You don't need a single plugin to retouch skin. The idea is to soften everything with Gaussian Blur, then use the History Brush to paint the sharpness back into the eyes, hair and contours. The High Pass trick for adding texture at the end is included too — the History panel in Online PS works exactly the same way.
Step 1: Open the image
Shortcut Ctrl+O (Mac ⌘+O)
Visit Online PS (zaixianps.cc) in your browser, then load the portrait you want to retouch with the shortcut above or through the menu: File → Open.
Step 2: Turn the Background layer into a normal layer and duplicate it
Alt + double-click → Ctrl+J
1. In the Layers panel, select the Background layer.
2. Hold Alt (Option on Mac) and double-click the layer thumbnail to turn it into a normal, editable layer.
3. With the layer still selected, press Ctrl+J (⌘+J on Mac) to duplicate it. All the work below happens on this copy.
Step 3: Open the History panel
Window → History
Choose Window → History from the menu bar. The panel opens on the right; you'll use it to restore detail later.
Step 4: Soften the skin overall with Gaussian Blur
Filter → Blur → Gaussian Blur
Select the duplicated layer and click Filter → Blur → Gaussian Blur.
Set the radius to about 10 pixels (adjust it to suit the image resolution) and click OK.
Step 5: Set the state the History Brush will restore
In the History panel, drag the small brush icon at the very bottom up to the second-to-last entry (the state before the blur).
Step 6: Bring the detail back with the History Brush
History Brush tool (shortcut Y)
1. Select the History Brush tool in the toolbar on the left.
2. Use [/] to change the brush size; around 20‑40px works well.
3. Brush lightly over the eyes, eyebrows, mouth, tip of the nose and anywhere else that should stay sharp — those areas snap back to the unblurred state.
4. To zoom in and check the detail, use Ctrl + + / Ctrl + - (Mac: ⌘ + + / ⌘ + -).
Step 7: Sharpen detail with High Pass
Filter → Other → High Pass
1. Select the original layer (the one at the bottom), press Ctrl+J to duplicate it, and drag the copy to the top of the stack.
2. With the top copy still selected, click Filter → Other → High Pass.
3. Set the radius to 0.5–1 pixels (smaller values keep finer detail) and click OK.
Step 8: Blend the detail in with Linear Light
Blending mode → Linear Light
Keep the High Pass layer selected and choose Linear Light from the Blending Mode dropdown in the Layers panel. The skin keeps its soft retouched look, and the high-frequency detail layer gives it texture instead of a pale, washed-out finish.
Done & export
Check the detail. If you're happy with it, use Ctrl+Shift+S (Mac ⌘+Shift+S) to save a copy as PNG or JPEG.
References
- Adobe Photoshop official documentation
- HTML5 and the principles of modern front-end image processing
- Online PS