Jeff typed: > Sorry to hear about your experience with the dog. I had the > same thing > happen in a studio once, but it wasn't a dog, it was Robert Earnest. Hey, who hasn't been bitten by Bobert at some point in their lives? > Here's a simple way to soften portraits: > > 1) Duplicate the background layer, then apply a blur over the entire > photo. The amount of blur depends on the size (pixel-wise) > of the image, > but 4-5 is probably a good starting point. > > 2) Move the layer opacity to 50%. > > 3) Use the eraser tool with a soft brush to erase the layer > where you want > fine details, like the eyes, lips and teeth. Don't do it to > the nostrils! > > 4) If you want to unsoften anything else (like the > background), make the > brush a lot bigger and brush off all the other stuff. Thanks to your advice and the same advice from potty-mouthed Karl, I'm actually starting to be glad I did this portrait gig. It's a very simple and effective technique. I may even do what Lea asked and post some of the images. I would really, really like some brutal critique. Greg
