High-End Skin Softening in Photoshop [New Technique]
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Skin smoothing neural filter in Photoshop softens skin fast without erasing real texture, when you blend it back in with the Lighten mode and an inverted layer mask.
In this tutorial, you will learn a fast and easy technique for high-end Skin Softening in Photoshop!
Best of all, this AMAZING skin-smoothing technique leaves skin texture intact! I’ve used this technique in my professional work in the Hollywood industry.
This tutorial uses Photoshop 2022 and is compatible with Photoshop 2021 and newer.
Key Takeaways
- The Skin Smoothing Neural Filter can flatten highlights and destroy real skin texture if you apply it at full strength with no adjustment.
- Blending the smoothed layer with the original using the Lighten blending mode brings back the brightest, most detailed pixels the filter wiped out.
- An inverted (black) layer mask hides the smoothing effect everywhere until you paint it back in only where skin actually needs it.
- The skin smoothing neural filter in Photoshop is built for facial skin, not for the neck, shoulders, or skin seen behind glasses.
- If the filter over-smooths the wrong areas, duplicate the blurred layer again and switch its blending mode to Darken to target the darker pixels instead.
Table of contents
What You Will Learn
- How to duplicate a portrait layer before applying a destructive filter.
- How to apply the Skin Smoothing Neural Filter and push its sliders to maximum intensity.
- How to bring back lost highlights and texture with the Lighten blending mode.
- How to create an inverted layer mask and paint the effect back in by hand.
- How to redirect the technique toward dark pixels instead of highlights.
Requirements
Before you start
- Photoshop 2021 (version 22.0 or later) or the current version
Practice Files
Download the files used in this tutorial and follow along step by step.
Skin Smoothing Neural Filter in Photoshop: Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Duplicate the layer | Ctrl J | Command J |
| Click the Layer Mask icon to create an inverted mask | Alt | Option |
Skin Softening in Photoshop
- Duplicate The Original Portrait. Duplicate the original background layer by pressing CtrlJ (Windows) or CommandJ (macOS).
- Apply The Skin Smoothing Neural Filter. Go to Filter > Neural Filters. Neural Filters is an AI-powered workspace built into Photoshop, designed to streamline certain workflows in just a few clicks.
Select the Skin Smoothing Neural Filter. Then drag the Blur and Smoothness slider to the right to their maximum intensity. We will fine-tune the results in the following steps.
From the Output menu, select Current Layer and press OK. Then Photoshop will apply the smoothing effect to the image. - Apply The Lighten Blending Mode. In some cases, the Skin Smoothing Neural Filter may destroy highlights and skin textures. To avoid these issues, blend the two layers. From the Blending Mode dropdown, select the Lighten Blending Mode. Lighten looks at both layers on an individual pixel basis and retains the brightest pixels.
Mask the Skin Smoothing Neural Filter Effect
- Create a Black (Inverted) Mask. The effect will not look good if you apply it globally. Instead, only apply it to the areas of the portrait that require it.
Press Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) and click on the Layer Mask icon to create an Inverted Layer Mask. An inverted layer mask is a mask that is completely black and hides all the contents in that layer. - Paint To Reveal The Smoothing Effect. Select the Brush Tool from the Toolbar and paint with white to reveal the effect on your selected areas.
- Target the Darker Pixels. In some cases, you may need to instead target the darker pixels. If this is the case, duplicate the layer with the applied blur. Set the Blending Mode to Darken. Apply an inverted layer mask. Then paint with white to reveal the blurring effect over the image. This time, though, the effect will only target the dark pixels.
If the portrait’s skin tones also need correcting, see how to fix skin tones in Photoshop with a one-click Curves adjustment.
If you want to selectively sharpen and add detail to your images check out our tutorial on Quickly Applying Targeted Sharpening in Photoshop. Thanks for reading!
Frequently Asked Questions
The Skin Smoothing Neural Filter is one of Photoshop’s Neural Filters, found under Filter > Neural Filters. It smooths skin automatically using Blur and Smoothness sliders, without you having to paint or clone anything by hand.
At full strength, the filter can flatten highlights and erase real skin texture. Blending the result with the original layer using Lighten mode restores the brightest pixels and keeps the texture from looking plastic.
Lighten compares the original layer and the smoothed layer pixel by pixel and keeps whichever pixel is brighter. That brings back highlights and fine texture the filter removed.
An inverted layer mask starts out completely black, so it hides the smoothing effect everywhere. Painting with white on that mask reveals the effect only where you brush, so you control exactly which areas get softened.
The Skin Smoothing Neural Filter is built for facial skin. It is not designed for body skin like the neck and shoulders, or for skin seen behind glasses.
Duplicate the blurred layer again, set its blending mode to Darken, and apply another inverted layer mask. Painting with white on that mask then targets only the darker pixels.
The Skin Smoothing Neural Filter shipped in Photoshop 2021 (version 22.0). It works the same way in every version since, including the current release.
Keep Using the Skin Smoothing Neural Filter
The skin smoothing neural filter in Photoshop gets you high-end, natural-looking skin softening in just a few clicks, without sacrificing real texture.
Blending with the Lighten mode and painting through an inverted mask is what keeps the result from looking overly smoothed or fake.
Watch the video above for the full walkthrough, and comment on the video if you have a question.
Selections and Masking Mastery
Complete course includes 2.5 hours of step-by-step lessons, 6 structured modules, downloadable practice files, and custom Photoshop brushes. Everything you need to master selections and masks in one place.
Keep going
Next, learn how to remove dark eye circles in Photoshop with Frequency Separation.
Related Links
Final Image
Drag the slider to see before and after
![After: High-End Skin Softening in Photoshop [New Technique]](https://photoshoptrainingchannel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/smooth-skin-after.jpg)
![Before: High-End Skin Softening in Photoshop [New Technique]](https://photoshoptrainingchannel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/smooth-skin-before.jpg)
