Portrait Retouching: Free Lightroom Tutorial

Topics Covered in This Lightroom Tutorial:

Teeth Whitening, Adjusting Skin Tone, Iris Enhancement, Skin Softening, Detail Enhancement

Exercise Preview

Exercise Overview

Portrait photography demands technical precision and artistic finesse, particularly when it comes to post-processing. In this comprehensive exercise, you'll master essential portrait enhancement techniques that professional photographers rely on daily: whitening teeth for more engaging smiles, adjusting skin tone to achieve natural warmth, enhancing irises to create captivating eye contact, applying subtle skin softening for flattering results, and sharpening details to make your subjects truly stand out. These skills form the foundation of professional portrait retouching workflows used across the industry.

Getting Started

1. If you have not imported the photos that were imported in Exercise 2E:
   • Navigate to the Library module.
   • At the bottom left of the screen, click Import.
   • In the dialog box that appears, on the left under Source, navigate to Desktop > Class Files > Lightroom Class and select the Develop folder.
   • At the top, above the photos, ensure Add is selected (highlighted).
   • On the bottom right, click Import.

2. Confirm you are in the Library module.

3. In the Catalog panel on the left, click All Photographs.

4. Select the portrait of the man in a green shirt (to_edit-041).

5. Press the D key to switch to the Develop module.

   For this portrait, we'll perform targeted adjustments to whiten teeth and reduce unwanted redness in facial tones—two fundamental techniques that elevate amateur snapshots to professional-grade portraits.

Whitening the Man's Teeth

Teeth whitening is one of the most impactful portrait enhancements, instantly creating a more confident and appealing smile. The key is subtlety—overdoing this effect can create an unnatural, overly-bright appearance.

1. Click directly on the teeth to zoom in for precise editing.

2. Drag the photo until the teeth are perfectly centered on your screen.

3. Below the Histogram panel on the right, click the Adjustment Brush tool .

4. The tool options will appear below. (You may need to scroll up to see them.) From the Effect menu, select Teeth Whitening.

5. Press the left bracket ( [ ) to see the brush size decrease.

6. Press the right bracket ( ] ) to see it increase.

7. Adjust the brush size to approximately match the height of a front tooth for optimal precision.

8. Carefully brush over the teeth to apply whitening. (If teeth become highlighted in red instead of whitening, press O to disable the layer mask view.)

9. Press O to reveal the red layer mask and identify any areas you missed.

10. Brush over any missed areas to include them in the layer mask.

11. If you accidentally applied the mask to areas other than teeth, reduce the brush size, then hold Opt (Mac) or ALT (Windows) and paint over the unwanted mask areas to erase them.

12. When you're satisfied with the layer mask coverage, press O to hide the layer mask.

13. Click the Adjustment Brush tool to deselect it.

14. Press the backslash ( \ ) key to toggle between before and after views. When finished comparing, ensure you're viewing the enhanced version.

15. Press Z to zoom out and assess the overall result.

Correcting the Man's Skin Tone

Skin tone correction is crucial for natural-looking portraits. Many subjects exhibit redness, particularly in facial areas, which can be distracting. We'll use targeted temperature and tint adjustments to achieve a more balanced, flattering complexion.

1. Click the Adjustment Brush tool .

2. Below the tool, double-click on the word Effect to reset all effects to zero.

3. If you don't see the Temp and Tint sliders below the Effect menu and only see an Amount slider, click the triangle to the right of the Effect menu to reveal all available options.

4. Adjust the Tint to -25 to counteract unwanted magenta tones.

5. Set the Saturation to -10 to reduce color intensity slightly.

6. Increase the brush size by pressing the right bracket ( ] ) key.

7. Apply the brush to the entire face and neck area (including glasses, eyes, ears, mouth, etc.).

8. Press O to reveal the red layer mask and check coverage.

9. Brush any missed facial areas to add them to the layer mask.

10. Press Z to zoom in for detailed work.

11. Hold down the spacebar and drag to position the top left hairline area in view. (The spacebar enables panning/movement.)

12. Along the hairline, remove any mask from hair areas where you over-brushed. Hold down Opt (Mac) or ALT (Windows) and paint over unwanted mask areas to erase them.

13. Hold down the spacebar and center the teeth in your view.

14. Remove the mask from teeth and the mouth interior to preserve our earlier teeth whitening work. Hold down Opt (Mac) or ALT (Windows) and paint over these areas to remove the skin tone adjustment.

15. Press Z to zoom out for an overall assessment.

16. Press O to turn off the layer mask display.

17. Press the backslash key ( \ ) to toggle between before and after. When finished comparing, ensure you're viewing the enhanced version.

18. Notice the two circles on the man's face (one on teeth, one on face/neck). Each circle represents a distinct brush adjustment sequence.

19. Click on the circle over the face or neck to select this brush sequence. A black dot will appear in the circle's center, indicating it's selected.

20. Hover over the circle to see the associated layer mask. Let's fine-tune the adjustment. Ensure you have the face/neck circle selected, not the teeth circle.

21. Move the Tint slider to observe its effect on facial tones.

22. After experimenting, set the Tint to -30 for optimal color balance.

23. Adjust the Temp to +17 to add warmth to the skin.

24. Experiment with the Saturation slider to understand its impact.

25. Set the Saturation to 4 for the final result.

26. Click the Adjustment Brush tool again to close it.

27. Press the backslash key ( \ ) to toggle between before and after views. When finished comparing, ensure you're viewing the enhanced version.

    The transformation is remarkable—teeth appear whiter and more natural, while facial redness is significantly reduced, creating a much more professional and appealing portrait.

Whitening the Couple's Teeth

Now we'll work with a more complex image featuring multiple subjects. The couple portrait (to_edit-042) presents opportunities to enhance both subjects' smiles, brighten their eyes for greater connection, soften skin for a flattering appearance, and add richness to hair texture. This comprehensive approach demonstrates how multiple targeted adjustments create compelling portraits.

1. Press G to return to the Library module.

2. Double-click the portrait of the couple (to_edit-042) to open it in Loupe View.

3. Press Z to zoom in for detailed work.

4. Position the woman's teeth in the center of your view by dragging.

5. Press D to switch to the Develop module.

6. Below the Histogram panel, click the Adjustment Brush tool .

7. Double-click on the word Effect to reset all effects.

8. From the Effect menu, select Teeth Whitening.

9. Size the brush to match the teeth dimensions appropriately.

10. Apply the brush to the woman's teeth.

11. Press O to reveal the red layer mask.

12. Brush any missed areas to complete the mask coverage.

13. Hold down the spacebar and reposition to center the man's teeth on screen.

14. With the layer mask still visible, brush the man's teeth to include them in the same whitening adjustment.

15. Press O to turn off the layer mask display.

16. Click the Adjustment Brush tool to deselect it.

17. Press Z to zoom out and evaluate the overall effect.

18. Press the backslash key ( \ ) to toggle between before and after views. When finished comparing, ensure you're viewing the enhanced version.

Iris Enhancement

Eye enhancement is perhaps the most powerful portrait technique available to photographers. Well-executed iris enhancement draws viewers into the image and creates an immediate emotional connection. The goal is to brighten and add definition to the iris while avoiding the pupils, which should remain naturally dark.

1. Under the Histogram panel, click the Adjustment Brush tool .

2. Press Z to zoom in for precise eye work.

3. Hold down the spacebar and position both of the woman's eyes visibly on screen.

4. Below the Adjustment Brush tool , next to Mask, click New to create a fresh adjustment layer.

5. From the Effect menu, select Iris Enhance.

6. Carefully brush around the pupil of the woman's right eye, ensuring you avoid brushing over the pupil itself.

7. Press O to reveal the red layer mask and check your precision.

8. Brush any missed iris areas to complete the mask.

9. With the layer mask still visible, brush around the pupil of her left eye.

10. Hold down the spacebar and center the man's eyes on screen.

11. Apply the brush around the pupil of each of his eyes with the same careful technique.

12. Press O to turn off the layer mask display.

13. Click the Adjustment Brush tool to deselect it.

14. Press the backslash key ( \ ) to toggle between before and after views. You'll notice a subtle but compelling enhancement around each iris. Let's intensify this effect for greater impact. Ensure you're viewing the enhanced version.

15. Click the Adjustment Brush tool to reactivate it.

16. Press Z to zoom out for better navigation.

17. Click on the white circle over the woman's right eye to select this brush sequence.

18. Press Z to zoom back in on the eyes for detailed adjustment.

19. In the options below the Adjustment Brush tool , increase the Exposure to 0.90. The eyes now have remarkable presence and visual impact!

Skin Softening

Professional skin softening requires a delicate balance—enough to flatter the subject while maintaining natural texture and detail. Over-softening creates an artificial, plastic-like appearance that immediately identifies amateur retouching. Our approach preserves important facial features while reducing distracting blemishes and harsh textures.

1. Ensure you still have the Adjustment Brush tool selected.

2. Below the Adjustment Brush tool , next to Mask, click New to create another adjustment layer.

3. From the Effect menu, select Soften Skin.

4. Press Z to zoom in so the woman's complete face fits on screen, if not already positioned.

5. Using a generously sized brush, apply the effect to her entire face (including neck and ears).

6. Reposition the image as needed to brush the complete neck and upper back area.

7. Reduce the brush size to precisely handle edges where her face meets his.

8. Press O to reveal the red layer mask and assess coverage.

9. Hold down Opt (Mac) or ALT (Windows) and carefully erase mask areas from the eyes, eyebrows, lips, mouth, and any over-brushed areas (dress, the man's face, etc.). This preserves important detail in these critical areas.

10. Press O to hide the layer mask.

11. Click the Adjustment Brush tool to deselect it.

12. Press Z to zoom out for overall evaluation.

13. Press the backslash key ( \ ) to toggle between before and after views. The initial effect may appear too strong, so let's refine it. Ensure you're viewing the enhanced version.

14. Click the Adjustment Brush tool to reactivate it.

15. Notice multiple circles on the woman's face. Each represents a distinct brush sequence from our previous work: teeth whitening, iris enhancement, and skin softening.

16. Click on the white circle over her face (not teeth or eyes) to select the skin softening sequence. Look for the black dot in the circle's center confirming selection.

17. With the skin softening brush sequence active, adjust the Clarity to -40 in the options below the Adjustment Brush tool .

18. Click the Adjustment Brush tool to deselect it.

19. Press the backslash key ( \ ) to toggle between before and after views. The effect now appears much more natural and professionally executed. The portrait is looking exceptional! When finished comparing, ensure you're viewing the enhanced version.

Detail Enhancement

The final technique in our professional portrait workflow focuses on selectively enhancing texture and detail in specific areas. Hair provides an excellent opportunity to add richness and visual interest without affecting the carefully softened skin tones we've already perfected. This targeted approach creates depth and dimension in the final image.

1. Click the Adjustment Brush tool .

2. Below the Adjustment Brush tool , next to Mask, click New to create a fresh adjustment layer.

3. Double-click on Effect to reset all effects to zero.

4. Configure the following professional-grade detail enhancement settings:

   Contrast:	Increase to 25
   Clarity:	Increase to 50
   Sharpness:	Increase to 50

5. These settings deserve preservation for future projects. From the Effect menu select Save Current Settings as New Preset.

6. In the New Preset window, name the preset Enhance Detail.

7. Click the Create button to save your custom preset.

8. Press Z to zoom in for precise application.

9. Hold down the spacebar and position some of the woman's hair within your view.

10. Using a large brush, paint over the woman's hair while carefully avoiding both subjects' faces.

11. Hold down the spacebar and reposition as needed to cover all of the woman's hair systematically.

12. Press Z to zoom out and evaluate coverage.

13. Press the O key to reveal the red layer mask. Perfect the application by brushing over any hair areas you may have missed.

14. Click the Adjustment Brush tool to deselect it.

15. Press the backslash key ( \ ) to toggle between before and after views. Notice the remarkable improvement in hair texture and richness. When finished comparing, ensure you're viewing the enhanced version.

16. If you wish to fine-tune the effect, you can easily return to make adjustments. Here's a quick recap:
    • Click the Adjustment Brush tool to select it.
    • Click on the white circle over the woman's hair to select that specific brush sequence.
    • After selection, a black dot will appear in the white circle's center