Acne removal in portraits requires a strategic approach that addresses both color and texture issues. The key to natural-looking results lies in handling the redness separately from the physical blemishes, preventing the flat, over-processed appearance that often results from direct spot removal.
This two-step method first neutralizes the red tones that make blemishes so prominent, then uses content-aware healing to seamlessly blend skin texture. The workflow maintains realistic skin variation while eliminating distracting imperfections.
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Practical Tips
Follow these essential techniques for professional acne removal results:
- Create a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer targeting only the red color range, then adjust the color slider to isolate problem areas before reducing saturation and shifting hue toward skin tones
- Use the Spot Healing Brush with Content-Aware mode on a new layer with "Sample All Layers" enabled to preserve your original image
- Match your brush size to each blemish - larger spots need bigger brushes, smaller imperfections need precise targeting
- Work in two passes: first remove distinct spots and pimples, then address blotchy areas and uneven skin texture
- Add subtle color variation back to the skin using a soft brush on Soft Light blend mode to maintain natural skin tones
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