Age is read not by one wrinkle, but according to a system of agreed signs
Strong smoothing of the skin can make eyes and facial ovals unusually young; excessive sharpness, on the contrary, deepens shadows and adds years; quality retouch preserves age range, facial expressions, texture without tired or plastic effect.
The five zones together form an impression of age.
Microtexture, pores, local lines and natural tone transitions.
Size, fold of the century, corners and character of glare without artificial magnification.
The jaw line, the volume of cheeks and shadows under the cheekbones.
The connection of a smile with the eyes and folds that appear precisely during expression.
Growth line, individual gray strands and density without painted mass.
Plastic effect occurs when reference differences disappear
Local cleaning of temporary redness does not have to change age, but global smoothing redistributes light throughout the face and quickly changes a person's character.
Sharpness and contrast can turn texture into deep relief
When the local contrast is increased equally on skin, hair and clothing, small lines become darker, shadows under the eyes are deeper, and neck transitions are stiffer. This looks like an age-related change, although facial geometry may have remained the same.
Name a temporary defect and set the age separately
ExampleDo a neat natural retouch: reduce temporary redness and spots, preserve real skin microtextura, facial lines, eye size, face oval, hair and current age. Don't rejuvenate, don' t make wrinkles stronger or change expression.
Compare your face on three scales.
Age, expression and general character coincide.
The eyes, oval and volume distribution did not change.
There is a lively texture without new deep lines and wax casting.
Age-adjustment should be a clear task, not a hidden side effect
If the user asks only to remove the stain or correct the light, the model should not automatically rejuvenate the face. Age change affects identity and expectations of the result stronger than normal color correction.
For a professional profile, it's especially important to maintain an up-to-date appearance. A beautiful but noticeably younger portrait creates a discrepancy in the actual encounter.
A good retouch makes the portrait neater, not younger or older.
It removes a specific interference and preserves the system of signs by which a person is recognized not only externally, but also by age and expression.