affinity photo · HeyBraza shows you
how to use frequency separation in affinity photo
HeyBraza points at the low-frequency layer so you blur tone there and leave skin texture untouched on the high-frequency layer.
frequency separation smooths skin without that plastic look by splitting texture (pores, hair) from tone (colour, shading) onto two layers. the part people get wrong is retouching on the wrong layer. here's the filter and which layer does what.
short answer
filters > frequency separation splits the image into texture (high) and colour (low). even out skin tone by brushing on the low-frequency layer, and remove spots with the healing brush on the high-frequency layer - working on the wrong one is what destroys the texture.
or do it yourself
- 1in the photo studio, go to the 'filters' menu and choose 'frequency separation'.
- 2set the radius so the preview just hides the blemishes you want to even out, then click apply - you now have a 'high frequency' and 'low frequency' layer.
- 3to even skin tone, select the 'low frequency' layer and brush with a soft, low-opacity blur or paintbrush - this smooths colour without losing texture.
- 4to remove a spot or stray hair, select the 'high frequency' layer and use the healing or inpainting brush there.
- 5drop the overall layer opacity if the result looks too smooth, so it stays natural.
steps last checked
let HeyBraza do this with you
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downloadcommon questions
which layer do i retouch on for skin?
smooth tone on the low-frequency layer; fix individual spots and texture on the high-frequency layer - mixing them up is what makes skin look fake.
where is frequency separation in affinity?
it's a filter - open the filters menu in the photo studio and choose frequency separation; it isn't a tool in the toolbar.