Start with a photo. Finish with a masterpiece.
If you retouch too much the picture might look unnatural. Sometimes it's the imperfections that make an image interesting.
Remove imperfections.
Reduce the noise.
While Photoshop comes with a noise-reducing filter I strongly recommend a third-party noise-reducing software or plug-in such as NoiseNinja. You can use it to smoothen the skin in a portrait, enhance the sharpness and contrast, thus giving your photo a professional look.
Click here to view before-and-after examples of noise reduction software.
Add a signature.
Even if you don't add a copyright notice, your photo is automatically protected by copyright once you've created it. However, it's never a bad idea to add a copyright notice anyway--and if it's just for promotional purposes ;)
Click here to learn how to create a copyright brush.
Click here to learn how to add a signature or watermark to a batch of photos.
Now you're ready to publish your photo.
Most perfect-looking supermodels we see on billboards are actually not perfect at all. See how the professionals cheat with Photoshop: