Mizuno's Super Airbrush PP Tutorial! (56K Warning)

mizuno · 19th of May 2006 (Fri), 09:44 PM

Hello everyone! I thought I would put this tutorial together, as it seems every time I post an image that I have processed in this way, everyone wants to know how I did it. Rather than explain everytime, I thought I would give something back to the community and submit my own tutorial. I hope some of you out there find it useful.

Mizuno's Super Airbrush PP Tutorial!

First things first, we need a 'Before' shot. I quickly scanned the net for something appropriate and came up with the following:

A pretty girl, with some skin blemishes, the perfect candidate for my tutorial. Now let me say right from the beginning, I don't think this girl needs any airbrush treatment - but for the sake of this tutorial, we'll assume that she is a client who has requested it.

Step 1

After opening our image up in Photoshop, the first thing we will do is to use the Heal Brush to remove any obvious marks or blemishes. You can be as thorough as you like here, as the cleaner the skin is to start with, the better the results at the end. Use an appropriate brush size (quite small) in order to sample and brush away the blemishes without losing any important detail.

Step 2

Once you are finished with the Heal Brush, duplicate the layer and apply the Dust and Scratches filter.

Filter > Noise > Dust & Scratches

For this example, I used a radius of 5 pixels and a threshold of 0. You can adjust these to suit your image as needed. The result you are looking for is a creamy blend of features, without too much banding.

Step 3

The next filter we are going to use is the good old Gaussion Blur. This will remove any banding that might have occurred in the previous step, and give the whole image a creamier complexion.

Filter > Blur > Gaussion Blur

I used a radius of 2 for this example. Again, adjust as appropriate for each image.

Step 4

The final step in preparing our model's new complexion is to add some texture. We all know that human skin is not generally a creamy plastic looking substance, so by adding some noise we will give the process a more realistic look.

Filter > Noise > Add Noise

I used an amout of 0.7% noise, distributed uniformly with Monochromatic selected. As always, adjust to suit your image.

Step 5

Ok! Our model's new 'skin' is now ready to use.

Add a layer mask to the layer we have been filtering and fill it with black. This will essentially cause the image to disappear and the layer beneath (our original) will show through. Don't worry - it's still there, it's just been hidden or 'masked'.

Step 6

Now comes the fun part! In this step we get the 'paint' the models new skin on. It is at this stage that a steady hand and attention to details comes to the fore.

Select the Brush Tool and make sure your colour selected is White. I initally chose a brush size of 30 pixels and a hardness of 0%. You will need to adjust the size of your brush as you progress over the image in order to fit into the tight corners etc.

The aim of the game at this step is to paint the 'new and improved' skin over the original skin, without interfering with the other detail we want to retain such as hair, eyes, mouth etc.

If you do accidently paint over something you didn't want to, simply change the brush colour to black and you can erase your errant work again.

Step 7

Once you have finished your 'painting' you should have an image and layers pallette that appears something like this:

Step 8

Now for some minor cosemtic changes. Our model appeared a little red skinned (perhaps too much sun) so I need a quick way to balance the colour out a little. I will simply add a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer. Just a minor tweak by increasing the Hue slider by 6 points will even out the colour in this example.

Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation

Step 9

Now we will add another adjustment layer, but this time use a goold old fashioned Photo Filter. I chose Sepia with a density of 50% whilst preserving Luminosity. This will further settle the colours in our image and give a more realistic skin tone.

Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Photo Filter

Step 10

The bulk of our work is now done, but we are going to take a detour for a moment to liven up our model's eyes who's brightness may have suffered in our previous two steps.

We will created a new layer and make a circular selection to match our model's eye. We then simply fill the layer with a green colour of our choice and set the layer to Overlay.

Step 11

We then need to add a Layer Mask to our new inner eye and mask away (using a brush with black colour selected) the green that overlaps where it shouldn't.

Once we are happy with the shape of the new inner eye, we will reduce the opacity of the layer to around 30% to give a more natural colour.

Remember to repeat this process for both eyes!

Step 12

The final process we will apply is to sharpen our image a little bit. Instead of using the normal Unsharp Mask filter, we will opt for a much better process, albeit a little more complicated for the first timer.

First up we need to duplicate our original layer. Simply drag the original layer onto the new layer button on the layers pallette - that will do the trick. Set this new layer to Overlay the original layer.

Now apply a High Pass filter to the new layer.

Filter > Other > High Pass

I used a radius of 23.2 pixels, but the main objective here is to get your preview to look a fraction over-sharpened.

Once that filter is applied you can adjust the opacity of the layer and it will increase/decrease the level of sharpening. A very handy layer indeed! I ended up with an opacity of 30%

ALL DONE

Wow, we've made it. What a marathon...

Our finished product should look something like this:

I hope someone finds this little tutorial useful, it's the first time I have tried my hand at documenting what I do. I thought it might also be helpful if I provided the layers version of the Photoshop file I used on this very example for those of you who like to tinker under the bonnet and learn that way. You can download the 3mb file here.

Good luck with your post processing!

hjoe_acf · 20th of May 2006 (Sat), 11:40 AM

Terrific tutorial, Mizuno! I thought I knew a few things about Photoshop, but you've added to my knowledge with killer stuff. Thanks for taking the time to share your expertise with everyone.

kenwood33 · 20th of May 2006 (Sat), 03:18 PM

Thanks for taking the time to write up detail instructions.

mizuno · 20th of May 2006 (Sat), 08:35 PM

No worries!

Make sure you post up yur results, though!

Claire · 21st of May 2006 (Sun), 05:44 PM

Excellent tutorial! I think you started off similar like me, but then you continued with more stuff that I now have to try out. Now I gotta find a photo to practise on...

condyk · 21st of May 2006 (Sun), 05:45 PM

Superb ... maybe I should start shooting people LOL

embdude · 21st of May 2006 (Sun), 06:25 PM

Thank you...

peacock · 21st of May 2006 (Sun), 06:48 PM

Excellent informative & well written tutorial ! now to rob a bank to by photoshop

EOS_JD · 21st of May 2006 (Sun), 08:02 PM

Nice one Mizuno. I knew some of this but you have added a few extra pointers that are very useful and will be used a lot!

Cheers
JD

stupot · 21st of May 2006 (Sun), 08:07 PM

Fantastic tutorial, thank you. This should be a sticky...

stupot · 21st of May 2006 (Sun), 08:50 PM

here's my effort!

edit and original. saving for web has really messed around with the colours i normally dont notice it 'too' much but these have come out really desaturated... on my monitor anyway.

mizuno · 21st of May 2006 (Sun), 08:53 PM

Great work!!!

I agree about the saturation levels, she does look a little green/grey. With a but of tinkering, it could come up perfect.

stupot · 21st of May 2006 (Sun), 09:47 PM

yeah i dont know why that happened, it was fine before i saved for web... and it didnt happen to the original...

hdcolumbus · 22nd of May 2006 (Mon), 11:41 AM

Adding this to my list. Great job!

PhotosGuy · 22nd of May 2006 (Mon), 01:33 PM

Nice work!

19th of May 2006 (Fri), 09:44 PM	#1
mizuno Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Hobart, Australia Posts: 740 IMAGE EDITING OK	Mizuno's Super Airbrush PP Tutorial! (56K Warning) Hello everyone! I thought I would put this tutorial together, as it seems every time I post an image that I have processed in this way, everyone wants to know how I did it. Rather than explain everytime, I thought I would give something back to the community and submit my own tutorial. I hope some of you out there find it useful. Mizuno's Super Airbrush PP Tutorial! First things first, we need a 'Before' shot. I quickly scanned the net for something appropriate and came up with the following: A pretty girl, with some skin blemishes, the perfect candidate for my tutorial. Now let me say right from the beginning, I don't think this girl needs any airbrush treatment - but for the sake of this tutorial, we'll assume that she is a client who has requested it. Step 1 After opening our image up in Photoshop, the first thing we will do is to use the Heal Brush to remove any obvious marks or blemishes. You can be as thorough as you like here, as the cleaner the skin is to start with, the better the results at the end. Use an appropriate brush size (quite small) in order to sample and brush away the blemishes without losing any important detail. Step 2 Once you are finished with the Heal Brush, duplicate the layer and apply the Dust and Scratches filter. Filter > Noise > Dust & Scratches For this example, I used a radius of 5 pixels and a threshold of 0. You can adjust these to suit your image as needed. The result you are looking for is a creamy blend of features, without too much banding. Step 3 The next filter we are going to use is the good old Gaussion Blur. This will remove any banding that might have occurred in the previous step, and give the whole image a creamier complexion. Filter > Blur > Gaussion Blur I used a radius of 2 for this example. Again, adjust as appropriate for each image. Step 4 The final step in preparing our model's new complexion is to add some texture. We all know that human skin is not generally a creamy plastic looking substance, so by adding some noise we will give the process a more realistic look. Filter > Noise > Add Noise I used an amout of 0.7% noise, distributed uniformly with Monochromatic selected. As always, adjust to suit your image. Step 5 Ok! Our model's new 'skin' is now ready to use. Add a layer mask to the layer we have been filtering and fill it with black. This will essentially cause the image to disappear and the layer beneath (our original) will show through. Don't worry - it's still there, it's just been hidden or 'masked'. Step 6 Now comes the fun part! In this step we get the 'paint' the models new skin on. It is at this stage that a steady hand and attention to details comes to the fore. Select the Brush Tool and make sure your colour selected is White. I initally chose a brush size of 30 pixels and a hardness of 0%. You will need to adjust the size of your brush as you progress over the image in order to fit into the tight corners etc. The aim of the game at this step is to paint the 'new and improved' skin over the original skin, without interfering with the other detail we want to retain such as hair, eyes, mouth etc. If you do accidently paint over something you didn't want to, simply change the brush colour to black and you can erase your errant work again. Step 7 Once you have finished your 'painting' you should have an image and layers pallette that appears something like this: Step 8 Now for some minor cosemtic changes. Our model appeared a little red skinned (perhaps too much sun) so I need a quick way to balance the colour out a little. I will simply add a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer. Just a minor tweak by increasing the Hue slider by 6 points will even out the colour in this example. Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation Step 9 Now we will add another adjustment layer, but this time use a goold old fashioned Photo Filter. I chose Sepia with a density of 50% whilst preserving Luminosity. This will further settle the colours in our image and give a more realistic skin tone. Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Photo Filter Step 10 The bulk of our work is now done, but we are going to take a detour for a moment to liven up our model's eyes who's brightness may have suffered in our previous two steps. We will created a new layer and make a circular selection to match our model's eye. We then simply fill the layer with a green colour of our choice and set the layer to Overlay. Step 11 We then need to add a Layer Mask to our new inner eye and mask away (using a brush with black colour selected) the green that overlaps where it shouldn't. Once we are happy with the shape of the new inner eye, we will reduce the opacity of the layer to around 30% to give a more natural colour. Remember to repeat this process for both eyes! Step 12 The final process we will apply is to sharpen our image a little bit. Instead of using the normal Unsharp Mask filter, we will opt for a much better process, albeit a little more complicated for the first timer. First up we need to duplicate our original layer. Simply drag the original layer onto the new layer button on the layers pallette - that will do the trick. Set this new layer to Overlay the original layer. Now apply a High Pass filter to the new layer. Filter > Other > High Pass I used a radius of 23.2 pixels, but the main objective here is to get your preview to look a fraction over-sharpened. Once that filter is applied you can adjust the opacity of the layer and it will increase/decrease the level of sharpening. A very handy layer indeed! I ended up with an opacity of 30% ALL DONE Wow, we've made it. What a marathon... Our finished product should look something like this: I hope someone finds this little tutorial useful, it's the first time I have tried my hand at documenting what I do. I thought it might also be helpful if I provided the layers version of the Photoshop file I used on this very example for those of you who like to tinker under the bonnet and learn that way. You can download the 3mb file here. Good luck with your post processing! __________________ Dan's Photo Blog Pitbull Mansion Last edited by mizuno : 19th of May 2006 (Fri) at 09:47 PM.

20th of May 2006 (Sat), 11:40 AM	#2
hjoe_acf Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 53 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Mizuno's Super Airbrush PP Tutorial! (56K Warning) Terrific tutorial, Mizuno! I thought I knew a few things about Photoshop, but you've added to my knowledge with killer stuff. Thanks for taking the time to share your expertise with everyone.

20th of May 2006 (Sat), 03:18 PM	#3
kenwood33 Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 161 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Mizuno's Super Airbrush PP Tutorial! (56K Warning) Thanks for taking the time to write up detail instructions. __________________ Rebel XT, Tamron 28-75 f/2.8, Sigma EF-500 Super, CB Digital-T, Gorillapod

20th of May 2006 (Sat), 08:35 PM	#4
mizuno Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Hobart, Australia Posts: 740 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Mizuno's Super Airbrush PP Tutorial! (56K Warning) No worries! Make sure you post up yur results, though! __________________ Dan's Photo Blog Pitbull Mansion

21st of May 2006 (Sun), 05:44 PM	#5
Claire fruity cocktail Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Gothenburg, Sweden Posts: 4,426	Re: Mizuno's Super Airbrush PP Tutorial! (56K Warning) Excellent tutorial! I think you started off similar like me, but then you continued with more stuff that I now have to try out. Now I gotta find a photo to practise on... __________________ My gear POTN Book Submissions 5-28 Jan! The POTN Book Project The POTN Book Project - FAQ My Photo Website Updated 28 Sep! \| My street photography gallery \| My Blog (it's working again!) \| Webshots Gallery "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you"

21st of May 2006 (Sun), 05:45 PM	#6
condyk teenager on glue Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Birmingham & London, UK Posts: 10,828	Re: Mizuno's Super Airbrush PP Tutorial! (56K Warning) Superb ... maybe I should start shooting people LOL __________________ Keep things as simple as possible but no simpler - Einstein The POTN Namibia/Botswana Safari 2007: Click Post your street & candid tips: Click Post in POTN World Photo Day: Click A photographers eye: 1 2 3 Forum donation: Click

21st of May 2006 (Sun), 06:25 PM	#7
embdude Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: California Posts: 516 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Mizuno's Super Airbrush PP Tutorial! (56K Warning) Thank you... __________________ -Chris My Classic Cameras / My Photo Blog EOS DigitalRebel w/EF- 18-35 kit lens, 100-300 USM, 35 2, 50 1.4, 17-40 4, 70-200 4, 100-300 L Via EF adapter:Takumar 50 1.4, 55 1.8, 200 4, CZ Jena 50 2.8, Nikkor 28 3.5, 35 2, 50 2, 105 2.5, 135 3.5 Available Light Nut Feel free to tell/show me how to make my images better PSCS 2 / Digital Photo Pro Camera Handeling and Maximum Image Quality http://photoworkshop.com/canon/EOS_Digital.pdf

21st of May 2006 (Sun), 06:48 PM	#8
peacock Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Hampshire , South Coast UK Posts: 1,651	Re: Mizuno's Super Airbrush PP Tutorial! (56K Warning) Excellent informative & well written tutorial ! now to rob a bank to by photoshop __________________ Regards John -------------------- 30D/550ex /kit lens/50mm 1.8/17-40 f4L/24-70 2.8L/70-200f4L /100-400 L/ 1.4x extender + Bowens 500/500 travel pak +bits and bobs. For sale 350D+ grip /28-135 is

21st of May 2006 (Sun), 08:02 PM	#9
EOS_JD Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Lanarkshire, Scotland Posts: 1,327 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Mizuno's Super Airbrush PP Tutorial! (56K Warning) Nice one Mizuno. I knew some of this but you have added a few extra pointers that are very useful and will be used a lot! Cheers JD __________________ JD All My Gear EOS 20D \| BG-E2 Grip \| EF-S 10-22 f3.5-4.5 \| EF 24-105 f4L IS \| EF 70-200 f2.8L IS \| EF 50 f/1.4 \| EF 85 f1.8 \| EF 100 f2.8 Macro \| EF 300 f4L IS \| EF 1.4x MkII \| Tamron 17-35 f2.8-4 \| 28-75 f2.8 \| Canon 580EX \| Sigma EF500 DG Super \| Lightsphere II \| Stofen Diffuser \| Epson P-2000 \|Manfroto 055 ProB Tripod w/488RC4 Head \| Epson R2400 \| Epson C900 \| Lowepro Nova 5 AW \| Lowepro Mini Trekker AW

21st of May 2006 (Sun), 08:07 PM	#10
stupot Goldmember Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: UK, Portsmouth Uni / HW Bucks Posts: 2,168 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Mizuno's Super Airbrush PP Tutorial! (56K Warning) Fantastic tutorial, thank you. This should be a sticky... __________________ Canon EOS 350D, 18-55 f3.5-5.6, 50 f1.8, 70-200 f4L, 300 f4L IS, Kenko 1.4x pro300, 430EX, Apple Powerbook G4 Free filters for your flashgun!

21st of May 2006 (Sun), 08:53 PM	#12
mizuno Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Hobart, Australia Posts: 740 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Mizuno's Super Airbrush PP Tutorial! (56K Warning) Great work!!! I agree about the saturation levels, she does look a little green/grey. With a but of tinkering, it could come up perfect. __________________ Dan's Photo Blog Pitbull Mansion

21st of May 2006 (Sun), 09:47 PM	#13
stupot Goldmember Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: UK, Portsmouth Uni / HW Bucks Posts: 2,168 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Mizuno's Super Airbrush PP Tutorial! (56K Warning) yeah i dont know why that happened, it was fine before i saved for web... and it didnt happen to the original... __________________ Canon EOS 350D, 18-55 f3.5-5.6, 50 f1.8, 70-200 f4L, 300 f4L IS, Kenko 1.4x pro300, 430EX, Apple Powerbook G4 Free filters for your flashgun!

22nd of May 2006 (Mon), 11:41 AM	#14
hdcolumbus Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: New Albany, Ohio Posts: 91 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Mizuno's Super Airbrush PP Tutorial! (56K Warning) Adding this to my list. Great job!

22nd of May 2006 (Mon), 01:33 PM	#15
PhotosGuy Moderator Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: S. E. Michigan Posts: 18,420	Re: Mizuno's Super Airbrush PP Tutorial! (56K Warning) Nice work! __________________ FrankC - 20D, RAW, Manual everything... Classic Carz, Racing, Air Show, Flowers. Links at the top of... "L"ET THERE BE LIGHT!

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