Imperfections will always be there on every single image, no matter how well you photograph it. That’s why you need to know how to retouch image in Photoshop to make your images more professional-looking, ready to be publicized. With only several steps, you too can start retouching images using Photoshop.
Open the RAW Image
For retouching, you should start with choosing the RAW file of the image that you wish to edit. With a RAW file, you are guaranteed to produce the highest quality of result and you can easily find any flaw that wouldn’t be visible in the JPEG format.
The steps on how to retouch image in Photoshop are actually rather simple, especially when you choose the most appropriate RAW image. You can customize the contrast, exposure, color, sharpness, and many aspects of the image. Just make sure that you pick the best images before you start. Remember, editing is key, but even editing can’t turn a “bad” image into a “good” image.
Check the Composition
In how to retouch image in Photoshop, you should re-consider the composition of your image. Perhaps the product is not centered as you’d like it to be, or maybe there are items that, after inspections, you no longer want to be showcased anymore.
If you wish to edit the composition of the image, the right thing to do is cropping the image. It’s important to do this before you dig further on how to retouch image in Photoshop, so you won’t be wasting your time on tweaking the part of image that you will have to crop out anyway. To crop an image, remember not to crop right at the joints to avoid the illusion of amputation.
Play Around with W/B and Contrast
The image that you’ve captured most of the times looks unbalanced, too yellow, or too blue-ish. You can fix this issue by learning how to retouch image in Photoshop. In Photoshop, as you upload the RAW file of an image, the program will launch Adobe Camera RAW (ACR) which will help you to adjust the many aspects of an image.
You will see numerous sliders that you can customize to your liking, one of which is the white and black balance. The program can immediately do auto retouching, but you can still customize it accordingly.
The same goes for contrast. It’s a bit more tricky as the more contrast you put, the more reddish the colors will turn. But adding less contrast will make the image look dull. Try to achieve the most natural looking colors that resemble closely to the real-life photo object.
Sharpening the Eyes
The sharpening step is the make-or-break moment on how to retouch image in Photoshop. You should start by sharpening the eyes, then moving on to the skin. First, duplicate the background layer and right click it to convert it into a smart object. Afterwards, you can add filter by clicking Filter > Sharpen > Smart Sharpening. Now, you can adjust it to your liking, making the irises to be clearer. Don’t forget to lower a little bit of the noise.
Then, you can click the white square icon and click Edit > Image > Invert to only apply the filter on the eye area specifically. The square will go black and it’s time for you to pick the brush and paint it to the eye area, and the filter will be applied.
Read also: The Best Image Editing Softwares to Use for Newbie
Clean Any Blemishes
As for the skin, you have to zoom in the image in order to find any blemishes on the skin. To make these blemishes disappear, choose the Spot Healing Brush in the toolbox. Adjust the size of the brush, then click the Content-Aware on the Options bar. Now, you can paint the blemish away with the brush, from wrinkles, acne, dark spots, and even stray hairs.
Retouching images in Photoshop takes special skill sets. You may not succeed in your trial, but the surefire way to retouch your image in Photoshop is by using the image retouching services done by professionals, enhancing your image and making it higher in quality.
