One of the (Many) Reasons I Looooove Photoshop

I must admit, I have airbrushed my son's face.  Is that a crime?  Actually, I airbrush a lot of people's faces, but, we won't talk about that.  However, we have battled skin issues with Liam for a good 9 months now.  And, we think we have finally figured out the culprit after a couple months of trial and error.  Wheat.  Which is unfortunate because Cheerios, Goldfish, and bread baskets offered at restaurants are very easy to come by.  And they keep Little Man entertained and happy until the "real food" arrives.   However, I have noticed that each time I have taken wheat out of Liam's diet, his skin clears and his nose stops dripping.  So, I guess we are now on the prowl for gluten free goodies that don't need to be kept cool, that Liam *actually* likes.  This has been a challenge so far.  We are up for suggestions!

Anyway, back to why I love Photoshop so much.  It's because Photoshop can make anyone's skin look amazing (Even mine, which is a mess without make-up - yikes).   So, I thought I would share with you an example of the amazing magic Photoshop is capable of:

This is actually the SOOC shot

This is after completely editing the photo

For those of you that use PS, here are a couple things I do to improve the appearance of skin in the images I edit:

1.  Balance skin tone, remove redness from midtones.
2.  Use the healing brush tool (my fav tool) for major blemishes, scratches, etc.
3.  Create a duplicate layer, use gaussian blur at 20% opacity, erase the details of the face so they maintain good clarity.
4.  If necessary, some light airbrushing.

This is the process I am currently using, and it works for me.  What do you guys out there is PS world do?  Any other suggestions?

Seriously, I love Photoshop.

Before and After

I think there is a common misconception that all you need is an amazing camera in order to take amazing photos.  Well, let me tell ya - I have seen a lot of crummy photos taken with great cameras and I will be the first to admit that I have taken some pretty bad photos myself.  Photography is about knowing your camera, creativity, knowing how to engage with other people, good editing skills and the list goes on....  It takes A LOT of time to learn how to take a good photo and how to edit it properly to create a beautiful art piece.  And, it takes a lot of time to actually take and edit photos.

P.S.  Even the most skilled photographer will tell you that they feel that they have more to learn with photography.  It's an art form that is always evolving.


Now, I know I have a ton to learn.  But, I also know I have come a long way from where I first started a couple years ago.  It has taken a lot of time researching and practicing to learn the skills I now have and I only hope to continue getting better as time goes by!

Remember how I said photography takes time (i.e. especially editing)?  Check out this straight out of camera shot and final edited photo comparison of my adorable niece:

Big difference, huh?