BouDIY® Easy Frequency Separation for Boudoir Photography

 Retouch smarter, not harder.

This free video training walks you through a down-to-earth, step-by-step approach to frequency separation — designed specifically for boudoir photographers who want polished, glowy skin without that fake, plastic look.

This free video training walks you through a step-by-step approach to frequency separation — designed specifically for boudoir photographers who want polished, glowy skin without that fake, plastic look.

In this training, I’ll show you:

• What frequency separation is and why it’s better than just blurring skin

• How to organize your Photoshop layers like a pro (even if you’re brand new)

• The exact brush tools, lasso tricks, and layer masks I use

• Why multiple small passes beat a single heavy retouch

• A no-fluff comparison of Portraiture vs. Frequency Separation — and when to use each

• My exact process for building and saving skin retouching actions from scratch 

Got Questions?

Click HERE to head over to the BouDIY® Facebook Group and join the official Frequency Separation Thread (Coming Soon). Please check the thread first to see if your question has already been answered—then drop your comment so I or the community can help you out!

Resources

 Click the Pink Text to check out: 

• BouDIY® Skin Retouching Actions for PS 

Want to skip the setup and get straight to the good stuff?

 
For just $9.97 today, you can grab my BouDIY® Skin Retouching Actions for PS — the exact set I use in my own boudoir workflow. These were developed after years of trial and error dealing with difficult skin tones and tricky lighting. They’re built to save you time and give you better control, faster.

They’re designed to:

• Speed up your editing without sacrificing control

• Help you stay consistent across client galleries

• Eliminate the tech headache of building it all from scratch

If you watched the training, you already know how powerful this workflow is. Now imagine doing it in a fraction of the time — with better results and less stress.

Grab the full action set now for $9.97 — while it's still available at this price.

How to Use This Step-by-Step Guide with the Training 

This checklist was created to help you follow along with the Easy Frequency Separation for Boudoir Photography video training in a structured, repeatable way.

You’ll see each process covered in the training broken down into three parts:

• What the process is

• Why it matters

• How to do it (step-by-step)

To get the most out of this lesson:

• Watch the full video once without editing along so you understand the overall flow

• Then rewatch while working on your own image, using this guide to follow each section

• Pause at each major step, reference the instructions, and practice the process until it feels natural

If you’re new to Photoshop or frequency separation, don’t rush. This method gives you total control over tone and texture—but it works best when applied intentionally in layers, not all at once.

This guide also includes the manual steps to build your own basic retouching actions, but if you'd rather skip that setup and save time, you can grab the custom Frequency Separation Action Set featured in the training. It includes additional tools I’ve personally developed through years of real-world boudoir retouching—especially for correcting tricky skin tones, patchy light, and uneven texture.

Now let’s walk through the full process, start to finish.

1. Flatten Your Image
Why it’s important: Photoshop actions often require a proper “Background” layer to run without errors. If the layer is named “Layer 0” or anything else, actions may fail.
Steps:

• In the Layers panel, right-click your current layer

• Choose "Flatten Image"

• Confirm that the base layer is now labeled "Background"

2. Duplicate Layers for Frequency Separation
Why it’s important: This allows you to separate tone (color) from texture (detail) so you can edit them independently without damaging the original image.
Steps:

• Press Ctrl+J (Windows) or Cmd+J (Mac) twice

• Rename the top duplicate “Texture”

• Rename the layer below it “Tone”

3. Apply Gaussian Blur to the Tone Layer
Why it’s important: This softens uneven color and tone while keeping overall facial structure intact. You’ll still have texture preserved on the upper layer.
Steps:

• Select the “Tone” layer

• Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur

• Set blur radius to around 6 pixels (adjust for your resolution)

• Click OK

4. Apply Image to the Texture Layer
Why it’s important: This process subtracts tone from the top layer, leaving only texture detail like pores and fine lines. It’s essential for true frequency separation.
Steps:

• Select the “Texture” layer

• Go to Image > Apply Image

• Set Layer: Tone

• Blending Mode: Subtract

• Scale: 2

• Offset: 128

• Click OK

• Change the Texture layer’s blending mode to “Linear Light”

5. Group the FS Layers
Why it’s important: Grouping lets you control both the Tone and Texture layers together—helpful for masking, toggling visibility, or adjusting strength.
Steps:

• Select both “Tone” and “Texture” layers

• Press Ctrl+G (Windows) or Cmd+G (Mac)

• Rename the group “FS” or “Frequency Separation”

6. Blend Tone with Lasso Tool and Blur
Why it’s important: This lets you manually blur uneven patches of tone using targeted selections, avoiding the muddy or gray look caused by over-blurring.
Steps:

• Select the Tone layer

• Choose the Lasso Tool

• In the top toolbar, set Feather to 30px

• Draw a loose selection around uneven color

• Use Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur (or action button if installed)

• Repeat for small, individual areas only

7. Paint with Soft Brush on Tone Layer
Why it’s important: This gives you fine control over blending colors, like patchy shadows or blown-out highlights. Great for cheekbones, jawlines, and smooth transitions.
Steps:

• Select the Brush Tool

• Set opacity to 5–10% and flow to ~50%

• Hold Alt (or Option) to sample nearby skin tone with Eyedropper

• Gently paint over uneven areas to blend tones

• Resample and repeat as needed

8. Fix Texture Layer with Clone Stamp
Why it’s important: You can clean up skin texture issues (pores, lines, bumps) without affecting color by working directly on the texture layer.
Steps:

• Select the Texture layer

• Choose the Clone Stamp Tool

• Set hardness to 0 and flow to ~50%

• Alt-click to sample a clean area

• Gently clone over the texture defects

• Sample frequently to keep it realistic

9. Optional: Use Patch Tool for Tone Touchups
Why it’s important: The Patch Tool blends selected areas with nearby skin tones quickly. It’s best for blotchy spots or large color inconsistencies.
Steps:

• Select the Tone layer

• Choose the Patch Tool

• Draw around the area you want to fix

• Drag to a clean skin area and release

• Repeat in small areas for best results

10. Add Group Mask and Fine-Tune with Opacity
Why it’s important: Using a mask on the FS group lets you fade or erase over-retouched areas. Reducing opacity can restore realism and fix “over-smoothing.”
Steps:

• Click the FS group

• Click the “Add Layer Mask” icon at the bottom of the Layers panel

• Use a soft black brush at low opacity to gently remove effects from areas like lips, brows, or hair

• Adjust group opacity to 70–90% if the skin looks too perfect

11. Use Dodge and Burn for Final Sculpting
Why it’s important: Retouching can flatten the face. Dodge and Burn restores depth by enhancing natural highlights and shadows with subtle, painted light and dark.
Steps:

• Add two new layers: one for Dodge (lighten), one for Burn (darken)

• Fill each with 50% gray, set blend mode to Soft Light

• Use a soft white brush (10–15% opacity) to lighten bright areas (forehead, cheekbones, nose bridge)

• Use a soft black brush to darken shadows (under jaw, nose sides, cheek contours)

12. Flatten and Save Final Image
Why it’s important: Once finished, flattening bakes all edits into one layer for exporting and archiving.
Steps:

• Select your bottom background layer

• Right-click and choose “Flatten Image”

• Save as a new file to preserve your PSD if needed

 Since You’re Here… I Figured You Might Love These To

If you’re vibing with the Frequency Separation Demo, there’s a good chance you’ll want to check out these other boudoir resources too. Whether you’re ready to dive deeper or just want a shortcut to high-impact effects, these are solid next steps.