Photo retouching tips in Photoshop [2021]

A Simple retouching in Photoshop can make a big difference to an image. Is that this program, as mentioned by its name “photo workshop” (in its translation), It is an excellent ally for photography that you can take advantage of. Follow this article and you will learn some tips to achieve an incredible photo retouch.

If you already have basic knowledge, with these tips you will know how to put them into practice when performing a photo retouching, but you will also learn to select a good photo, to improve the quality of an image in Photoshop and to recognize the differences There are different image file formats with which you can save your final result.

In case you still don’t know about this software, we recommend that you also follow our Adobe Photoshop CC online course from scratch, where you will not only learn about how enhance photos in Photoshop, also to use all its tools and functions. It will be an excellentI complement you for your learning!

Index

1. Select good images to retouch in Photoshop
2. Learn how to improve the quality of a photo in Photoshop
3. Know the best tips of Photo retouching

Photo: Szabo Viktor (Unplash)

They say Photoshop works wonders, but it doesn’t work miracles either. There are very bad photographs that will not work for a retouch. In this part, you will learn how to choose a good image and it will prevent you from wasting your time making changes that will not look good in the end.

Whether you are the one who captures the photos or someone else, you should not forget to verify that your selections for photo retouching in Photoshop have:

✅ A correct exposition: An error would be that your photo is underexposed and overexposed, that is, that it is too dark or too light and that it is very difficult to rescue the luminosity and shadows if they are desired.

Photo: Pinterest.

✅ An ideal size: Find that the size of your photograph is adequate for the medium to which it is going to be directed. For example, will it be an impression or a publication in networks? Check the sizes of the medium and if it has an original size very different from the one you want, it is advisable to look for another photograph because it can be distorted.

✅ A good resolution: For this point it is also necessary that the photograph has an ideal size, but in addition to that, it is sought that the dpi (dots per inch) is adequate. The ideal amount is 300ppAlthough typing this sum into the image properties will likely make the file heavier.

Also remember that there are online photo banks where you can find an option. These generally have a good resolution and are free. The best known are Freepik, Pexels, Pixabay and Unplash.

Photo: Tony Lee (Unplash)

There are times when you cannot choose between several images and you only have to work on the one you have. In this case, I teach youHow to improve the quality of a pixelated image in Photoshop or simply remove noise from your photography.

In the case of the pixelated image, you can follow this process:

✔️ Open your photo or image in Photoshop by selecting the “File” menu and choosing “Open.”

✔️ Duplicate the “Background” layer and drag it from the “Layers” panel to “Create new layer”. You can find the new layer at the top.

✔️ Open the blending options in the layers panel and choose the “Lightness” alternative.

✔️ Open the “Filter” menu, and select “Noise” and “Remove Spots.” This will blur the edges of the image. In case you want the blur to be smoothed, go to the “Edit” menu and select “Fade to remove spots”. Next, choose the amount of stain removal to remove by entering a value in the “Opacity” box. The higher the frame number, the closer the image is to returning to its original state.

✔️With the background layer selected, choose the option “Filter” and choose “Blur” and followed, “Guassian blur”. Preferably blur below 2.

✔️ Finally, Open the “Image” menu, select “Adjustments” and then “Brightness / Contrast”. Move the contrast to the left between +10 and +20 to increase the contrast of the other layer and enhance the sharpness of the blur.

Ready! Your photography will have a much cleaner appearance and you will have learned how to improve the quality of an image in Photoshop in few steps. You can also achieve a similar effect by removing noise. Follow the video below to achieve it.

Put your ideas to the test with our online course on Creative Digital Retouching in Adobe Photoshop!

Photo: Tim Mossholder (Unplash)

The time has come to do the retouching photos in Photoshop! Must keep in mind that the best adjustments you can make are the least obvious, which add incredible changes to the color, luminosity, definition, texture and more, but that you will be able to recognize them when you see the original image again and say what a difference!

Whether your motivation is to give more beauty to a face or correct the colors of a location, these tips are super practical and versatile forTo retouch photos in Photoshop of any kind. We recommend that you open the program and have an example photograph that meets the criteria of the previous point. You can also choose to save this article for when you need it.

Perform a color and light treatment

The first thing when making any photographic retouching, are the color and light modifications, since this will make it easier for you and the program to carry out the following steps.tips.

First, consider adjusting the white balance. If you have a RAW image, you can do it automatically. If not, you must do it manually in the “Filters” window, within the “RAW camera filter” option, in the black and white sliders. Near these options, you will also be able to modify other aspects of color and luminosity, and have a preview aside without making an automatic change.

On the other hand, if you are a photography fanatic, you probably already know that the most important light is the one you place at the same time you capture the image. To do this, you can modify the “Exposure level curve” in which you can regulate the lighting, brightness and contrast. You can find it in “Settings” within the “Image” window.

Finally, if you want to touch up the color, there are many ways to choose. First, you can start to regulate saturation and intensity, which are usually very present or absent within photographs and which you can find in the “Filters” window, within the “RAW camera filter” option. Within this same window, you can go to the HSL / Grayscale window and play with the colors according to what you need. There are also more options like this in “Settings” within the “Image” window.

Get movement in your photography

Do you have a photo of a vehicle, motorcycle or someone running and want it to be seen in motion? Play this short tutorial and learn how to make it very simple! ⬇️

Remove extra items

This will be a small change to those annoying elements that are left over within the image, such as disheveled hair and stains. Follow these points to clean up your photo:

✔️ With your photo’s layer selected, choose the “Spot Corrector” brush tool and press inside the areas with extra elements.

✔️ If you want to remove stains on a more complex surface and with a more subtle effect, apply the “Concealer” brush tool.

This process seems very quick and easy, but it takes a long time if you want to pay attention to detail and get a much more natural result. Also, we suggest you do all the zoom that is necessary on the photograph so as not to miss anything in your process.

Improves the appearance of the skin

When it comes to skin and photo retouching, there is so much that can be done in many ways. There are imperfections that can be smoothed out or completely eliminated, but you need to be able to recognize which ones your photo has. That is why we want to leave you the tutorial of 3 incredible techniques to improve the appearance of the skin in Photoshop:

✔️ Reduces spots and textures

Apply the “Dodge and Burn” to enhance a photo in Photoshop is Raise the retouching to a very professional level, achieving a transformation in the skin little by little, through the transition from light to shadow.

✔️ Modify the tone

The skin in all its tones is wonderful. However, due to light effects, it is often modified. You can recover its original tone or change it for another by following this tutorial. ⬇️

✔️ Correct wrinkles

Follow the “High End” retouching technique, recognized within beauty photography to achieve wrinkle correction through frequency separation.

Highlight details for realism

Have you seen those photographs of older adults in which wrinkles are noticeable in detail? Well, this type of retouching seeks to accentuate imperfections to give it a more authentic appearance. It would be the opposite of the previous point, which gave ideas to soften and hide. You can accentuate the details of your photograph with the following steps:

✔️ Select the photo and go to the “Image” window to select “Adjustments” and then choose “Hue / saturation”. We recommend lowering the saturation in case the photography needs it, as the grayish tones give it a very interesting touch.

✔️ Dduplicate the photo layer and put a “High Pass” filter on it, choosing the pixels you prefer and taking into account the original resolution.

✔️ Put the same layer in the “Multiply” blending mode.

✔️ In case the “Paso Alto” retouch is too high, lower the opacity of the layer according to your preference.

In a few minutes, you will haveI know how to improve a photo in Photoshop by highlighting the imperfect and making the person, place or thing look very realistic.

Once you have achieved the final result of your photography and have you learned how to enhance an image in Photoshop, it’s time to save it with the ideal file type. Choose from preference between JPEG and PNG if you want it for a digital format, as well as PDF if you want to take it to print.

We are almost to the end! But first, it is worth remembering that in addition to Photoshop, there is a great Adobe program that you have surely heard and that could become a great complement to become an expert in photo retouching. Is about Lightroom and is excellent for image management and file development.

Photoshop is a super program with which you can do even more, since you have multiple tools and ways to achieve the same result. The best thing you can do is keep exploring day by day, perfecting your touch-ups and discovering everything you can do with this software, as digital painting, 3D illustrations, web design and much more.

Do you want to perfect your digital retouching and learn about composition in Photoshop? Get to know our online course