Free one-click smoothing vs real brush retouching - an honest look at where the free filter stops.
Photoshop's Neural Filters Skin Smoothing is free and built in - and for a quick pass, that is genuinely handy. But it is one filter with two sliders (Blur and Smoothness) applied to the whole face, processed in the cloud. There is no brush, no dodge & burn, no frequency separation, and pushed even a little it goes plastic. RetouchLab Skin Pro is real retouching: a brush with frequency separation, dodge & burn and tone evening, so you keep texture and control. Free is fine to start; RetouchLab is the upgrade when the filter hits its wall.
| RETOUCHLAB SKIN PRO ✦ | NEURAL FILTERS | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | €39 / 6 mo or €79 lifetime | Free (built into Photoshop) |
| Approach | Brush - you paint exactly where MORE CONTROL | One smoothing filter, whole face |
| Techniques | Freq sep + dodge & burn + tone MORE | Skin smoothing only (Blur + Smoothness) |
| Skin texture | Preserved via frequency separation BETTER | Goes plastic if pushed even slightly |
| Control | 7 sliders, targeted, real-time BETTER | 2 sliders, global, cloud-processed |
| Works offline | Yes | No - needs cloud processing |
| Best for | Real, professional skin retouching | A quick free smoothing pass |
Neural Filters Skin Smoothing is a great "free and fast" option. Drag two sliders and the skin softens - fine for a snapshot or a rough pass. Give it credit: it costs nothing and it is already in Photoshop.
The wall comes the moment you need control. It smooths the entire face the same way - so it softens the pores you wanted to keep, cannot fix eye bags or blotches (that is dodge & burn, which it does not do), and tips into a waxy look fast. It also processes in the cloud, so it needs a connection and can be slow.
RetouchLab Skin Pro is what you reach for when "smooth the whole face" is not enough: a brush with frequency separation, dodge & burn and tone evening, painted exactly where you choose, keeping real skin texture. For €79 once, it is the step up from the free filter to actual retouching.
Neural Filters is free - so this comes down to what you get for €79:
If the free filter already gives you what you need, keep using it. If your skin work looks plastic or you need control, that is exactly the €79 gap RetouchLab fills.
You retouch professionally and have outgrown one-slider smoothing - you need frequency separation, dodge & burn and brush control, with real texture, inside Photoshop.
You just want a quick, free smoothing pass now and then, you are fine with an all-over effect, and you do not need fine control or dodge & burn.
Get it for €39 (6 months), or go lifetime for €79 - one payment, all future updates included.
GET SKIN PRO — €39 →Available on Adobe Exchange · Instant download · Works in Photoshop 2022+
Comparing other tools? See vs Portraiture, vs Retouch4me, and our full roundup of the best Photoshop skin retouching plugins.
Neural Filters Skin Smoothing is free and fine for a quick pass, but it is a single smoothing filter (Blur and Smoothness) applied to the whole face - no brush, no dodge and burn, no frequency separation - and it can look plastic. For real retouching with control, a dedicated plugin like RetouchLab Skin Pro is built for it.
For professional skin retouching, RetouchLab Skin Pro gives you brush control, frequency separation, dodge and burn and tone evening for €79 lifetime, keeping real skin texture - where Neural Filters only smooths.
No - Photoshop Neural Filters process in the cloud, so they need an internet connection. RetouchLab runs entirely inside Photoshop and works offline.
Because it applies one smoothing effect across the whole face, it removes real pore texture along with blemishes. RetouchLab uses frequency separation to keep texture while evening out tone, so results look like skin, not plastic.