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Are you wondering how to get creamy newborn skin and edit baby images in Photoshop? It all starts in camera with proper lighting. Nice, diffused, even lighting will help even out skin tones. Many babies have red or yellow coloring and bumpy or textured skin.
There are a few tricks you can do in Photoshop to help even texture and tones for a creamy newborn skin.
Step 1: Duplicated the background layer and then use the Patch Tool in between the eyes and left eyelid to smooth the skin. Adjusted the layer opacity to taste.
Step 2: Used the Lasso Tool to select her hands, set a light feather 1st so there is in a jump in toning. Then used a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer. For this image, Hue to +4 and the Saturation to -5. She still looked red all over. In a second Hue and Saturation adjustment layer, this time all over rather than just on the hands, set the Hue to +2 and Saturation to -3. This will vary based on the image and color issues.
Step 3: Next, used MCP’s Magic Skin Action set – specifically the Powder Your Nose skin smoothing Photoshop action which is great for newborns and set the opacity to 50%. Brushed all over her face except lips, eyelashes and hair.
Step 4: Flatten Image. Made a duplicate layer and chose MULTIPLY as my blending mode. I set the opacity to 29%.
Step 5: Made another new layer and chose SCREEN as my blending mode and set the opacity to 50%. Amounts will vary based on your image.
Step 6: Added a layer mask to the SCREEN layer and used a black brush on the green blanket to darken it back. The mask icon is the tiny circle in a square at the bottom of the layer’s palette.
Step 7: Next, used MCP’s Crackle – a Photoshop action to add mid-tone contrast in the Quickie Collection.
Step 8: Lastly, used MCP’s Free Magic Dark action at 17% opacity and darkened the edges.
Katie Hardy is the owner of Katie O Hardy Photography located in Augusta, Georgia. She specializes in studio and natural light photography. Her work is described as clean and simple.
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Love it. Keep the tips coming!
Very nice — love the tips!
Will that work on teens and really anyone’s skin you want to soften?
Sure will Dave! Just adjust that opacity layer to your taste! Thanks for reading!
Great info and great job Katie. Way to represent Augusta!!
This is great, Thank You. The patch tool is one I need to make more use of.
Thank you for the detail. I’m beginning in digital and now in editing which seems quite overwhelming. Your site is definitely helping me in both areas.
Thank you for this tip….I have been waiting for something like this for a while…I love your powder your nose on ALL of my subjects…it is the one I use the MOST on PSE8! It is AWESOME!!! Thank you for all that you do and thank you sooooo much for sharing your little tricks!
awww Paula! I need a love button on here! That made me feel so good…everyone’s comments DO! xoxo
Thanks so much for sharing this!
Such a cute post it is. I really liked the piece of information you shared. This is something very helpful for creamy skin. Photoshop retouching is best for this thing. Photoshop got many tools and techniques for giving the creamy texture of a skin.