Make any portrait subject look great

James Paterson teaches you how to retouch your portraits with simple Photoshop skills and some fantastic free Actions

- James Paterson

People naturally want to look their best in photos – just look at the popularity of face-smoothing modes in selfie cameras. But whenever you decide to edit a portrait photo, there’s a point where things stop looking natural and start to look fake.

This is why Photoshop is such a great tool for retouching. There are usually a few different ways to tackle a particular job, which means you have full control over the look of the image. And because you can make adjustments on separate layers, you have the freedom to undo or tone things down if the effect looks a little over the top – you can even make changes days or weeks later.

It’s always tempting to remove imperfections, but often if you reduce the effect slightly rather than going all-out, the result – while still flattering – is more authentic. Here I’ll show you how to make effective but subtle enhancements to a face, from removing tiny imperfections to reducing bags under eyes.

We’ll look at a few retouching tools that can remove skin problems for you. There are also filters and Adjustment Layers that can work wonders over the eyes and skin.