Easily Match SKIN TONES in Photoshop!
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- 0:00 Introduction
- 0:29 Set Up The Document
- 1:06 Paint The Sample and Target Colors
- 2:44 Create a Curves Adjustment Layers
- 3:08 Sample Your Colors with the Color Sampler Tool
- 4:06 Set the Points in Each RGB Value
- 5:37 Match the RGB Values
- 6:39 Add Contrast with The Curves RGB Composite
- 7:01 Delete the Unused Layers
- 7:10 Selectively Apply The Effect with a Layer Mask
- 8:25 Final Thoughts
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Learn an easy technique to match skin tones in Photoshop with the Curves Adjustment Layer.
In photography, human skin is one of the most difficult elements to get right. Sometimes it’s easier to take the skin tones from a great image and apply them to your photo. But it’s not as easy as changing colors in Photoshop. Skin is much more complex.
In this tutorial, you will learn how to quickly and easily match skin tones in Photoshop to take your photos to the next level.
This easy-to-follow Photoshop tutorial will teach you a process that can help you colorize the skin in a portrait or match skin tones in uneven areas.
Key Takeaways
- Sample a mid-tone from the skin you want to copy and a mid-tone from the skin you want to change, avoiding highlights and shadows in both.
- Use the Color Sampler Tool with an averaged Sample Size so the Info panel holds both readings while you work.
- A rough Lasso selection made before you add the Curves layer becomes the layer mask, so the correction starts contained.
- With the On-image Adjustment Tool, holding Shift Ctrl on Windows or Shift Command on macOS while you click drops a point on the Red, Green, and Blue curves at once.
- Type the reference R, G, and B numbers into the Output box of each channel, then refine the mask with a brush.
Table of contents
- Match Skin Tones in Photoshop
- Step 1: Select the Color To Sample
- Step 2: Select the Target Color
- Step 3: Create a Small Selection Around The Skin
- Step 4: Create a Curves Adjustment Layer
- Step 5: Set the RGB Values in Each Channel of The Curve
- Step 6: Match the RGB Values
- Step 7: Selectively Apply The Effect with a Layer Mask
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Tutorial Download
- Related Links
Match Skin Tones in Photoshop
This step-by-step tutorial will help you match skin tones in Photoshop by using the Curves Adjustment Layer. Time needed: about 4 minutes.
Step 1: Select the Color To Sample
Find an image with skin tones that you like. Analyze your image and find a color that best represents the skin tones. Avoid highlights or shadows.
You can then use the Color Sampler Tool, nested under the Eyedropper Tool, to sample the color.
From the Options Bar, set the Sample Size to an averaged size such as 5 by 5 Average rather than Point Sample. Averaging a small area gives a better representation of the skin than a single pixel, which can land on noise.
From the Info Panel, you will now see the color you sampled. Take note of the RGB values.
Step 2: Select the Target Color
Next, sample the color in your image that best represents the skin tones. Again, avoid highlights or shadows. Use the Color Sampler Tool to sample the color.
Step 3: Create a Small Selection Around The Skin
Use the Lasso to create a selection around the skin. No need to be precise at this step.
Step 4: Create a Curves Adjustment Layer
Make sure that the Curves Adjustment Layer is on top of all the layers in your document. Because a selection was active, the Curves layer arrives with that selection already applied as its layer mask.
Step 5: Set the RGB Values in Each Channel of The Curve
From the Properties Panel, enable the On-image Adjustment Tool.
Hold Shift Ctrl on Windows or Shift Command on macOS and click on the color that represents your target’s skin tone. That adds a control point at the same place on the Red, Green, and Blue curves in one click.
Step 6: Match the RGB Values
From the RGB dropdown select Red. With the new point selected, set the Output box to the R value of the sampled color, found in the Info panel.
Then repeat this process with the corresponding values in the remaining channels, Green and Blue. Once all three match, the target skin carries the color of the reference.
Step 7: Selectively Apply The Effect with a Layer Mask
You can now fill your mask with black to hide the effect from your image entirely. Then with the Brush Tool, you can paint with white to selectively reveal the effect.
Use a soft brush at a low flow and build the effect up. Skin edges rarely need a hard transition, and a soft mask keeps the correction from showing.
Make sure to also watch my tutorial on softening skin in Photoshop!
Frequently Asked Questions
Sample a mid-tone from the skin you want to copy and note its RGB values in the Info panel. Make a rough selection over the skin you want to change, add a Curves adjustment layer, drop a point on all three channels with the On-image Adjustment Tool, and type the reference R, G, and B numbers into the Output box of each channel.
Pick an area that reads as a mid-tone, such as a cheek or forehead in even light. Highlights are close to blowing out and shadows carry color from the surroundings, so neither one represents the skin fairly.
The Color Sampler Tool pins its readings to the image and keeps them visible in the Info panel, so you can compare the reference values and the target values side by side while you edit the curve.
With the On-image Adjustment Tool active, holding Shift Ctrl on Windows or Shift Command on macOS and clicking the image adds a control point at that tonal position on the Red, Green, and Blue curves at the same time, which is what lets you set all three Output values.
The curve is a global correction until you limit it. Fill the Curves layer mask with black to hide the effect everywhere, then paint white only over the skin that should change.
Yes. Sample the part of the skin that already looks right as your reference, sample the patch that looks off as your target, and run the same Curves process. Mask the result to the uneven area so the rest of the portrait is untouched.
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
Once the color matches, the next thing people notice is texture. My tutorial on fast skin softening in Photoshop picks up right where this one ends.
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Tutorial Download
Practice Files
Download the files used in this tutorial and follow along step by step.
Related Links
Final Image
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