Frequency separation technique for flawless skin while preserving natural texture and pores — the industry standard for portrait retouching.

Step 1: Duplicate Layers

Open portrait. Duplicate background twice. Name top "Texture", bottom "Color".

Step 2: Separate Color

On Color layer: Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur 8px. This isolates skin tones from texture.

Step 3: Extract Texture

Select Texture layer. Image > Apply Image: Source Color layer, Subtract, Scale 2, Offset 128.

Step 4: Set Blending

Set Texture layer blending mode to Linear Light.

Step 5: Heal on Color Layer

On Color layer, use Healing Brush to remove blemishes and uneven tones.

Step 6: Smooth on Texture

On Texture layer, use Clone Stamp at 20% to reduce harsh pores while keeping detail.

Step 7: Final Check

Zoom to 100%. Toggle layers on/off to compare. Reduce Texture opacity to 90% if over-smoothed.

That's it! You've completed this tutorial. Experiment with the techniques and share your results with the Designstacks community.