How to Match Skin Tones in Photoshop

How to Match Skin Tones in Photoshop

When photographing people, you will often notice the skin tone on their face is slightly different from the tone on their body. This color change happens for many reasons, including makeup, sun tan, blush, skin quality and light quality. If you have never noticed a difference in color, look again! It may surprise you.

Matching skin tone from one area to another can be rather tricky if you don't analyze color first. In this episode we show you how to analyze skin color from highlights through to shadows. Then we show you how to change mid-tone shadows and highlights to match face color to body color. You will be able to take these techniques with you for most portraits!

Tools for Matching Skin Tone

There are many ways to match skin tone in Photoshop, here is a quick guideline to what Phlearn uses.

Levels - Levels are more powerful than most people realize. Along with adjusting light and dark values they also adjust colors. Levels are our preferred method for matching skin tone in Photoshop.
Hue/saturation - It is common when adding color to skin that too much color is applied. This is not something that can be controlled thought the Levels Adjustment Layer. Instead it is better to use a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer and bring the saturation down.
Group Layer Masking

If you plan on creating a few adjustment layers and want them all restricted to the same place on your image try grouping them together first. You can add a mask to a group just as you would a layer. Using a Group Mask allows you to control the visibility of all the layers in a group, saving time and making selections more accurate.

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[AbrahamDakin]

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[DaveDugdaleColorado]

That was one of your most helpful tutorials! Thanks.

[FlynTie]

Here i am, working for years with photoshop, considered myself "pro" and never actual knew that you can use layermasks on groups! :D You never stop learning, thanks a ton for this tutorial!

[lolapaloza]

I'm in my last semester of university now. I transferred from a design-based photography major in Canada to a fashion-photography BA in England. 4 years of photographic and Photoshop instruction, and I never learned this…there is a reason that Phlearn is my first source for photoshop learning! Thank-you SO FREAKIN MUCH!

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Thank you and everyone who does tutorials. They help A LOT and you don't need to spend thousands on private lessons. Knowledge is awesome...

[cphaleiellc]

This was an awesome video! Totally helped me out with editing a client's photo whose makeup on her face was a bit off from her neck.

[antonys]

In terms of simplicity, clarity and production, your tutorials are on another level to any others I've seen on youtube. Great job!

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I seriously love phlearn. Ive taken my game from nube to advanced in weeks. I just started out on photoshop and im already making money doing retouching. Thanks

[reemobrooklyn]

That was Color correction on skin tones is like 60% of my retouching projects. Saved me lots of time with this. Thanks a

[videoman]

Really have learned so much after not using photoshop for years watching these videos, thanks Phlearn .

[rthairlines]

The new little helpers that pop up are really nice. Great tutorial. As always :)

[wildfirerebel]

I am just now getting photoshop and your tutorials are the BEST and easy to understand. Please post MORE

[soufianenajah]

Man this channel is by far my favorite not only the content is amazing and rich, but the guy is just smooth and makes the workflow so simple it almost feels easy. Awesome! Thanks for this and keep it coming! 

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[angieonthecoast]

I've watched so many videos on matching skin tone and this is by far the best one. Awesome job! Thank you so much!!!

[sweetkidd]

This is amazing, I've always wanted to fix this problem in my photos and here it is. You just phlearned my day thank oh sooo very much.

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