Removing the weight that the camera adds

They say the camera adds ten pounds. So not surprisingly, some of the most common retouching chores involves nipping, tucking, and otherwise removing weight. In Photoshop, the remove weight command goes by the name liquify. Located in the filter menu, the Liquify command brings up an independent utility with its own collection of tools and options. Using these tools, you paint in distortions. So for example, you might paint away a flabby detail by pushing it inward.

You tuck away a double chin by shrinking it. You balance a crooken eye by twirling it. In each case, you do so patiently and lovingly, so as not to add stretch marks. After all, you want the subject of your photograph to appear natural and altogether recognizable. Not freakishly skinny, or otherwise obviously Photoshopped. With some time and effort, you can even learn to change a model's stance, or posture for a more flattering pose.

This chapter explains how it works.