Photo Editing in Adobe Photoshop: Using Check Layers to Retouch Portraits

When it comes to skin or photo retouching, you really can’t trust your eyes.

Your eyes have learned to adapt to anything in order to make it make sense.

So what's the secret to getting the best retouching results without having to close your eyes?

CHECK LAYERS!

In this class, you’ll learn how to use check layers to retouch photos like a pro.

Using check layers, we'll answer questions like:

• When is it enough during retouching; and 
• What do you do when you can’t trust your eyes because it’s autocorrecting the photo?

You'll learn how check layers can help you:

• Create an objective way to retouch photos
• See what you wouldn’t notice at first glance
• Draw a clear line between retouching and over-retouching
• Monitor the specific properties of a photo (i.e. hue, saturation, luminance)
• Take the mystery out of retouching.

It makes the retouching process systematic, consistent, and replicable; which is especially interesting for in-house retouching teams.

This class is geared towards intermediate photographers and retouchers who are looking to elevate their retouching skills and speed up their workflow. We’ll be retouching a photo together in our class project and through this process you’ll learn how to edit non-destructively, achieve efficient and replicable results, and create actions in Adobe Photoshop to streamline your workflow and save you a lot of time in the process.

By the end of this class, you’ll not only have an evenly retouched photo, but also an approach you can replicate to achieve great results every time.

I'm excited to have you join me for this class. Goodluck, have fun and follow me on socials to keep up to date!

• Introduction
• Class Project
• Why We Retouch?
• Types of Workflow
• What is a Check Layer?
• Solar Curve Check Layer
• Cleaning Up the Skin
• Reading Light on a Photo
• Gradient Map Check Layer
• Micro Dodge & Burn
• Saturation Check Layer
• Saturation Correction
• Global Dodge & Burn
• Creating Actions for Your Workflow
• Conclusion