bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

OK, here's a suggestion for a new year's resolution.

Stop the dang skin smoothing!

The resolution suggestion should read as follows.

I resolve to only make mannequins look like mannequins, people should look like people. Skin has texture, plastic does not. If I'm not taking portraits of plastic people (mannequins), then I should not be doing skin smoothing.

There are several realistic ways of "fixing" skin, but smoothing should go the way of the mullet hair. If frequency separation is too intimidating, then the spot healing brush, or even clone tool with soft edges can be used.

Remember, friends don't let friends do skin smoothing (or use Portrait Pro).... and I do consider you all my friends.

Happy New Year, and let's all resolve to get better at whatever we do. :thumbup:

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Nothing wrong with reality. Skin smoothing is a post-processing version of Botox. And while I suspect that a little Botox might still result in a natural look, most people really don't know where to stop. There is a local TV dealer who employs a Barbie-Doll model in their ads - she looks more like a mannequin than a human. And never in these ads does she ever blink. My wife gets upset when, watching television, I start yelling: "BLINK, DAMMIT - BLINK!"

MWojton Loc: Yardley, PA

I agree- and have been guilty of that in the past- but I have seen the error in my ways.

CaptainC Loc: Colorado, south of Denver

Yep - the smoothing/removal of blemishes is fine and appropriate, but just killing all the skin's texture makes for a very artificial look. This is not to say that a very light touch with some softening cannot be useful. It is all about balance and the use of a technique appropriate for the specific image.

kruchoski Loc: Albuquerque, NM

This topic/issue has been on my mind a lot for the past three months. Newly born granddaughter. My daughter-in-law has had a severe outbreak of acne, but her mom was too anxious to post pics on Facebook that she ignored the obvious potential for embarrassment. I tried to be mindful of that -- having had severe acne myself for years -- and took the time for some modest touch-up. There are times when "tack sharp" focus on ZITS is not welcome.

Pics were online quickly for sharing the "breaking news" with others faraway. I'll go back in a few weeks for a better job on the touch-up.

Baby Vivian, one month premature & second week (of eight) in the NICU