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Frequency separation allows you to work independently on the two layers you created. When you want to change details in the skin’s texture like wrinkles, or pores, retouch on the “Texture” layer. When you want to remove redness or lighten shadows, retouch on the “Shadows & Color” layer.
I tend to make most changes on the Shadows & Color layer.
Let’s now apply some common retouching adjustments to the separate layers.
Adding Smoothness
Rough or porous skin will smooth out by adding blur to the area.
On the Shadows & Color layer, use the lasso tool to circle the area you want to smooth.
Feather the edges of the circle by changing the number in the Feather box in the Lasso toolbar. Somewhere between 30 and 50px should be enough.
You’ll be better able to see the feathering effects by clicking “Q”. This opens the Quick Mask Tool. Click the Q key again to turn the mask off.
Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Select how much blur you want by changing the radius. Somewhere between 10 and 20px is probably good, but go higher if you need to. Because you’re working on the Shadows & Color layer, the area won’t completely blur. The texture from the high-frequency layer will still show through.
Repeat this process to add smoothness to selected areas of the face. You can remove many imperfections with this process.
Reducing Wrinkles
Retouching wrinkles uses a similar procedure. Removing wrinkles entirely often results in a fake look. Our eyes know that something is missing.
On the Shadows & Color layer, use the lasso tool to circle the wrinkled area.
Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur.
Select how much blur you want by changing the radius. Somewhere between 10 and 20px is probably good, but go higher if you need to. Because you’re working on the Shadows & Color layer, the area won’t completely blur. The texture from the high-frequency layer will still show through.
If the wrinkles are deep, I also lighten the shadows in the area.
Select the Dodge tool. I think this tool looks like a lollypop. In the toolbar that appears, select a soft brush. Choose Shadows from the Range box and set your
On the Texture layer, paint over the wrinkle.
You can also use the Blur tool. The icon looks like a water drop. In the toolbar that appears, select a soft brush. Choose Lighten from the Mode options and set your strength to around 10%. On the Texture layer, paint over the wrinkles. Go over the area again to strengthen the effect.
Repeat this process to smooth out wrinkles.
Removing Blemishes
Use the Healing Brush tools on the Texture layer for retouching blemishes. Smoothing skin will remove many, but not all blemishes.
You can also use the Spot Removal tool, but the Healing Brush will give you more control.
In the toolbar that appears, create a soft brush by reducing the hardness to about 70% and the spacing to about 30%. Increase the brush size to cover the blemish. You can easily change the brush size by using the bracket keys. “[” will decrease the size. “]” will increase the size.
Use the Option (ALT on windows) to select a clean area of skin and then click on the blemish to remove it. It’s best to select skin near the blemish.
If you decide to use the Clone Stamp Tool instead of the Healing Brush, sample only the Current Layer.
Repeat this process to remove all blemishes.
Because you’re working on the Texture layer, shadows and color on the face won’t be affected.
Lightening Shadows
To lighten shadows, like those that can appear under the eyes, use the Dodge tool on the Shadows & Color layer.
Select the Dodge tool. In the toolbar that appears, select a soft brush. Choose Shadows from the Range box and set your
Paint lightly over the shadow. Go over the area again to strengthen the effect.
You can also use the Blur tool. The icon looks like a water drop. In the toolbar that appears, select a soft brush. Choose Lighten from the Mode options and set your strength to around 10%. On the Texture layer, paint over the wrinkles. Go over the area again to strengthen the effect.
Repeat this process to lighten dark shadows.
Conclusion
Follow these steps for frequency separation:
- Duplicate background layer twice
- Add Gaussian blur to the bottom layer
- Select top layer
- Open Apply Image dialog box
- Enter bottom layer, subtract blending mode, 2 for scale, and 128 for offset
- Click OK
- Change the blend mode of the top layer to Linear Light
- Use the Healing Brush, Spot Removal, or the Clone Stamp tool to fix blemishes in the high frequencies
- Add blur to smooth skin and use the Dodge tool to lighten shadows in the low frequencies
There are a few different ways you can create this frequency separation technique. We found this to be the fastest and easiest to use.
This process separates the low-frequency information from the high-frequency information.
We add blur to the low frequencies to smooth the skin. Use the Apply Image blend recipe described in the article on the high-frequency layer. You can create an action for the setting up the high-frequency layer. But the blur on the low-frequency layer will be different for each image.
Separating high and low frequencies allows you to retouch shadows and colors separately from skin texture.
Practise the frequency separation process until you know it inside out. This is a very helpful tool for photographers who focus on portrait photography.
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