Smoothing with Camera Raw

Smoothing with Camera Raw

1. Open Image in Camera Raw

PC: Use the Open As Command in Photoshop, select the image, and select camera raw as the format.
Mac: Use the Open Command in Photoshop, select the image, and select camera raw as the format.

2. Hold Shift Key down, Open Image will change to Open Object, click on this button and the image will be opened as a Smart Object in Photoshop.

3. Duplicate the layer by right-clicking on the Layer (but Not the layer thumbnail) and select new smart object via copy.

4. Double click on the new layer's thumbnail and that layer then opens in Camera Raw which gives you a whole set of new tools to retouch your image with.

5. Drag the slide named Clarity all the way to the left to -100 which will blur the surface of the image. Then click OK.

6. Select the copy layer hold down the option/alt key and click the layer mask icon at the bottom of the layers panel. This will create a mask that is all black and will hide the copy layer.

7. Select a midsize soft brush. Set the foreground color to white. Anything painted white on the mask will let the image show through and anything black will be hidden.

8. Start painting in on the image anywhere you want the image to smoothed.

9. To paint back in any detail that may have been lost, reduce the opacity of the brush to 50%, reduce the size of the brush. Switch the foreground color to black and paint back areas that detail is needed.