Introduction:

Editing portraits can be tricky, especially when it comes to dealing with skin imperfections. One common issue is greasy or shiny skin, which can detract from an otherwise perfect shot.

Fortunately, Adobe Photoshop offers tools that can help you tackle this problem head-on. In this blog post, we'll walk you through a simple yet effective method to remove greasy skin in Photoshop, as demonstrated in a helpful YouTube tutorial by me (Chris Curry).

Step-by-Step Guide:

Step 1: Prepare Your Image Before you begin, make sure your image is loaded into Photoshop. Create a duplicate layer of your original image to preserve the original. This will be the layer you work on, allowing you to compare your edits with the original image later.

Step 2: Select the Brush Tool Select a soft brush from the brush tool options. For this technique, a brush size of about 400 pixels is ideal, with an opacity set to around 50%. This setting ensures that the edits blend smoothly with the rest of the skin.

Step 3: Sample a Neutral Skin Tone Using the eyedropper tool, sample a colour that is close to the greasy area but not affected by the shine.

This colour will be used to paint over the shiny areas and should be a neutral skin tone to blend naturally.

Step 4: Create a new layer above your duplicated image layer. This is where you will paint the sampled skin tone over the greasy areas.

Step 5: Paint Over the Greasy Skin With the new layer selected, use the brush tool to gently paint over the shiny areas. Be sure to regularly sample nearby skin tones to keep the colour consistent and natural-looking.

Step 6: Adjust the Blend Mode Change the blend mode of your painted layer to 'Colour'. This allows the skin tone you've painted to blend with the luminance values of the skin, removing the shine while keeping the natural skin texture.

Step 7: Fine-tune Your Edits If necessary, adjust the opacity of your painted layer to ensure that the skin looks natural. You may also want to revisit certain areas with the brush tool for a more even skin tone.

Conclusion: With just a few steps and the powerful tools available in Photoshop, you can easily remove greasy or shiny skin from your portraits. This technique is quick, non-destructive, and can significantly improve the appearance of the skin in your photos without making it look overly processed. Remember to always work on a new layer to preserve the original image, allowing for more flexibility in your editing process.

For a visual guide and more detailed instructions, be sure to watch the full tutorial by Chris Curry on YouTube. Happy editing!