The quick answer
For natural skin, fix small distractions before you smooth a whole face. Keep pores, fine lines, expression and the person’s own features.
Put repairs on separate layers. Layers let you keep each part of the work apart. Compare often. An automatic filter can help you start. The finished photo should still look like the person and match what you agreed.
In this article
Keep these in mind
- Agree on what should change.
- Treat small marks locally.
- Check the whole face, not only a zoomed crop.
1. Decide what the portrait needs
Ask which changes are wanted. A temporary spot, a stray hair and a permanent scar are different decisions. Do not assume freckles, lines or birthmarks are mistakes. Keep the original image visible for reference.
First view the photo at the size people will use it. A pore may look huge when you zoom far in. It may be invisible in the finished picture. Pick two or three things to fix. Skin does not need to look the same everywhere.
2. Clean small spots on an empty layer
Create an empty layer called “Small repairs.” Choose the Spot Healing Brush and enable Sample All Layers. Use a brush slightly wider than the mark. Click once, then check whether nearby texture still looks natural.
Work on one mark at a time. Avoid broad strokes across cheeks or forehead. If a repair smears a lip edge or copies a dark hair, undo that stroke. A tiny repair should not change the shape or shading of the face.
Read more: Adobe: Spot Healing Brush for small repairs
3. Choose the texture when automatic repair fails
The Healing Brush lets you choose the source. On a separate repair layer, set Sample to Current & Below. This lets the brush use the picture underneath. Alt-click on Windows or Option-click on macOS to sample clean nearby skin, then make a small repair.
Choose a source with similar texture and light. Skin beside the nose differs from a cheek or forehead. Resample as you move. Reusing one patch across the whole face can leave obvious repeating marks. Check the repair against the original instead of judging smoothness alone.
Read more: Adobe: Sample texture with the Healing Brush
4. Use smoothing lightly, if the image needs it
Photoshop offers Skin Smoothing under Filter > Neural Filters. Try a modest effect and send it to a separate output such as New Layer. Compare its preview before applying it. Keep eyes, lips and hair clear.
Adobe notes limits on body skin, skin behind glasses and difficult face angles. Check the neck against the face: a very smooth face beside detailed skin looks uneven. Use a layer mask to hide the effect where it is not needed. A mask hides parts without deleting them.
Read more: Adobe: Skin Smoothing in portrait photos · Adobe: Known Skin Smoothing limitations · Adobe: Edit a layer mask
5. Review the person and the delivery file
Toggle the retouch layers off and on at 100%, then view the whole portrait. Check that the eyes, smile, facial outline and skin tone still match. Pores should not vanish in one area and remain strong in the next.
For example, a smooth forehead may look fine close up. In the whole picture, it may look flat. Reduce or remove the smoothing rather than adding fake detail to hide it. Save the layered file and reopen a final-size export before delivery.
Sources & further reading
Product features can change. Check the linked documentation for the version and service you use.