How to Edit a Portrait in Photoshop: A Step-by-Step Guide
April 01
11 min. to read
Portrait photography is a unique field with its own specialised editing techniques that require a separate set of skills to master. Although perfecting these methods can take time, the journey is worthwhile, setting professional photographers apart from amateurs. In this guide, we will help you get started in the world of portrait editing with a step-by-step approach to editing a photo in Adobe Photoshop. We will cover the essential tools and techniques that can elevate your images, so let us begin.
How to Get Good Results
It is important to note that Photoshop can only enhance your image so far when it comes to portrait retouching. To achieve the best results, you must start with a high-quality image. Here are some essential tips:
Shoot in RAW: RAW files provide an uncompressed image with a wider dynamic range than JPEGs. This extra data gives you greater control over shadows and highlights during editing.
Lighting: For sharp, crisp images, ensure you have plenty of light when shooting. Balancing exposure correctly in camera by avoiding both overexposure and underexposure will significantly improve your chances of capturing good portraits.
Composition and Framing: While you can crop to adjust your framing later, it is far better to get it right in camera. Cropping can reduce image size and compromise quality, so take care to line up your shot properly from the start.
Noise: Noise is often related to lighting. It is important to understand your camera’s performance in low-light conditions if that is your style. Some cameras manage noise better than others, and excessive noise can ruin fine details and overall sharpness.
By following these guidelines, you’ll ensure your images are well-prepared for editing, setting you up for success in your portrait retouching process.
How to Edit a Portrait in Photoshop Step-by-Step
Step 1: Import & Set Up Your Image
Import and Prep Your Image
First, import your RAW file into Adobe Lightroom. This step helps you get your image into a workable state before you start retouching. You need to ensure that you don’t negatively affect skin tones during the process.
White Balance: Adjust the temperature to bring cooler or warmer tones into your image, or to correct any unwanted colour casts.
Exposure & Contrast: Tweak the highlights, shadows and contrast to add depth.
Texture and Clarity: Enhance skin and fabric details, but use these adjustments sparingly as overdoing them can create a harsh, unnatural look.
Colour Grading (Optional): You can begin colour grading here, keeping skin tones in mind. Alternatively, you might choose to save this for later in Photoshop.
Send to Photoshop
Once your base edits are complete in Lightroom, open your image in Photoshop.
In Lightroom, right-click on your image, select Edit, and choose Edit in Adobe Photoshop. Now you’re ready to start the retouching process.
Understanding Destructive Editing
Destructive editing permanently alters the original image, meaning changes cannot be undone once the file is saved and closed. For example, applying edits directly to a JPEG and saving it repeatedly can degrade quality due to compression.
To preserve your original, always work non-destructively. One simple way to do this is by duplicating the background layer before making any adjustments. Press Ctrl+J (Windows) or Cmd+J (Mac) to create a copy. This ensures you have the untouched layer to revert to if needed.
For even more flexibility, consider using adjustment layers, smart objects, or layer masks, which allow you to make changes without permanently affecting the original image.
Step 2: Basic Skin Retouching
Use Photoshop’s Spot Healing Brush or the new Remove Tool, which makes use of AI to identify and fix imperfections. Both tools are effective for removing blemishes like acne, small imperfections, or stray hairs from your model’s face.
Step 3: Smoothing Skin
There are several methods to smooth skin in Photoshop:
Spot Healing Brush: Good for minor touch-ups, but not ideal for smoothing an entire face.
Frequency Separation: A more involved technique that smooths skin while preserving natural textures.
Surface Blur: A quicker option than frequency separation, though it may not retain texture as well.
Neural Filters: Photoshop’s latest AI-driven tools can smooth skin quickly:
• Go to Filter > Neural Filters.
• Select or download Skin Smoothing.
• Adjust the blur and smoothness sliders to balance texture.
• Click OK to apply the effect.
This method is simple and effective, allowing you to smooth skin while keeping natural detail intact.
Step 4: Enhancing Eyes, Lips & Facial Features
Certain facial features should stand out in a portrait. It’s important to brighten the eyes, whiten the teeth, and enhance other details without overdoing it.
Brighten Eyes & Whiten Teeth
Use the Dodge Tool to selectively brighten areas. Choose either Highlights or Midtones, and apply sparingly, be sure to avoid overdoing it.
Sharpen the Eyes
To make the irises pop:
Duplicate the image layer (Ctrl+J/Cmd+J).
Go to Filter > Other > High Pass.
Set the radius to 1–3 pixels and click OK.
Double-click the layer and change the blending mode to Soft Light.
Add a layer mask by holding Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) and clicking the layer mask button.
With a soft brush set to white, paint over the eyes to reveal the sharpening effect.
Enhance Lips
Use the saturation tool to deepen lip colour. As with the eyes, apply a layer mask so you can control where the effect appears.
Step 5: Colour Grading
By now, most of your edits should be in place. As mentioned previously, we can apply our colour grade in Photoshop to finally tie the whole image together. You can use tone curves, hue and saturation adjustments, colour balance, and more. One particularly powerful tool is Selective Colour.
To apply Selective Colour non-destructively:
Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Selective Colour.
The adjustment will appear in the Adjustments panel.
This tool gives you full control over each colour channel, allowing you to fine-tune the palette while being mindful of skin tones.
Step 6: Save & Export
Before you finish, remember these final steps:
Save as PSD: Save your Photoshop file so you can revisit your edits later.
Save Changes: Use Ctrl+S (Windows) or Cmd+S (Mac) to save your work, which will also update the file back in Lightroom for further export if needed.
Export: Go to File > Export > Export As and choose your preferred file format, such as JPEG or TIFF, for sharing on social media or delivering to a client.
And there you have it, your image is now ready to share with the world. As you gain more experience, you’ll develop your own workflow and preferences when it comes to retouching portrait photos.
Photoshop Alternative: Aperty
If you don’t have Photoshop or want to explore other options, consider Aperty which is a portrait-specialist editing software. With an intuitive interface powered by AI, Aperty offers:
Skin Smoothing and Blemish Removal: Applied with one click while retaining natural skin textures.
Feature Highlights: Enhances eyes, teeth, lips and more.
Make-Up Application: Provides a professional finish, particularly useful if a make-up artist isn’t on set.
Face and Body Reshaping: Achieves a natural look without distorting the background.
Batch Editing: Speeds up your workflow considerably.
Plus, you can perform all your essential editing and colour grading in one place, saving you the hassle of switching between applications.
The Bottom Line
Portrait editing is an essential part of creating a polished final product in portrait photography. Mastering these techniques may take time, but once you do, you’ll set yourself apart and attract more clients. Whether you choose Photoshop with its wide range of tools for smoothing skin, removing blemishes and more, or an alternative like Aperty for a faster workflow, the key is to practise and enjoy the process. Good luck on your journey, and happy editing!
