Basic retouch and colorization

This tutorial will show you how to do a basic retouch, change the colorcast of an image and colorize
some of its elements.

Step 1. We will use this Naomi Watts image:

Duplicate the layer then go to Filter -> Noise -> Median...and enter a value of around 3 pixels.
Then go to Filter -> Blur -> Gaussian Blur... and enter 5 pixels.

Step 2. Add a layer mask (by pressing the third button on the lower part of the Layers Palette) to the
layer you have just blurred and fill it with black. Then pick a soft, medium sized brush and start
painting with white on the layer mask. Make sure you avoid any lines on the face; use it only on the
skin, to get a smooth, professional effect. Vary the brush size and opacity depending on the area.
Avoid blurring the eyes, lips or hair.
After you finish this step, you should get something like this:

Step 3. Add a Curves adjustment layer with the following settings:

Step 4. Add a Selective Color adjustment layer with the following settings then fill its mask with
black.
Reds: -55 0 0 0
Neutrals: -20 +15 40 +5
Now paint with white over the lips and you will notice theyll turn a light pink. Make sure you follow
the edges of the lips properly.

Step 5. Add another Selective Color adjustment layer with these settings:
Yellows: -100 0 0 0
Whites: 0 0 0 25
Neutrals: +20 10 50 +8
Fill its mask with black and carefully paint with white over the eyes.
Step 6. Go to Layer -> Flatten Image, then to Filter -> Sharpen -> Smart Sharpen... and use
the following settings:

Finally, go to Image -> Canvas Size and choose black as a color, 40 pixels for both Width and
Height to add a stylish outer border.
The final result:

Posted by Anja Emerson Labels: Tutorials