Any pro retouchers in the audience?

[photosbymorgan2]

Are you a pro retoucher? If so and your willing, how about showing some of us how certain things are done to make photos that much better. I know that others would appreciate the help as well as I would.

[Kevin Barrett]

I'm interested in seeing if you get a response here. I have a friend who is a pro and is very reluctant about sharing his methods with the masses. However, he will divulge "some" of his tricks to smaller audiences though.

[photosbymorgan2]

Originally Posted by Kevin Barrett

I'm interested in seeing if you get a response here. I have a friend who is a pro and is very reluctant about sharing his methods with the masses. However, he will divulge "some" of his tricks to smaller audiences though.

I would like to know some tricks on how they do the skin. Ask him if he will email me directly and I can point him to photos that show what I mean.

[Mr. Pickles]

What kind of skin are you looking for? Hey, get your mind out of the gutter.

Over the top (almost comic look)? Satin? Smooth? Slight?

[jwind]

Originally Posted by photosbymorgan2

Are you a pro retoucher? If so and your willing, how about showing some of us how certain things are done to make photos that much better. I know that others would appreciate the help as well as I would.

What do you mean by 'retouchers'?
When I started in the Photo field I started working at commercial studio who had a in house post-production team. I started as one of those members until I could work my way up as a shooter.

Responsibilities ranged from dropping images onto whie backgrounds for catalogs, drawing shadows, lengthy edits and Color correction.... I would consider myself quite versed in PS

[photosbymorgan2]

Originally Posted by jwind

What do you mean by 'retouchers'?
When I started in the Photo field I started working at commercial studio who had a in house post-production team. I started as one of those members until I could work my way up as a shooter.

Responsibilities ranged from dropping images onto whie backgrounds for catalogs, drawing shadows, lengthy edits and Color correction.... I would consider myself quite versed in PS

Take a look at this gentlemans site http://homepage.mac.com/gapodaca/digital/bikini/ and you will see what I seek. How he made the skin tones so even and nice compared to the original. I figure it had to be more than just blurring as I know how to do the blurring

[jwind]

Originally Posted by photosbymorgan2

Take a look at this gentlemans site http://homepage.mac.com/gapodaca/digital/bikini/ and you will see what I seek. How he made the skin tones so even and nice compared to the original. I figure it had to be more than just blurring as I know how to do the blurring

IMO that's over done... she's hardly the same anyway. I know how I would go about doing such a task but it's not a work flow that I could list like a recipe. That Image is Heavily edited. I'm quite sure there is lots of brushing/overlays going on along with cutting/copying (with layers of course) to reduce that "fatty areas" and aparently enhance the breasts.
I would also mask dark areas and use curves to "bring up shadows" or rings on eyes, etc...

[photosbymorgan2]

Originally Posted by jwind

IMO that's over done... she's hardly the same anyway. I know how I would go about doing such a task but it's not a work flow that I could list like a recipe. That Image is Heavily edited. I'm quite sure there is lots of brushing/overlays going on along with cutting/copying (with layers of course) to reduce that "fatty areas" and aparently enhance the breasts.
I would also mask dark areas and use curves to "bring up shadows" or rings on eyes, etc...

I know his look overdone but I want to be able to smooth out the colors on skin so it is not so different in areas. especially if someone has a farmers tan.

[Mr. Pickles]

Looks to me like some Smudge Painting going on. I think there is more to it, but it looks smudged to me. What you do is make "strokes" but you go one way a 'set" length, and then come back the same amount. Smaller strokes for "detailed" areas, larger for out in the open areas. Ususally, you "smooth" the image with some "heavy" denoise addin (Neat Image), and then smudge.

Well, that is my first thought on it.

[PhilD73]

Look at retouchpro.com if you're interested in learning this skill..

I'd say it was a combination of things: use of layers with median tool to smooth the skin, masks to retain detail where needed, hand brushing with skin colour (with flow and opacity at 25%) to remove the dark colours under the eyes, and probably a bunch more things.

Regards,
Phil

[dc2]

Originally Posted by photosbymorgan2

Take a look at this gentlemans site http://homepage.mac.com/gapodaca/digital/bikini/ and you will see what I seek. How he made the skin tones so even and nice compared to the original. I figure it had to be more than just blurring as I know how to do the blurring

Did you take a look at the group shot surely this is not for real ? Is it?

[scoundrel1728]

Originally Posted by photosbymorgan2

Take a look at this gentlemans site http://homepage.mac.com/gapodaca/digital/bikini/ and you will see what I seek. How he made the skin tones so even and nice compared to the original. I figure it had to be more than just blurring as I know how to do the blurring

The guy who did the work says that was an extreme example, and was what the customer wanted. He also implied that he would have left in a few "imperfections" if he had had his druthers.

[ellette]

Originally Posted by dc2

Did you take a look at the group shot surely this is not for real ? Is it?

Those are poorly done latex noses in the un-retouched version.

Sara

[dc2]

Thanks
very poorl done

[ellette]

Latex noses can be difficult, but are fun to do. It is the make-up that makes or breaks them in the end I suppose, but I'm not sure any amount of make-up would have made those ones look anywhere near realistic even if the noses were more normal in size.

Sara

Originally Posted by dc2

Thanks
very poorl done

[dc2]

Think your correct
The amount of latex used here they could have built a camera shop in your local town

[ellette]

ROTFL. That would be an unusual camera shop, but I think you are probably right!

Sara

Originally Posted by dc2

Think your correct
The amount of latex used here they could have built a camera shop in your local town