ty, i just a hard round brush at 93-99% spacing all the way down, default settings. i typically start with 8px then work my way down to 1px. i smudge the stock, make layer adjustments, add clip masks, smudge again, a black color dodge layer for lights, smudge that, apply the image, smudge that, rinse and repeat. im a clip mask whore too. tablet is a good tool also