How to Smooth Skin in Photoshop

To smooth skin in Photoshop, first remove blemishes with the Spot Healing Brush on an empty layer, then duplicate the photo, blur the copy with Surface Blur, hide it behind a black layer mask, and paint the smoothing back in only on the skin at a low layer opacity. That softens blotches and uneven tone while the eyes, lips, hair and the fine texture of pores stay sharp, which is the difference between retouched skin and plastic skin.

This page walks through that fast method step by step, then the two methods that give more control (inverted High Pass and frequency separation), the slider-based approach in Camera Raw, and the specific problems people bring to skin retouching: acne and spots, stretch marks, and a baby’s red, blotchy newborn skin. It also covers smoothing a whole image rather than skin, because that is a different job with different tools.

The quick answer: smooth skin in eight steps

1. Open the photo and create a new empty layer (Layer > New > Layer). Name it “Heal”.
2. Choose the Spot Healing Brush (J), set it to Content-Aware, tick Sample All Layers, and click once on each spot, scab or stray hair. Size the brush just larger than the blemish.
3. Merge everything into a new layer on top with Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E (Windows) or Cmd+Option+Shift+E (Mac). Name it “Smooth”.
4. Go to Filter > Blur > Surface Blur. Raise Radius until blotches melt, then set Threshold low enough that edges such as the jaw, nostrils and lips stay crisp. Click OK.
5. Hold Alt (Option on a Mac) and click the Add Layer Mask button at the bottom of the Layers panel. This adds a black mask that hides the blurred layer completely.
6. Pick a soft round brush, white, at about 30 percent flow. Paint over the cheeks, forehead, chin and neck. Stay off the eyes, brows, lips, nostrils, hairline and the edges of the face.
7. Lower the Smooth layer’s opacity until pores reappear, usually somewhere between 30 and 70 percent.
8. Zoom to 100 percent, toggle the layer on and off, and compare. If the skin looks waxy, lower the opacity further.

Everything below explains why each step works and what to do when the quick version is not enough.

Remove blemishes before you smooth anything

Smoothing spreads a blemish into a soft smudge; it does not remove it. Clean the skin first, then smooth. Working on an empty layer with Sample All Layers ticked keeps every fix separate from the original pixels, so you can erase a bad repair or lower the opacity of the whole layer later.

Which healing tool to use

• Spot Healing Brush. Click on the blemish and Photoshop picks the replacement texture itself. It is the fastest tool for isolated spots on open skin. You do not sample a source with this tool.
• Healing Brush. Alt-click (Option-click) a patch of clean skin to set a source, then paint over the problem. It blends the texture of the source with the color and brightness of the destination. Use it near edges such as the nose or lips, where the Spot Healing Brush tends to drag in the wrong texture.
• Patch Tool. Draw around a larger area, then drag the selection to clean skin. Good for scars, stretch marks and shiny patches.
• Clone Stamp. Copies pixels exactly, without blending. Use it where healing tools smear color, such as right against a hairline or the edge of a lip, and set its opacity low when you use it on skin.

Decide what counts as a blemish. Temporary things (spots, scratches, flaky skin, stray hairs) can go. Permanent features such as moles, freckles and scars are part of the person; remove them only when the subject asks. The ethics of how far to go are covered in photo retouching ethics.

Method 1: Surface Blur with a mask

This is the quick method above. Surface Blur is the right filter for skin because it blurs areas of similar tone while leaving edges alone. Gaussian Blur blurs everything equally, including the edge of the face, which is why skin smoothed with Gaussian Blur often has a soft halo around the jaw.

The two sliders work together:

• Radius sets how far the blur reaches. Larger files need a larger radius. On a head-and-shoulders portrait from a high-resolution camera, a starting point of 10 to 20 pixels is typical; on a small file, 3 to 6 may be enough.
• Threshold sets how different two neighboring tones must be before Photoshop treats the boundary as an edge and stops blurring across it. Low values protect more edges. A starting point of 10 to 20 levels works for most faces.

Convert the layer to a Smart Object (Filter > Convert for Smart Filters) before you apply Surface Blur if you want to change the settings later. Double-click the filter in the Layers panel to reopen it.

If the smoothed areas look too clean next to the rest of the photo, add back a little grain: Filter > Noise > Add Noise, Gaussian, Monochromatic, at 1 to 2 percent. Matching grain is what stops retouched skin from looking pasted on.

Method 2: inverted High Pass (smooths tone, keeps pores)

This method removes the mid-sized blotches and bumps that make skin look uneven, while letting the finest texture through. It looks more natural than Surface Blur on close-up portraits.

1. Duplicate the cleaned layer (Ctrl+J or Cmd+J).
2. Invert it with Ctrl+I (Cmd+I). The layer turns into a negative.
3. Set the layer’s blend mode to Linear Light. The photo will look gray and strange; that is expected.
4. Go to Filter > Other > High Pass. Raise the radius until skin blotches disappear, often 15 to 25 pixels on a high-resolution portrait.
5. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set a small radius, roughly a fifth to a third of the High Pass value (3 to 5 pixels for a High Pass of 15 to 25). This step lets the finest texture, the pores, back through.
6. Alt-click (Option-click) Add Layer Mask to hide the effect, then paint it back onto the skin with a soft white brush.
7. Lower the layer’s opacity to taste.

The two radius values define a band of detail sizes that gets flattened. Everything coarser than the High Pass radius (the overall shape and shading of the face) and everything finer than the Gaussian radius (pores and fine hair) is left alone. If pores vanish, raise the Gaussian radius so more fine texture passes through; if the face loses its shape and looks flat or muddy, lower the High Pass radius.

Method 3: frequency separation (most control)

Frequency separation splits the photo into two layers: a blurred layer that holds color and tone, and a texture layer that holds fine detail. You can then even out color on one layer without touching texture, and fix texture on the other without shifting color. It is the standard method for high-end beauty and fashion work, and it takes longer to set up and use. The full setup, including the exact settings for 8-bit and 16-bit files, is on frequency separation.

Method 4: Texture and Clarity sliders in Camera Raw

For quick work on many photos, or for anyone more comfortable with sliders than layers, the Camera Raw Filter in Photoshop (Filter > Camera Raw Filter) and the same controls in Lightroom do a good job.

• Open the Masking panel and create a brush mask, or use the automatic person masks to select facial skin and body skin.
• Set Texture negative, around -20 to -40. Texture works on fine to medium detail, so negative values soften skin without blurring edges much.
• Set Clarity slightly negative, around -10 to -20, to soften larger blotches. Too much makes the face look hazy.
• Reduce Sharpness in the mask a little if the camera’s own sharpening is exaggerating pores.

This approach keeps the edit non-destructive and repeatable. Lightroom users can follow the same idea on editing portraits in Lightroom, and the masking tools are explained on Lightroom masking.

Even out skin color, not just texture

Smoothing fixes texture. Much of what makes skin look bad in a photo is color: red patches, blotchy cheeks, a yellow cast under the eyes. Two simple fixes:

• Reduce redness. Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer, choose Reds from the menu, and lower saturation slightly or nudge hue toward yellow by a few points. Invert its mask (Ctrl+I) and paint it back onto the red areas only.
• Match patches to good skin. Create a new layer, set its blend mode to Color, sample a clean area of skin with the eyedropper, and paint over blotches at 10 to 20 percent opacity. This changes hue and saturation without touching texture or brightness.

Uneven brightness, such as dark under-eye circles or bumps that catch the light, is best handled with dodge and burn: lightening small dark areas and darkening small bright ones until the skin reads as even. It is slow, and it keeps texture perfectly because no pixel is blurred.

Not sure how masks and adjustment layers fit together? Layers and masks in Photoshop explains how both work and why every step on this page uses them.

How to remove or reduce acne

Acne usually needs all three tools in order: heal, recolor, smooth.

1. Heal individual raised spots on an empty layer with the Spot Healing Brush. Work in small clicks; long strokes pull in mismatched texture.
2. Large clusters heal better with the Healing Brush, sampling clean skin from the same part of the face so the pore size matches. Forehead texture on a cheek looks wrong.
3. Reduce the red marks that remain with the Hue/Saturation Reds method above.
4. Finish with light smoothing (Method 1 or 2) at a low opacity.

For a natural result, heal the spots and leave a hint of the redness. Skin with zero variation in color looks retouched even when the texture is perfect.

How to remove stretch marks in Photoshop

Stretch marks are long, thin lines that differ from the surrounding skin in both color (often pink, purple or silvery white) and texture (slightly shiny or indented). Fix both, and aim to reduce them rather than erase every trace.

1. On an empty layer, use the Healing Brush with Sample All Layers. Alt-click clean skin beside a mark, ideally along the same direction the mark runs, and paint along the mark in short strokes. Resample often so the texture does not repeat.
2. For wide areas with many marks, draw a selection around a group with the Patch Tool and drag it to clean skin nearby.
3. Lower the healing layer’s opacity to 60 to 80 percent to let a trace of the marks through, which keeps the skin believable.
4. If a color difference remains, paint over it on a Color blend mode layer sampled from nearby skin, as described above.
5. If the marks still show as light or dark lines, dodge or burn them gently until they match their surroundings.

For maternity and boudoir work, ask the subject before removing stretch marks. Many people want them softened, some want them left alone, and it is not the retoucher’s decision. Lighting matters too: soft, frontal light shows stretch marks far less than hard light from the side. Maternity photography covers the lighting and posing side.

How to make baby skin look good

Newborn skin is already smooth, so the job is mostly about color and small temporary marks. Babies often have red or blotchy patches, peeling dry skin, tiny white spots on the nose, scratches from their own nails and baby acne, all of which pass in a few weeks and are fine to remove.

• Heal, do not blur. Remove scratches, flakes and spots with the Spot Healing Brush. Heavy smoothing on a baby makes the face look like a doll.
• Calm the redness. Newborn skin is often much redder on the hands, feet and face than on the body. Use a Hue/Saturation layer on Reds, lower saturation, and paint it in where the color is strongest. Check that lips and cheeks still have some color.
• Even out blotches with a low-opacity Color layer sampled from the clearest skin.
• Leave creases and folds. The creases on wrists and legs are what make a newborn look like a newborn.
• Watch white balance. Baby skin easily turns orange or magenta. Fix the overall color first, then retouch.

How to smooth an image (not skin) in Photoshop

Some searches for “smooth in Photoshop” mean something else: removing grain from a whole photo, or softening a rough background. The tools are different.

• Grainy or noisy photo. Use the Detail panel of the Camera Raw Filter and raise Noise Reduction (luminance) and Color Noise Reduction, or use an AI denoise option on the raw file before you open it in Photoshop. Noise reduction explains the trade-off between smoothness and detail.
• Rough background or flat area. Select it (Select > Subject, then invert, or a quick selection), then apply Surface Blur or Gaussian Blur to the selection only.
• Jagged edges on a cutout. Use Select and Mask and raise Smooth and a little Feather before outputting the mask.

Keeping retouched skin natural

• Look at two zoom levels. Check repairs at 100 percent, then judge the overall look at the size the photo will actually be seen. Smoothing that looks fine zoomed in can look plastic on a phone screen.
• Keep the light and shadow. The shading that shows the shape of cheekbones, nose and jaw must survive. If the face looks flat, the smoothing radius is too large.
• Keep some shine. Reduce hot spots on the forehead and nose by healing or painting at low opacity, but leave a small highlight. Skin with no sheen looks matte and dead.
• Retouch less for men and older subjects, and for documentary work. Texture, lines and stubble are part of the character of a face.
• Take a break and look again. After twenty minutes of retouching, your eye adjusts and you overdo it. Step away, come back, and lower the opacity of everything if needed.
• Calibrate your screen. Redness and blotches are color problems, and an uncalibrated monitor hides or invents them. See monitor calibration.

Common mistakes when smoothing skin

• Using Gaussian Blur on the whole layer without a mask. Edges go soft, eyes lose sharpness, and the face gets a halo.
• Smoothing before healing. Blemishes turn into soft smudges that are harder to fix.
• Leaving the smoothing layer at 100 percent. Almost every face needs it far lower.
• Painting the mask over eyes, lips, brows and hair. These need full detail; the eyes in particular are where viewers look first.
• Sampling skin from the wrong part of the face. Pore size differs between forehead, cheek, nose and chin.
• Retouching the face but not the neck, hands or chest. Smooth faces on untouched necks are an instant giveaway.
• Removing permanent features without asking. Moles, freckles, scars and birthmarks belong to the person.
• Sharpening the whole photo afterward. This brings back the texture you softened. Mask the sharpening to eyes, hair and clothing instead; sharpening explains how.

Try this

Take one close portrait and give yourself ten minutes. Spend five healing every temporary blemish on an empty layer. Then build a Surface Blur layer with a black mask, paint it onto the skin, and set its opacity to 100 percent. Now lower it in steps of 10 percent and stop at the first value where you can see pores at 100 percent zoom. Save that version, then toggle the smoothing layer off and compare the two side by side at screen size. Most people find they can drop the opacity another 10 to 20 percent before the difference disappears at normal viewing size, and that is the setting to use.

Want the full retouching workflow, from eyes and teeth to final color? Photo retouching covers the whole sequence for portraits.

Questions people ask about smoothing skin in Photoshop

What is the best way to smooth skin in Photoshop? For most portraits, heal blemishes first, then use a masked Surface Blur layer at low opacity. For close-up beauty work where texture matters, use the inverted High Pass method or frequency separation, which smooth tone while keeping pores.

How do I smooth skin without losing texture? Never blur the whole face at full strength. Use a filter that protects detail (Surface Blur with a low threshold, or inverted High Pass with a small Gaussian Blur), mask it to the skin only, and lower the opacity until pores show. Adding 1 to 2 percent monochromatic noise restores grain if an area still looks too clean.

Why does my retouched skin look fake or plastic? Usually the smoothing is too strong, covers too much of the face, or has removed the shading that gives the face shape. Lower the layer opacity, take the mask off the eyes, lips and edges, and keep some variation in color and shine.

Is there an automatic skin smoothing option in Photoshop? Recent versions include automatic, AI-based skin smoothing filters, and the Camera Raw Filter can select skin automatically for a negative Texture adjustment. They are quick starting points, but results vary from photo to photo, so check the eyes and edges and lower the strength when needed.

Should I use the Spot Healing Brush or the Healing Brush? Use the Spot Healing Brush for isolated spots on open skin; it chooses its own source and needs no sampling. Use the Healing Brush, where you Alt-click (Option-click) a source, near edges such as the nose, eyes and lips, or anywhere the automatic choice gets the texture wrong.

How do I smooth skin in Photoshop on a phone or tablet? The tablet version of Photoshop has the healing brushes and layer masks, and the mobile version of Lightroom has a healing tool and masking with a Texture slider. Heal spots, mask the skin, and apply a negative Texture value or a masked blur. The same rules apply: heal first, smooth lightly, keep the eyes sharp.

Would you like to test what you know about skin texture, dodge and burn and color work? The professional retouching quiz checks the ideas on this page.

More Photoshop lessons are on the Photoshop hub, and removing tattoos in Photoshop uses the same healing and color tools on a larger scale.