When it comes to photo editing, one of the most common questions is how to correct skin tone. Whether you’re dealing with an underexposed or overexposed photo, or you just want to even out the skin tone, there are a few different ways you can go about it in Photoshop. In this article, we’ll run through a few of the most popular methods for correcting skin tone.
Method 1: Use the Curves Adjustment Layer
One of the simplest and most effective ways to correct skin tone is to use a Curves Adjustment Layer. This tool allows you to adjust the tonal range of an image, and can be used to both lighten and darken areas of the image.
To use a Curves Adjustment Layer, simply click on the “Create new fill or adjustment layer” button at the bottom of the Layers panel, and select “Curves” from the list. Once you’ve done this, you’ll see a graph appear on your screen. The bottom left corner of this graph represents the shadows in your image, the middle represents the midtones, and the top right corner represents the highlights.
If you want to lighten the skin tone, you’ll need to drag the middle of the curve up. For example, if you want to lighten only the midtones, you would drag that section of the curve up.
Conversely, if you want to darken the skin tone, you would drag that section of the curve down. You can also adjust specific areas of the image by clicking on points on the curve and dragging them up or down.
Method 2: Use Selective Color
Another way to adjust skin tone is to use Photoshop’s Selective Color tool. This tool allows you to selectively adjust colors in an image without affecting other colors.
To use Selective Color, simply click on the “Create new fill or adjustment layer” button at the bottom of the Layers panel and select “Selective Color” from the list. Once you’ve done this, you’ll see a window appear with a number of different color options. The colors that are most relevant for adjusting skin tone are Reds, Yellows, and Neutrals.
If you want to lighten skin tone, you would select Reds from the drop-down menu and then increase either Cyans or Magentas. For example, if you wanted to lighten only midtones, you would increase Magentas. Conversely, if you wanted to darken skin tone, you would decrease either Cyans or Magentas.
Method 3: Use Hue/Saturation
The Hue/Saturation tool is another useful tool for adjusting skin tone. This tool allows you to change the hue (color), saturation (intensity), and lightness of an image.
To use Hue/Saturation, simply click on “Edit” in the top menu bar and select “Hue/Saturation” from the drop-down menu. Once you’ve done this, a window will appear with three sliders: Hue, Saturation, and Lightness.
To change skin tone with Hue/Saturation, simply adjust either Hue or Saturation. For example, if you wanted to make someone’s skin look more yellow, you would increase Hue.
If you wanted to make someone’s skin look more orange, you would increase both Hue and Saturation. Conversely, if you wanted to make someone’s skin look more blue, you would decrease Hue.
Conclusion
How Do I Correct Skin Tone in Photoshop?
As we saw in this article there are several ways that we can go about correcting someone’s skin tone in Photoshop using different tools available within Photoshop itself.
We went over three main methods: using a Curves Adjustment Layer; using Selective Color; and using Hue/Saturation.
Each method has its own merits and each one should be experimented with in order to get a feel for which one works best in each particular case.
Thanks for reading!
