A recent message board thread reminded me of something I experimented with a few months ago that may be of interest, i.e.,...
...using the Bilateral Sharpen transform to smooth skin while retaining a desired texture with an 'active' painted Mask where an Add/Subtract brush of varying radii, transparency, and softness was used... ...to produce black, 25%, 50%, 75%, and white toned mask image areas.
Step1: the starting image(1) was downloaded from the DPReview retouching forum posting linked above and adjusted to preference color balance, tone, and saturation... becoming image(2).
Step2: the Mask Tool - Paint feature was used to paint desired image(2) areas with various black, white, and gray tones and left 'active'.
Step3: the Bilateral Sharpen transform was opened on image(2) with its 'active' painted mask and settings adjusted to preferences: Mask White=95; Mask Black=25; BlurRadius=10; BlurThreshold=20.00; Sharpen Factor=0.20; and SharpenThreshold=0.00.
Note that with this image, there was a preference to soften the overly textured [sharpened] hair and eyes... hence the Mask Black amount was adjusted from its normal 0% to 25% and that the maximum softening effect is slightly decreased and occurs on the forehead, around the eyes, and chin... i.e., Mask White amount=95%.
ScreenView A: the transform set up and mask...
- HuidverbeteringSample-1a_ScrnView_FS-1_800px-1a-1.jpg (48.41 KiB) Viewed 2132 times
- HuidverbeteringSample-1a_ScrnView_FS-1_800px-1b-1.jpg (46.19 KiB) Viewed 2131 times
0% black: background, hair, eye whites/pupils/eye lashes
25% gray: lips, teeth, and eye brows
50% gray: major skin area(s)
75% gray: minor wrinkels/blemishes
100% white: major wrinkels, blemishes, and extreme skin highlights
The 'active' mask will allow it to be modified if needed with the changes updated in the Preview.
Just exploring possibilities.... and having fun too!