Warming Up Baby Skin in Photoshop: A Step-by-Step Guide Using the Curves Tool for Photographer and Photo Editors | Newborn Photographer in Devon & Cornwall
Editing baby skin can be a challenging task for photographers, as baby skin requires special care and attention to detail. However, with the right tools and techniques, it's possible to create a soft and natural look. In this blog post, we'll explore how to warm up an image using only the Curves tool in Photoshop, and why this approach is so effective when editing baby skin.
First, let's take a look at why warming up an image is important when editing baby skin. Baby skin tends to be lighter and more delicate than adult skin, so often, compared to children’s or adult’s skin it can take on a grey/purple hue. Additionally, adding warmth to the image can also help to counteract any cool tones that may have been introduced during the shooting process, such as artificial lighting or shooting in the shade.
So, how do we add warmth to an image using the Curves tool in Photoshop? The Curves tool is a powerful adjustment layer that allows us to make precise adjustments to the tonal values in an image. To warm up an image, we can create a new Curves layer, and then adjust the Red, Green, and Blue channels to create a warm tone.
To do this, we first need to select the Red channel in the Curves dialog box. Then, we can adjust the curve by clicking and dragging the middle of the curve upward, which will increase the brightness of the red channel and add warmth to the image. Next, we can adjust the Green and Blue channels in the same way, dragging the middle of the curves up or down to change the channels. We will then create a mask and paint on/off the skin the corrected tone (see the video).
It's important to note that every image is different, so it's crucial to make adjustments to the Curves layer in a way that looks natural and enhances the skin. This may involve making more adjustments to one channel than another, or adjusting the curves in different ways for different parts of the image.
