Using gaussian blur for soft skin- did i overdo it here?

[rufus5150]

Thanks for sharing that technique, I'll definitly give it a try that way. Which specific blur settings do you use for skin vs whole image?

I agree that the white shirt is popping too much, definitly. I like this photo a lot I think, so I'm gonna work on it. Thanks again

It depends on how many pixels are being blurred. I shoot 10.1 generally and if the shot is similar to that, 20-25 for the skin blur, then 10-15 for the entire blur.

 

[theadamsociety]

Great shot, I like the original though.
I find that technique is accomplished best when you're shooting an older subject. It kind of flatters the skin tones, where as a childs skin is already basically blemish free?

All of this in just imo

 

[The_Traveler]

pro retouchers on retouchpro.com absolutely hate the idea of using blur for the skin.

if you are doing many portraits you might look at that site.

 

[kellylindseyphotography]

pro retouchers on retouchpro.com absolutely hate the idea of using blur for the skin.

if you are doing many portraits you might look at that site.

Ya I saw someone on here say something to the effect of 'any pro worth their weight in pennies wouldn't touch gaussian blur with a 10 foot pole'

I am still in the amateur stage and so I don't know many techniques to get porcelein skin.

This child in this picture had little specs of sand all over her face, which I had tryed to wipe off before hand but apparently only smeared them into finely speckled sand pieces that I immediatly noticed when opening the image. So she didn't start off with the normal soft childrens skin.

I also saw a program that was like 250, I think I saved the link, that pro wedding photogs use for skin retouching.. but I dont' have that kind of money to invest right now. Someday, I'd love to.

Thanks for sharing that site though, I"m gonna look around.

 

[Lacey Anne]

Ya I saw someone on here say something to the effect of 'any pro worth their weight in pennies wouldn't touch gaussian blur with a 10 foot pole'

I am still in the amateur stage and so I don't know many techniques to get porcelein skin.

This child in this picture had little specs of sand all over her face, which I had tryed to wipe off before hand but apparently only smeared them into finely speckled sand pieces that I immediatly noticed when opening the image. So she didn't start off with the normal soft childrens skin.

I also saw a program that was like 250, I think I saved the link, that pro wedding photogs use for skin retouching.. but I dont' have that kind of money to invest right now. Someday, I'd love to.

Thanks for sharing that site though, I"m gonna look around.

I know someone who is very pro and uses it all the time. Not me.:greenpbl: He shoots for Discovery channel and National Geographic. I think any pro worth their salt knows that different people use different techniques and styles.

 

[BernieSC]

Its a beautiful shot, well done.

 

[That One Guy]

I'll throw my 2 cents in here about blur.

I rarely use it unless the client wants the "glam" look and even then I try to do it with the lights first. If I do use it, it is so subtle that it doesn't stand out.

 

[Tiberius47]

I generally do it the other way -- I blur the copied layer, reduce to, depending, 15-30%, then mask the entire blurred layer then erase the mask where I want the skin to be smooth. This preserves the edge sharpness of the skin features while softening the skin texture. Instead of cutting out the eyes, you leave them in.

When I do want that 'whole picture glows', I'll usually do one pass with one blur setting for the inside of the skin, then another pass with a different blur setting for the whole image.

My only criticism, though, with the photo above, is that the blur makes the white shirt pop a little too much; it glows and I think draws the eye away from the girl's face.

That's a good technique, it really smooths out the flaws in skin. However, I find it can leave the skin looking a little plastic, so I add a bit of noise into it after I blur it to give it a bit of texture back.

 

[rufus5150]

I've been experimenting with a high pass filter that's blended in. I've seen a tutorial on it, but the tutorial wasn't so good, but it brings back the natural skin texture back in. I agree, though, too much blur and it can become a bit pasty.