Hector Davila wrote:

What would be a faster and better method to accomplish the same end
result
as instructed on this web page?
http://w3.nai.net/~tomh/sa_howto_harli.htm

Copy background layer. Run median filter (filter->noise->median) at
about 3
pixel radius on this copy. Run gaussian blur at about .5 pixels. Create
a black
layer mask by holding down option and clicking on new mask icon at the
bottom of
the layer pallet (this will hide the blurred layer). Now using a white airbrush
paint into the active layer mask you just created. Start with about 30% opacity
and paint over areas of skin that you want to smooth out. Avoid painting into
areas with detail you want to preserve. If you make a mistake just paint back
into the mask with black. You might want to add noise to the blurred
image to
match film grain- just make sure you select the image layer before you
run the
noise filter. After you are done you can adjust the overall opacity of
the blur
layer to reveal a little more skin texture if desired.

There are more complicated techniques but this should suffice for pin up girlie
pictures where you don't care if they look too perfect. You can get real smooth
skin this way. By using the median filter you can blur without smearing major
edges and avoid the "haloing" referred to in the article in your link. The
slight gaussian blur is sometimes necessary to smooth over banding that
can be a
by product of the median filter. You may need different radius settings
in the
filters depending on the resolution/size of the file.

Have fun!


--
Regards,

Lee Varis
varis@varis.com
www.varis.com
888-964-0024