smoothing fabric?

[amolitor]

All instructions for GIMP, but PS should have similar jazz. I think this is a skin smoothing technique, too. I stole it from someplace.

- retain a plain copy of the base image

- Add a layer with a copy of the base, with a light gaussian blur, just enough to eliminate the wrinkles but retain the larger structure of the shadows and draping.

- Add a second copy of the base layer as a third layer with a somewhat stronger blur on top of that (upon consideration I think this one should technically be LESS blurred? Um. Duh.)

- A third copy on top of THAT that has been aggressively sharpened.

Make the third copy, the sharpened one blend as "difference' with the second copy, the more blurred one of the blurry layers. This pairing a rather weird looking mess (mostly black, with edges and bits of texture and crud in it) that encodes the "high frequency" stuff. This includes the texture of the cloth, which is the important thing. Zoom in and look to see what you have in there. Merge the top two layers together. Now you have a layer that's just the black mess, on top of the blurry mess, on top of the base image.

Make the top layer, that "high frequency" black mess blend "additively" to the layer under it. Now you have a blurry mess with no wrinkles, with the texture of the cloth added back in. Hopefully the wrinkles dropped out, mostly. Adjust translucency to taste, until you get a nice look to the fabric. Ignore the edges and everything else, just look at the cloth. The picture as a whole will look like a hot mess, but the cloth will hopefully look like a pleasingly draped cloth with convincing cloth textures at this point.

Now merge the blurry mess and the high frequency mess to create a single layer. Potentially make THAT a little translucent too, you'll pick up a little bit of the wrinkles back, but, adjust to taste.

NOW add a layer mask to the top layer, the one with the nice looking cloth and the HORRIBLE everything else. Mask away everything except the nice looking bits of cloth which needed to be ironed out.

 

[vintagesnaps]

The fabric around the buttons looks puckered too, and to me it looks like as she turned her head her hair fell forward and maybe the right side could have used a quick comb or arranging. I think it helps to check and make sure what's in your viewfinder is what you want in your photo. This is a nice playful pose for a portrait I think because it shows some personality.

 

[frommrstomommy]

The fabric around the buttons looks puckered too, and to me it looks like as she turned her head her hair fell forward and maybe the right side could have used a quick comb or arranging. I think it helps to check and make sure what's in your viewfinder is what you want in your photo. This is a nice playful pose for a portrait I think because it shows some personality.

Thank you. I definitely will be mindful of this for next time. This was my first session with a model and this image is actually one of the first we took so admittedly I wasn't as "comfortable" with her as I was at the end of the shoot I guess. I also really wish we had gone over wardrobe in a bit more detail beforehand. Live and learn!

 

[tecboy]

The skirt looks like "table cloth!" Sorry, I have to say that.

 

[bianni]

Another way is to put a blank layer on top of the image and with the eyedropper, select the color very near the creases and with a very soft brush at 10% opacity, brush over the creases.