Soft Focus Effect Techniques | Only Photoshop

Again with a photographic retouch tutorial, in this occasion we will show you several easy soft focus effects techniques. The picture is a pretty and sweet lady of www.sxc.com courtesy.

Preparing the image

In all the cases it is necessary to duplicate the bottom layer and aplly Gaussian Blur Filter: 6 - 40 px depending on the image resolution.

Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur

First Technique

Change the layer opacity until 50 %. You can prove other values of opacity to find the better one for your image.

The result: Attractive but not as much as this beautiful woman deserves.

Second Technique

Now with the opacity in 100% change the Layer Mode to Multiply. The result A little dark, deep and more natural that the previous one. But i dont like so much, its not ok for this image.

Third Technique

Now prove with the opacity layer to 100% and change the Layer Mode to Overlay. This is the result: I like the gold colors that she has taken, however some skin areas are overexposed, also the tree lost much detail, and she lost a lot of detail too, especially in the hair. On the other hand the focus is very good: I like it.

Fourth Technique

With opacity of 100%, change the Layer Mode to Hard Light.

This is the result: I like a lot this one, much more than the previous one, has the same virtues like the skin and hair gold colors and a very stylized focus. And this one doesnt lost so much detail on the hair and tree. Which is the better technique for you?

Bigger resolution. Try using levels or curves if the final illumination is not of your pleasure.