Re: [Leica] Re: using Photoshop to simulate soft focus

[henry <henry@henryambrose.com>]

>Can any of our Photoshop gurus explain the best way of using Photoshop
>to simulate the effects of a traditional soft-focus filter or the
>legendary 'stocking over the lens' trick? I've got some portraits
>taken with a brutally-sharp Canon lens which are exposing every defect
>in the sitter's complexion. I've tried different settings of Gaussian
>blur, but the degree needed to tone down skin defects produces a
>rather artificial-looking end result.
>
>Regards,
>
>Doug Richardson
>
Hi Doug,
Try this:
Make a new layer by copying the background layer.
Do a Gaussian Blur on the new layer.
Select Darken as the blend mode.
Adjust the Opacity Slider to suit.
You can experiment with the exact settings to get what you want.
If it does not look good simply discard the layer and start over.
Like diffusion in the darkroom.

Henry