High-End Skin Retouching using Dodge and Burn in Affinity
A course by Kayleigh June , Retoucher and Beauty Photographer
High-end beauty retouching in Affinity using dodge and burn for natural skin, clean portraits, professional photography workflow
Learn a practical, professional workflow for skin retouching in Affinity built around non‑destructive dodge and burn. In this course, beauty and fashion photographer Kayleigh June walks you through her approach to getting clean, natural, high‑end results in portrait and beauty work.
You’ll get a clear sense of what dodge and burn actually does, how to handle local and global adjustments, and why this method keeps skin texture intact far better than frequency separation or heavy filters. You’ll set up an efficient Affinity workspace, build a simple layer structure for dodge, burn, healing, and cloning, and work from RAW files so you don’t lose detail.
In a full start‑to‑finish retouch, you’ll even out tone, refine features, calm down distracting texture, and add depth without wiping out pores or natural color. Kayleigh also points out common pitfalls—over‑smoothing, odd‑looking eyes, and treating every skin tone the same—so your retouching stays subtle, polished, and ready for real‑world use.
What will you learn in this online course?
6 lessons & 4 downloads
- 24 students
- 6 lessons (1h 0m)
- 4 additional resources (3 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, German, Spanish, Spanish (Latam), French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Turkish
- Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Recommended software & tools for this course
Affinity PhotoWho is this online course for?
Portrait and beauty photographers who want natural‑looking skin retouching, retouchers switching over to Affinity from other tools, Affinity users who already know the basics and want a smoother portrait workflow, and creators or visual artists who need clean, realistic skin in their campaigns or portfolios.
Requirements and materials
You don’t need much experience. If you know how to open a file, juggle a couple of layers, and nudge exposure without breaking anything, you’re fine. Just make sure Affinity is installed and your computer runs it without groaning. A mouse works, but a tablet and pen feel a lot nicer.
Kayleigh June
A course by Kayleigh June
Kayleigh is a beauty photographer and retoucher based between Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. Discovering photography at the young age of 15, over the years, Kayleigh has developed a style to reflect her interest in the latest trends of makeup and beauty, using vivid tones and distinct lighting to differentiate her work.
Her passion and drive to succeed in the industry has also led her to take on a role of educator, creating a YouTube photography and retouching tutorial channel, amassing over 80K subscribers. Kayleigh appreciates and strives to show diversity in everything that she creates, making her work recognizable to many.
Content
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High-End Skin Retouching using Dodge and Burn in Affinity
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Introduction
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What Is Dodge and Burn?
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Setting Up Your Workspace in Affinity
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Creating Dodge and Burn Layers
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Retouching Your Portrait in Affinity
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Things to Avoid
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Final project
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Domestika courses are online classes that allow you to learn new skills and create incredible projects. All our courses include the opportunity to share your work with other students and/or teachers, creating an active learning community. We offer different formats:
Original Courses: Complete classes that combine videos, texts, and educational materials to complete a specific project from start to finish.
Basics Courses: Specialized training where you master specific software tools step by step.
Specialization Courses: Learning paths with various expert teachers on the same topic, perfect for becoming a specialist by learning from different approaches.
Guided Courses: Practical experiences ideal for directly acquiring specific skills.
Intensive Courses (Deep Dives): New creative processes based on artificial intelligence tools in an accessible format for in-depth and dynamic understanding.
All deep dive courses are 100% online, so once they're published, deep dive courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
The deep dive courses are divided into different modules. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with other students, as well as share your work and your final project, creating a community around the deep dive courses.
You can redeem the deep dive courses you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
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