Help with dodge and burn

[markwm]

I'm really struggling with this particular D&B. The subject is relatively far away from the camera so her face is not as sharp as it could be. A B&W helper layer reveals very blotchy skin. Using traditional D&B I'm finding it really really hard to even out the tones. 

[Norman Sanders]

i suggest that you experiment with Filter > Blur > Surface Blur. It must be handled gently to avoid the result looking like cake makeup. Easy to overdo.

[Mike_Gondek]

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldhG9fmgC7o

[Derek Cross]

You can do this non-destructively, by adding a layer above the image, filling it with 50% grey and then selecting Overlay blending mode, you can then use the Dodge tool to lighten areas of the image and the Burn tool to darken areas. You can then fine tune by adjusting the Opacity.

[markwm]

I believe you just told me how to dodge and burn, which is what I'm already doing.

[Lumigraphics]

This is a prime candidate for Frequency Separation editing.

[markwm]

I thought that too, but I'm not a fan of FS. I continue to play around and learnt that by adding another 2 helper layers. Solarization etc it really helped me get better results. Still not perfect but better than what I had