Using Frequency Separation Techniques In Photoshop For Professional Retouching

Using Frequency Separation Techniques In Photoshop For Professional Retouching – Although there have been countless articles written on the subject of frequency separation – including a few here – the current state of retouching worries me about its use. Its widespread adoption and overuse has brought us to the point where rapid frequency division has become the number one cause of worthy and embarrassing work. While I don’t believe we should ban it completely, I feel that the way we approach it needs to be fundamentally changed.

It’s no wonder that frequency splitting (FS) is a revolutionary technique that allows us to do many things that were previously impossible. Unfortunately, it is this power that allows people to misuse it by giving them a false sense of security. The popular belief is that because texture and sound are separated, there is no limit to what a low frequency layer can do, because texture is always preserved. While the whole assumption is incorrect because the texture requires half the frequency information to be displayed correctly, it is also important to recognize the importance of the “bottom” layer of toner in producing realistic results. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about in terms of “top” and “bottom” layers, be sure to check out Julia’s detailed article on the theory behind the technique.

Using Frequency Separation Techniques In Photoshop For Professional Retouching

Now let’s be clear, I believe that FS still has a place in modern decoration and I still use it in the way I teach in my photography and retouching sessions at RGG EDU, but I also achieved these points through a series of mistakes on my end. For over 2 years I have relied heavily on FS and ruined many photos in the process. Since then, I deleted almost all the photos from my portfolio and had to start all over again. While in some types of photography, the look often created by frequency separation is acceptable in most fashion and commercial photography, it is best to avoid it and maintain a certain level of “Rawness” and imperfection. In these categories, the first thing we must accept is that the image does not have to meet a completely false standard of beauty, and that some “flaws” are okay and even encouraging. If we have to work to the point where we are perfect, we may be on the right track. So with our ideas in place, how can we use FS and keep our pictures looking good? Here are some dos and don’ts to get you on the right track and hopefully leave you with some food for thought as you approach your next move.   

Quick And Easy Retouching Using Frequency Separation In Photoshop Plus Free Actions

My biggest advice is to stop treating FS as an all-around cosmetic solution and start seeing it as a tool of last resort. Testing the “OK” state, now we go to the “frequency break” in “Is there a problem with this picture that I need to use the frequency break?”. This simple question will help you avoid the job trap of not getting into it for “just” reasons. Many things that people use FS can be arranged in many adjustments, treatments or escapes and burns, so you use FS for one of the following reasons:

Of these reasons, the fourth is the only one where the use of frequency separation is recommended and justified, and I will touch on some situations throughout this article. So while my best advice is to minimize your use of FS, if you decide to continue using it to some extent, try to follow some of the recommendations below.

Working purely on texture-based issues outside of Frequency Separation is both challenging and difficult to solve, so this is one case where FS can save a lot of time and help produce better results with other methods. In the image below, if you look at the cheek area near the nose, you will notice a better texture in the next image by using the implant texture under FS. For demonstrations and discussions about texture grafting, see my articles and videos on the subject here.

One of the main reasons why professional make-up houses are seen in FS is because it is destructive and cannot be easily changed or turned off the way the layers are adjusted. Therefore, there is not really a good place in the work process to include FS, but the best compromise is to make it towards the beginning of the decoration change before the color correction, correction or burning. Since our goal is to use it sparingly, the FS’d layer should have minimal changes from its substrate, allowing for some dimming adjustments if needed. If you insert the FS later in your touch, you will not be able to make changes to your escape and burn or color correction because the FS layer has changed and covered the layers. If you’re doing this yourself, you probably don’t need to maintain a harmless workflow, but it’s a good principle to follow. 

Master Skin Retouching With Frequency Separation Techniques

There are sections of your subject where FS applies fairly and other dangerous areas. If you notice discolored patches, FS can speed up the process of removing them. While these problems can also be solved by treating or correcting the layers in some areas of your subject, it is usually not dangerous to deal with them in FS if you have a conflict. The safest areas tend to be flat, with not much light passing through them. This includes the forehead, chest, legs, and parts of the cheeks. However, the area to avoid is where there are many changes in light that determine the contour of the face. This is the circumference of the mouth, nose, eyes and eyebrows, certain areas of the neck and nasolabial folds. The figure below shows the main problems, but mostly due to the use of FS in these “danger zones” where the contours must be unintentionally narrow.

Whether you are working in a safe or dangerous area, the most important thing to remember is the direction of light and shadow and the overall contour of the face. Changing these contours by changing light is one of the best causes of a failed FS program. Sustaining changes in these surfaces requires the following:

The arrow represents the direction of the brush, the dot represents the point where you should sample the color when you draw.

In a perfect world, frequency separation should not change the brightness of your images and only work with color. Light correction is best saved for escape and burn (D&B), a more controlled and safe environment for doing it. To avoid unnecessary light changes in your bottom layer, use the color or hue mode of your paint layer (see image below) to speed up the color change and leave the change -o to light for Adjust then D&B. It may seem like you don’t have much progress, but by creating a nice color base, you can set yourself up for easy decorating with other non-destructive techniques like D&B. One thing to remember is to take a color sample from a well-lit area similar to your target area, because saturation levels behave differently in areas with shadows, tones in the center, and highlights. Applying a hue (instead of color) mode to your paint layer will prevent this problem, but may require more saturation adjustment later. Using a backup layer is a very practical method because it will allow you to restore areas that started incorrectly when you are working through your FS application.

Frequency Separation Photoshop Tutorial (nondestructive & Fully Editable Layers)

Since we have already established that FS should not be exposed to light, it is better to use it in black and white images (with bright light) usually not. B&W images should be used purely with avoidance and burn and repair and therefore represent a good exercise for practicing and perfecting these tools/techniques. The one exception to this rule is if you’re using it to run purely on a texture-based issue like the one we described above. 

Although we talk about how to use the device safely through colors and how to mix colors, this should not be taken as a free pass for color matching in a large area. If, for example, your subject’s neck and face don’t match the smart color, make these adjustments using a correction layer and mask as opposed to painting them inside FS. Remember that if possible we want to change the color uniformly on all surfaces (light) in that area, rather than replace the entire surface with a single color value. This is exactly why using multiple tuning layers and masks is better and safer than frequency violation. The former is a change, the latter a replacement. Let’s consider the case