THIS COURSE INCLUDES
- 18 Lessonsin 3 sections
- 5h 22mof captioned HD video
- Intermediatesome Photoshop basics
- 2 Sample Images+ 2 actions
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Description
Photographers and retouchers are often asked to capture the most important moments in people’s lives. Help create lasting memories with soft portrait retouching in Photoshop!
Follow along as we create two maternity portraits from capture to completion! Learn how to retouch hair and clothing, dodge and burn in Adobe Camera RAW, and use frequency separation to preserve delicate details.
What You’ll Learn
- Retouch hair and clothing for a soft, natural look
- Dodge and burn in Camera RAW to sculpt light
- Preserve delicate detail with frequency separation
Table of Contents
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01 - What You'll Learn1:17m
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02 - Sitting Pose Photoshoot4:12m
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03 - Standing Pose Photoshoot2:38m
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01 - Processing in Adobe Camera RAW11:31m
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02 - Liquify13:47m
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03 - Removing Distractions27:07m
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04 - Hair Cleanup15:16m
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05 - Frequency Separation Retouching39:32m
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06 - Dodging & Burning29:07m
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07 - Additional Liquify & Color and Tone20:05m
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08 - Finishing Touches15:23m
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01 - Processing in Adobe Camera RAW23:57m
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02 - Liquify13:40m
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03 - Hair & Background Cleanup13:10m
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04 - Clothing Retouching28:08m
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05 - Frequency Separation Retouching18:39m
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06 - Dodging & Burning27:24m
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07 - Color & Tone10:52m
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08 - Sharpening & Finishing7:50m
Course Downloads
Create Timeless Portraits
Soft Portrait Retouching
Whether you’re photographing weddings or graduations, the moments you capture are going be with your clients for a lifetime. Learn how a professional approaches soft portrait retouching for such personal and intimate images, using Photoshop to help the most important details shine through.
Capture Memories
We walk you through how we captured each image, breaking down everything from lighting, to wardrobe, to working with a subject. Then we go dive into the post-production, showing you how to make subtle, yet impactful, adjustments that will give each photo a soft and timeless feel.
Lifestyle Photography
We focus on maternity photos, but the same approach can be used for many other types of lifestyle photography. No matter what type of photographer you are, you’re sure to learn skills that will help you capture your client’s most special moments.
Natural Retouching
High-end fashion work might require bold changes and detailed adjustments. But for soft portrait retouching like this, we’re going for subtle changes and a natural look. Learn how to use retouching to simplify a scene, emphasizing the natural beauty of the subject and the importance of the moment.
Professional Frequency Separation
Smooth out harsh transitions between light and shadow. Clean up distractions while preserving all of the delicate textures that make soft portrait retouching work. Frequency Separation is a key part of the retoucher’s workflow and we make it easier than with our included Photoshop Action! Ready for more? Give How to Master Frequency Separation Retouching a try!
Retouch Hair and Clothing
Retouching hair and wardrobe will always be a challenge, even for the pros. Learn how to remove flyaways with Spot-Healing Brush, add volume to hair with the Clone Stamp tool, and even smooth out fabric using Frequency Separation!
PHOTOSHOOT OVERVIEW
The Liquify Tool
The perfect tool for shaping soft materials like hair and clothing, the Liquify Tool is easy to use, but incredibly difficult to master. Learn soft portrait retouching techniques that will help you Liquify objects realistically and with subtle effect. Add volume to hair and even create the illusion of motion in a long, flowing dress!
Enhance Textures with Dodge and Burn
Dodging and burning is one of the few techniques that, on its own, can elevate an image to new heights. Add beautiful shape and dimension to any photograph, while guiding the eyes of the viewer to the areas of the image that matter most.
Photoshoot Overview
Aaron walks you through each photoshoot, breaking down the lighting, camera settings, and creative considerations used to capture each shot.
Soft Portraits, Lasting Memories
From weddings to newborns, graduations to birthdays, lifestyle photography is all about helping people capture life’s important moments. Follow along as we create two beautiful maternity photos, from capture to completion!
Color Correction and Color Toning
Learn how to color correct using the tools in Adobe Camera RAW and Adjustment Layers in Photoshop. Help match the natural variation in skin tones between different parts of the body. Then tie it all together with the subtle color grading that soft portrait retouching calls for.
Professional Sharpening
Sharpening is one of the best ways to draw attention to the important areas in a photo. Apply multiple levels of sharpening, from general image sharpening to more dramatic sharpening for eyes, jewelry, hair, and clothing.
Professional Finish
We take you through a complete retouching workflow, from import all the way to export. Master the professional techniques that will help your clients look their best during their most important moments.
Background Retouching & Extension
We show you how to clean up unwanted elements like lights, bounce cards, and scuffs from photographed backgrounds. Then we show you how to extend the background, recreating the original colors and texture while nailing the perfect composition.
Adobe Camera RAW
Most professional photo edits are going to start in Adobe Camera RAW. Make local and global adjustments to fix exposure, recover details, and correct colors. Master of the power of RAW in Adobe Camera RAW and in Photoshop!
Photoshop Actions
If you’re capturing lifestyle photos and important events in people’s lives, your time is incredibly valuable. Spend less time clicking through menus in Photoshop and move on to your next big shoot! Our PHLEARN Photoshop Actions are designed to save you time without sacrificing the quality that your clients expect.
LEARN SOFT PORTRAIT LIGHTING
Portrait Lighting
Creating soft, natural portraits starts with soft studio lighting. Learn how to use studio lights, diffusion, and other modifiers to get beautiful, even lighting for any portrait.
Remove Distractions
Stray hairs, wrinkles in clothing, and scuffs on the background. Individually, they may not seem like much, but all those little distractions can take the focus away from the things that matter most. Learn how to reduce and remove distractions in any image!
Draw Attention to the Subject
When it comes to lifestyle portraits, the client and their special moment need to be center stage. Watch as we use both photographic techniques and Photoshop tools to simplify an image and to help guide the eyes of the viewer.
Class Instructor
Aaron Nace
PHLEARN Founder & Lead Instructor
Aaron Nace is a photographer, digital artist, and the founder of PHLEARN. Since 2011 he has taught millions of people to edit with confidence in Photoshop and Lightroom, on YouTube and in PHLEARN PRO, and he has been a featured speaker at Adobe MAX for more than eight years.
Every PRO course comes with the sample images and PSDs to follow along step by step, and Aaron adds new courses and free tutorials all year.
- 2M+YouTube subscribers
- 160M+video views
- 1,000+tutorials published
- 15years teaching Photoshop
Reviews
Master Photoshop, Lightroom and Photography
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Excellent tutorial I learned a lot!
Brilliant tutorial as usual.
A lot of the techniques I have already done, and the lesson reaffirms the things I am doing. But your tutorial goes the extra mile and into places in photoshop that I have never thought of going for retouching. It’s like photoshop Star Treck…. going where no retoucher has gone before! Thanks!
Master, I don’t know what to tell you. You’re doing great, congratulations. The training I always say is education. No matter how much photoshop I know, I love information very much. I always say.
I learned so much from this tutorial but, then again, I always learn a lot from Phlearn and Aron. This tutorial is definitely one of my favourite. Would have loved to see more of the photography though.
Once again great tutorials thanks Phlearn!
PHLEARN tutorials are always so comprehensive that the only thing I’m ever left wondering is: what is that cool pen holder thingie Aaron has for his Wacom stylus? Because I want one! Seriously, though: as someone who loves images with a more “painterly” feel (to use a word Aaron mentions often in the tutorial), this one was really special. Lots of good tips if this is your first tutorial, lots of good reinforcement and new ideas if it’s one of many you’ve taken here.
I agree. The. final is wonderful
Beautiful photo! Aaron walks us through a complete retouching task with clear step by step instructions. This is a fantastic tutorial!
The Picture Was telling the Beautiful Story…Love this Photograph And Lighting.
My first Pro tutorial, Amazing! I learned some really cool and new techniques such as Frequency Separation Retouching. I now can combine these new ones with my own techniques 😀
This was amazing! I think you guys will always do 1,000% more detail than I probably ever will, but by doing so you cover every possible scenario so that I am covered for just in case. Seriously, Aaron. I don’t know how you even notice some of the things you do. “just fixing this here…. yeah, that looks really nice”….wait, what changed?…rewatch 5 times. I’ve added this one to my favorites!