Adding a soft focus to a portrait can give the subject a smooth appearance.
Digital photography and the tools that accompany it, like advanced photo-editing software programs, have made perfect portraits possible. Everything from stunning to subtle effects can be added to a photo after it's been taken to enhance its appearance.Soft focus is one such tool that enhances the appearance of an already crisp, clear and well-composed portrait photo. Adding a soft focus to a portrait photo removes noise and softens distractions or imperfections to highlight the natural beauty of the portrait subject.
Instructions
1. Download or save a digital portfolio photo file to your computer. Open the photo in a photo-editing software program. Save the photo as its name or number with the word "revised" before or following it so as not to replace your original photo in case you want to revert back to it at some point.
2. Make all color, contrast, level and red eye or other adjustments until you feel you have finished touching up your photo. Examine your portrait and notice if there are still visible features or imperfections in the subject's face which cause distraction and draw attention away from the natural beauty of the subject or the specific look you were trying to accomplish with the shot.
3. Apply a soft focus to the photo file to reduce those imperfections and give the subject a smooth, somewhat airbrushed look. Flatten multiple layers in your photo down to one layer. Name this layer "finished" indicating that it is the finished portrait file before adding any soft focus effects into it. Copy the layer so that a second, duplicate layer appears and name that layer "soft."
4. Set the "opacity" option on the photo file to 33 percent to apply a blanket soft focus filter to the entire image that is one-third the strength of what the software program is capable of achieving.
5. Click on "filters" followed by "smart blur" to apply additional soft blur to the subject's face. Experiment with the "radius" and "threshold" options in the dialogue box that opens. Enable the "preview" option so that you can observe your effects as you adjust the "radius" and "threshold" of the photo. Continue adjusting the numbers slightly until you've added a level of blur that reduces the visibility of wrinkles, lines, blemishes and other distracting marks from the profile subject.
6. Create a copy of your "soft" layer and name it "softer." Add a Gaussian blur to the photo by clicking "file" then "filters" then "blur" and finally "Gaussian blur." Adjust the "radius" option in the dialogue box that appears until you have a very blurry image but one in which you can still distinguish the subject's facial features from each other; make sure you can still see the difference between the subject's eyes and nose, for example.
7. Click "OK" or "apply" and view the resultant image. Save the file and print or forward it to your client for approval.
