RETOUCH PHOTOS UNDER 5 MINS! Photoshop Tutorial 2024

Introduction

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to retouch photos quickly and effectively using Photoshop, specifically tailored for sports designs. This guide will take you through the essential steps to enhance your images in under five minutes, making your photos look professional and polished.

Step 1: Skin Smoothening

• Open your image in Photoshop.
• Select the Spot Healing Brush Tool from the toolbar.
• Adjust the brush size to match any blemishes or imperfections you want to smooth out.
• Click on the areas that need retouching to automatically blend them with the surrounding skin.

Step 2: Camera Raw

• Go to Filter in the top menu and select Camera Raw Filter.
• Use the Basic panel to adjust exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, whites, and blacks to improve the overall tone of your image.
• Make sure to check the Clarity slider to add definition without overdoing it.

Step 3: Adjust Shadows and Highlights

• In the Camera Raw window, navigate to the Light tab.
• Use the Shadows slider to lighten dark areas and the Highlights slider to recover details in bright areas.
• Fine-tune these settings until you achieve a balanced look.

Step 4: Fixing Skin Tone

• Still in the Camera Raw Filter, use the HSL/Grayscale panel.
• Adjust the Hue, Saturation, and Luminance sliders to achieve a more natural skin tone.
• Focus on the reds and oranges to enhance skin colors.

Step 5: Color Lookup

• After exiting Camera Raw, go to Layer in the top menu.
• Select New Adjustment Layer and then choose Color Lookup.
• Experiment with different lookup tables (LUTs) to apply a unique color grade that enhances the mood of your photo.

Step 6: Dodge and Burn

• Create a new layer and set it to Soft Light blend mode.
• Select the Brush Tool and set the foreground color to white to dodge (brighten) and black to burn (darken).
• Gently paint over areas to enhance highlights or shadows, adding depth to the image.

Step 7: Apply Outer Glow

• Select the layer of your subject and go to Layer Style by clicking on the "fx" icon at the bottom of the Layers panel.
• Check Outer Glow and adjust the settings like size and spread to create a glowing effect around your subject.
• This adds visual interest and helps the subject stand out.

Step 8: Before and After Comparison

• Toggle the visibility of your layers to see the difference between the original image and your retouched version.
• Use the History Panel to quickly compare steps and make adjustments as necessary.

Conclusion

You've now learned how to efficiently retouch photos using Photoshop in just a few minutes. By following these steps—skin smoothening, using Camera Raw, adjusting shadows and highlights, fixing skin tone, applying color lookup, dodging and burning, and finishing with an outer glow—you can create striking images suitable for sports designs or any other projects. Practice these techniques to improve your skills and explore further creative possibilities!