Photoshop Video Tutorial - Soften Skin with Surface Blur

Dec 08 2008

Photoshop Video Tutorial – Soften Skin with Surface Blur

Published by Yanik at 4:58 pm under Photoshop Tutorials,TUTORIALS,Video Tutorials

I’ve been asked by quite a few of you on how to soften skin in Photoshop. So I thought that I’d show you the steps I use to soften skin. Contrary to what many photographers use which is the Gaussian Blur filter, I prefer to use the Surface Blur filter.

I actually show both techniques in this photography tutorial so that you can try both and see the results side by side. If you’re using Lightroom 2, you can also check out my video tutorial on soften skin using the clarity brush.

If you’d like more Photoshop tutorials on portrait retouching, you can view them here, here, here and here.

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11 responses so far

11 Responses to “Photoshop Video Tutorial – Soften Skin with Surface Blur”

# Michael Stewarton 09 Dec 2008 at 3:45 am

Nice tutorial Yanik.
Thanks for showing both Gaussian Blur and Surface Blur I had never used the Surface Blur tool so thanks for helping me learn something new.
Thanks again,
Michael
# Scott Coulteron 09 Dec 2008 at 1:18 pm

Yanik: I have enjoyed and learned from several of your tutorials. Now we just need to find you a “theme song”. Most folks who do videos like this have some music playing at the beginning, and every time I start one of your videos, I find myself reaching for my speakers to see if the volume is turned down or something!
# Yanikon 09 Dec 2008 at 1:36 pm

@ Scott

Too funny! Yah.. I know what you mean. It’s on my “to do ” list for early 2009.
# Jessicaon 10 Dec 2008 at 8:12 pm

That is soo cool! I appreciate the tutorial because I always take the easy way out with an action, now I know how to do it manually. Thanks!!

Jessica
# Timon 12 Feb 2009 at 8:37 am

Thanks man your tuts are so helpful. coz im studying subjects at uni on this and you are like a second teacher. you explain it better than my real teacher. haha.

so thanks again.
# Anibalon 13 Feb 2009 at 5:10 pm

Thank you very much for this tutorial, it was very helpful.
Muchas gracias!
# nung_blitaron 06 Mar 2009 at 2:10 am

thank’s for tihis tutorial, its so helpfull me to learn retouch photoshop..
# Bob Bon 04 Jul 2010 at 11:09 am

Thanks, another nugget of wisdom to add to my arsenal.
Makes sense.

Bob
# euGen e. mesowon 13 Jul 2010 at 5:29 am

This is a very good tutorial!
I take many years to the Gaussian blur will, but now prefer to use the Surface Blur filter!

Thank you!

euGen
# Dave Likeson 28 Oct 2010 at 10:29 am

Thanks,

This is a very simple method and easy to learn. For years I’ve used an Eddie Tapp method I learned from Monte Zucker where you use the gaussian blur with two different layers in two different blend modes. I would then use the eraser tool around the eyes, mouth and nose.

Your way is much quicker.

Thanks again!
# iptiyaron 17 Oct 2011 at 10:37 am

thanks,

this is very beautifully education in this site