Skin retouch with new retouch module in Darktable 2.6

[Benja1972 (Sergei Rybalko)]

Hello friends, here it is my trial of new retouch module in Darktable 2.6
This is crop from original image

This is result

Points to make attention to,

1. Select right number of scales: residual scale should not be completely blurred, it may contains some details
2. Use blur selections on residual layer with high blur radius, blur small areas instead large ones
3. For details scales to remove imperfections it is better to use patch tool, if the area is large use blur tool with low blur radius
4. Large imperfection is better to remove with patch or heal tool on composite scale
5. Bilateral blur produce strange color patches and stripes, after some trials I decided not to use it at all on any scales. Probably it can be fixed by developers.

Here scale 5,

Original image I took from description to this video

Frequency Separation In-Depth with Mixer Brush in Photoshop

Try it yourself, I have attached my xmp
Pasi_Järvenpää_PiXimperfect_Sample.jpg.xmp (11.3 KB)

[pphoto]

Wow, impressive results. Skin retouching with the retouch module seems to be much more easier than in Gimp or Photoshop.
Since I did not use this new module before this thread reminds me to take a look at this module.
For training purposes I found some free portrait RAW files:

Free Raw Practice Files NEW – The Retouching Academy Lab

Challenges, Contests, and Samples Forum: Share retouching skills

[Benja1972 (Sergei Rybalko)]

Nice! Thank you for pointing to interesting resources! I would like to try

[pphoto]

After watching several tutorials about frequence separation and wavelet decomposing on YouTube and experimenting around with Darktable and the wavelet decomposing from G’Mic in Gimp I finally think I got the basics now.

I took a picture from Play RAW and was able to improve the skin:

Moreover I hit the screen record button while I was working on the image and added subtitles afterwards:

Skin retouching with darktable

Original RAW:

[PlayRaw] Hillbilly portrait

Missing more portraits - with some, but not so many Pat’s beatuful women here-, I’m providing a grumpy old man from the hills, interrupted when shaving. My two b&w versions went the dt - gimp - pat beautify - dt way and are using dt watermark module for some temporary reasons and out of curiosity and possible fancyness. Published by the author, under the CC BY-SA licence. dcc_0013.cr2 (20.8 MB) [dcc_0013_dtus_g_dtus_05] [dcc_0013_dtus_g_dtus_06]

My sidecar file:
dcc_0013_01.cr2.xmp (15.0 KB)

[s7habo (Boris Hajdukovic)]

I’m about to take a closer look at the retouch module and have some questions I couldn’t answer through the user manual. I am very grateful if someone could help me with this:

1. how can I access a shape that is within another shape? The shapes from the retouching module are not listed in the Mask Manager.

2. It is possible to cut out one shape from the current scale and insert it into the other. Is it also possible to copy one shape and paste it into the other scale?

3. Why is the fill color selected with the color picker much darker than the color in the image where the selector is located?

For information: I’m using darktable 2.6.1 in Kubuntu 18.04 from Pascal de Bruijn ppa source.

[pphoto]

To 1.:
I didn’t found a solution either for selecting a shape that is within another. I use two instances of the retouch module, one for skin softening and one for the spots.
Don’t want to go back since I can modify the opacity of the skin corrections afterwards without modifying the spot corrections.

[Benja1972 (Sergei Rybalko)]

For 1. it is really difficult to access shapes which are behind. I could not find any solution.
2. it is not possible. For the moment we can only transfer all shapes from one scale to another.
3. Probably this is bug. I found same darkening of sample today when working with color look up table module.

[s7habo (Boris Hajdukovic)]

@pphoto

I use two instances of the retouch module, one for skin softening and one for the spots.

This is indeed a way of overcoming the problem. However, I noticed that the retouching module consumes a lot of computing time. Each new instance increases that.

@Benja1972

For 1. it is really difficult to access shapes which are behind. I could not find any solution.
2. it is not possible. For the moment we can only transfer all shapes from one scale to another.
3. Probably this is bug. I found same darkening of sample today when working with color look up table module.

Maybe we’ll ask one of the developers. @Pascal_Obry, is there any information about it, or should I write a bug report?

In any case, to all, thank you very much for your feedback.

[pitbuster (Felipe)]

@s7habo @Benja1972

I am also getting the darker colors on the color picker on DT 2.6.2, so I opened an issue on github.

Edit: I got an answer from one of the developers, the color picker getting darker colors is expected, because of the position of the retouch module on the processing pipeline. Filling with the dark color will show the appropriate color on the final image.

[pitbuster (Felipe)]

I didn’t get how important this point is until I tried to reduce the number of scales.

@Benja1972

Select right number of scales: residual scale should not be completely blurred, it may contains some details

I got an photo where I had a lot of trouble to remove some marks on the forehead and with this tip I got it right away. Thanks for this post @Benja1972!