> PHOTOSHOP USER>^ OCTOBER 2020[ 96 ]
First, we need to talk about
what’s going on behind the
scenes of this technique, which
will allow us to adapt the basic
method for multiple situations.
Let’s start by deconstructing the
elements in play:- Skin naturally has varia-
tion in hue, saturation,
and brightness, and we
can address each of those
elements separately if
we wish. - The Color blending
mode replaces both
hue and saturation of
the current layer and
blends it with the bright-
ness of a lower layer. - Gradient Maps let us
assign colors (hue, satu-
ration, and brightness) to
specific luminosity values.
Take a look at this image
of a model, which has already
been treated to some frequency
separation retouching for minor
blemishes. I’ve marked a few
areas that need special attention.
One simple technique to
smooth out color variation
in skin would be to apply a
masked Solid Color fill layer
set to Color blending mode
above the portrait. After all,
this would apply both the hue
and saturation evenly, right?
The problem is that both hue and saturation naturally vary across skin, typically being
more pronounced in shadows and midtones, and less pronounced in highlights. The
Gradient Map approach will let us vary hue and saturation to retain a natural look.
This also allows us the flexibility of treating brightness independently.
If you’d like to download the low-res watermarked version of this image to follow
along, c lick this link, log in with your Adobe ID, and c lick the Save to Library button.
Double-c l ic k the image in the Libraries panel (Window>Libraries) to open it in Photoshop.
To make it easier to work with the image, increase the resolution of the practice file. (We
normally don’t recommend enlarging images, but this is only for practice purposes.) Go to
Image>Image Size, turn on the Resample checkbox, select Preserve Details from the Resa-
mple drop-down menu, set the Height to 2,000 pixels, and c l ic k OK.SCOT TVALENTINE
Photoshop Proving Ground
GRADIENT MAP SKIN COLOR CORRECTION
Continuing with the previous theme of dealing with skin problems in retouching, let’s take a look at
something more subtle: natural color variation. Even the best skin can have differences in hue and
saturation, not to mention uneven makeup application. This trick takes advantage of Gradient Map
adjustments to apply a smooth, continuous tone.Marked-up image to indicate the areas that need attention©Adobe Stock/Tatiana