Remove wrinkles and pimples with Gimp - how it works

The open source software Gimp also has all the tools on board to remove wrinkles and pimples on photos. With a little practice, you can produce portrait shots that show smooth faces like you are used to from beauty magazines, even without expensive professional software.

As if by magic: Gimp removes wrinkles and pimples

With the retouching tool "Heal" (shortcut H, tool icon plaster) selected image information is transferred to another target area in the photo. It allows you to transfer flawless skin to areas where spots or pimples can be seen. The "Heal" tool also takes into account the structure and brightness of the target area, so that a face still looks natural even after retouching:

1. Zoom in on the area of ​​the image you want to edit. Simply press "+".
2. You can find the "Heal" tool in the GIMP toolbox or via the "Tools"> "Painting Tools" menu. In the tool settings, choose a soft brush. A brush tip with a radius of 40 pixels is suitable for most corrections.
3. Hold down the CTRL key and drag the cursor into the picture. You will now see a crosshair with which you can select a clean or smooth area of ​​skin. Once you have found a suitable position, mark it with a click of the mouse. Now release the CTRL key; the source area remains marked with a cross in the image for correction.
4. Transfer the selected skin structure to the target area by clicking away the pimple or fold with the left mouse button.
5. It often makes sense to choose different starting points for the correction. To do this, repeat steps 3 and 4.

Always save your finished work in Gimp's own .xcf format so that you can quickly make changes later. In addition, Gimp allows you to export images in all common image formats. The retouching of blemishes or wrinkles is just one step towards the perfect portrait. To find out how you can improve your image even further with GIMP, read the CHIP practical tip "Gimp: Retouch portrait - how it works". All Gimp practice tips can be found here.