![scott kelby perfect layers scott kelby perfect layers](https://31csme3pssfltgd81lo7eu19-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/nyc4.jpg)
So, first, in the Layers panel, click on the Background layer. Now that we've balanced that large area, if you wanted to take it a step further, I see two other remaining parts of that same general area that could use a little more balancing. By putting it way out of focus, it makes seeing when it's in sharp focus that much easier. Also, it sometimes helps to move the curve a lot-making it much brighter-and then pull it back down again to match (this is kind of like turning the focus ring on your lens so it goes way out of focus, and then turning it back the other way to snap it into sharp focus.
#SCOTT KELBY PERFECT LAYERS SKIN#
Either way, this is usually a very small movement, and to know exactly how much to move, keep an eye on the area of skin you're adjusting. Also, if the area had been brighter, instead of darker like it is here, you'd drag that center point diagonally down toward the bottom-right corner. Just drag a tiny little bit, keeping an eye on your selected area as you drag, and with just a little bit of dragging, you'll be able to make that darker area of skin match the surrounding area (this is much easier than you'd think, so make sure you try it for yourself). So far, pretty easy, right? You just click once right in the middle of the line.Īll you're going to do now is drag that middle point diagonally up and to the left to brighten that whole darker area. So, start by clicking once right on the center of the diagonal line in the Curves graph (shown circled here in red) in the Adjustments panel to add a point to the midtones area of the curve. You're going to change the tone of these patches of skin (whether they're too dark, like the ones shown here, or too bright, which is often the case) by adjusting the midtones. Now, don't worry, even if you've never used Curves before, you'll be able to do this. Notice that your selection is already masked out on the Curves adjustment layer mask. Now, click on the Create New Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel and choose Curves from the pop-up menu. When the dialog appears, enter 10 pixels if you selected a smallish area, or 20 pixels if it's a larger area, like the one we have here.
![scott kelby perfect layers scott kelby perfect layers](https://i.pinimg.com/474x/7c/55/4b/7c554b8792fe8032517db5a427af4c59--softbox-lighting-lighting-setups.jpg)
Now, go under the Select menu, under Modify, and choose Feather. Try to keep your selection pretty darn close to that area, but don't spend a lot of time making it exactly perfect, because you're going to add a huge feather to the edges that will make up for not having a perfect selection, but you should at least try to get close. Get the Lasso tool (L) and trace right around that darker area (as shown here). Ideally, we'd like to balance these areas of skin before we do any skin softening or enhancing. Here's the image we want to retouch, and if you look between our subject's collarbone and her chest, you'll see a large area of skin that's darker than her surrounding skin. Luckily, it's a very quick and easy technique. You don't want to spend a lot of time on this, but if you can get the skin tones in these areas closer in just 60 or so seconds, it makes things easier down the road. So, we should do a quick retouch to balance those areas before we start any kind of skin softening or smoothing.
#SCOTT KELBY PERFECT LAYERS PATCH#
You're definitely going to run into situations where your subject has a patch of skin, maybe on their arm, or back, or leg, that is either brighter or darker than the surrounding skin.