From the course: Photoshop 2020 One-on-One: Fundamentals

Your best face forward - Photoshop Tutorial

From the course: Photoshop 2020 One-on-One: Fundamentals

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Your best face forward

- Retouching is ultimately the art of making the subject of your photograph look that much better. For example, in this chapter we'll take a portrait shot, heal away some of the blemishes, brighten the teeth, and smooth over the pores and other skin details to achieve our final effect. Here's the before image, and here's the after. Quite a difference, but it's obviously the same person. And that's the key. You want the person or people in your photographs to remain altogether identifiable, the way they see themselves in the mirror, not like they just returned from cosmetic surgery. If you show someone a retouched picture of them, and they ask you, "Did you Photoshop me?" then you've probably gone too far. Take it easy, use some care, and be sure to keep your subjects' personalities intact. You know how the cutest people are the smartest ones, the ones with the really cheeky personalities? Keep that. So leave the smile lines and the creases that come with wisdom and age. After all, the best portrait shots are the ones that capture the essence of a person, both inside and out.

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