismann
Good material about all sorts of venues in retouching and photography, as well as some sections devoted directly to what you're talking about "digital make-up".
Something that will be your friend in digital makeup more than anything, IMHO, are blending modes. Learn everything you can about blending modes and learn how to control them to their best effect. Learn how to combine multiple blending modes to take advantage of each ones strengths and weaknesses. With photo retouching in photoshop, it's very easy to make the image LOOK photoshoped because it's too perfect or patterns repeat... learning how to tone down the computer look of what you are doing will go along way into making things look natural. Blending modes are a BIG step in that direction.
If you get really stuck, maybe post a sample and explaination of what you are trying to do and even how far you've managed to get so you can address specific questions.
I'd like to caution anyone about over processing facial skin. Most other skin areas can usually be safely effected without too much harm (if it's not an extreme close-up photo), but the face needs to have it's details retained. Smoothing out skin texture does not mean removing all trace of the person's "character" lines.
If you do that, you may as well pretend you're creating an artificial lifeform, because that's what it'll end up looking like.
This source photo shows the difference between using my previously mentioned (and much preferred) "Anisotropic filter" technique, and the (older) gBlurring method. I think you'll see a definate difference in the results.
NOTE: The reason why i say "older" here is because the 'Anisotropic' filter is new to PS7 only. FILTER>DIFFUSE>Anisotropic...
The attached image should explain it all.
The exact same layer mask was used for both examples.
Only a slight 3px gBlur was used, but that was enough to completely destroy any 'natural' character in the woman's facial features. But using the new PS7 specific "Anisotropic" filter creates a much more controlled results, with a better overall effect.
High priority should always be paid to maintaining small details such as stray hairs, laugh lines, cheek folds, edge lines, etc... take those away, and you're left with a very synthetic, over-processed looking face.
Keep in mind... we're only trying to smooth out skin texture... not make the person look like a totally different person.
Dammit!! Now you've got me paranoid that there are new features I've missed. I didn't even know that option was in there. I rarely use diffuse because the old diffuse wasn't much use except for special effects in my experience. Finally works like I expect it to. Geez. I hate it when you do this stuff... now I'll be busy tweaking away at features for the next week. hahaha.
Nice stuff... looks like there is pixel tone shift like in a gBlur but no tone bleeding going on like a gBlur would do. So you maintain your main contrast tones but ditch your noise contrast. Cool.
Mark
That was a great example. I read how you did it but would it be possible for you to creat a tute on this, it would help some of us that are not as experienced as others. It would give us something to practice with and a guide.
Good info here everyone! And a great example, Mark, showing g-blur and the "anisotropic filter". [righton] Time to get busy and experiment with that one again!
The "touched-up" model look 
And hopefully, once again, you PS elites will help! 
Linear Mode
