Lecture Notes: Frequency Separation with Lisa Carney

Introduction

• Speaker: Lisa Carney
• Roles: Finisher, designer, retoucher, educator, Photoshop artist
• Purpose: Teaching frequency separation for daily professional tasks

What is Frequency Separation?

• Definition: A Photoshop technique that separates an image into high frequency (details) and low frequency (color and tone) layers.
• Applications: Used in skin retouching, fabric retouching, product retouching, etc.
• Target Audience: Retouchers, photographers, designers
• Benefits: Precise retouching, allows separation of texture from color and tone, speeds up workflow

Key Concepts

• High Frequency Layer: Contains texture and fine details (referred to as the gray layer)
• Low Frequency Layer: Contains light, color, and tone (referred to as the blur layer)
• Importance: Allows modifications to texture without altering color/tone, and vice versa

Creating Frequency Separation in Photoshop

1. Preparation: Make a frequency separation folder
2. High Frequency Layer (Gray Layer): Apply Image -> Subtract -> Set scale to 2, offset to 128, then set layer to Linear Light
3. Low Frequency Layer (Blur Layer): Use Gaussian blur to blur color and tone, remove fine details
4. Organization: Ensure the folder with layers, when toggled on/off, makes the image look unchanged
5. Adjustment Recipe: General blur values based on image size (5-10+, relative to megapixels)

Tools for Retouching

• Blur Layer: Blur tool, Brush tool, Smudge tool, Gradient tool
• Gray Layer: Healing brush, Clone stamp, Spot heal brush
• Filters: Gaussian blur, Surface blur, Dust and scratch filter

Workflow Examples

• Creating Copies: Always duplicate layers to preserve original states
• Painting Techniques: New layers for paint and gradients to correct tones efficiently
• Using Filters: Apply filters like Gaussian and Surface Blur for larger corrections
• Cloning and Healing: Address fine details without affecting overall tone

Practical Applications

• Skin Retouching: Remove blemishes, blend tones, and correct tan lines
• Retouching Men: Generally require less smoothing, more texture preserved
• Product Retouching: Remove blemishes, adjust highlights/reflections, correct imperfections
• Cleaning Seamlesses: Efficiently clean backgrounds in repeated shoots

Example Projects

• Portraits: Quick corrections, retaining natural look
• Men's Retouching: Fast, maintaining natural texture
• Product Photos: Smoothing, correcting reflections, maintaining natural look
• Complex Jobs: Efficiently handling requests like tattoo removal with tight deadlines

Advanced Techniques

• Creating Custom Actions: Using predefined actions to speed up the process
• Multiple Methods: Several methods for achieving frequency separation, including manual and automated

Conclusion

• Importance: Frequency separation significantly enhances and speeds up multiple retouching tasks
• Encouragement: Practice to become comfortable, then utilize advanced techniques
• Further Learning: Advanced classes for more sophisticated applications