The memories of yesteryears invoke in us a sense of nostalgia as we long for the days gone by when life seems so much simpler. Technology was not as advanced as it is today, and things were changing at a slower pace. Retro and vintage years usually refer to the decades before our present day, up to the last century.
In reference to creating vintage and antique photo effects, we want to achieve the elusive ‘light leak’ effect…
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The ‘light leak’ effect is a partial bleaching or lightening of the image plane caused by a leak of light at exposure, development, printing, or uneven fading of the image in the aging or weathering process. A light leak layer is included in the Vintage Multiple choice workflow action.
First of all, Im only trying to help…. not hinder. Im addressing the small amount of people who want to learn more about the core of retouching, not how quick and easy it is….cause it is NOT.
Countless times this topic arises. Countless techniques. Impatience always prevails.
1) QUALITY skin retouching takes TIME. No quick software filters or 4-step technique applies to everything. Please reread this sentence for as long as it takes to sink in.
2) TEXTURE is about how the LIGHT affects the surface. Understand what that means and you can understand the techniques behind pros and amateurs alike.
What do I mean about light?
ZOOM in close. For every bump, or pimple….there is DARK side of it and a LIGHT side of it. For every large pore, the same holds true.
The direction of the light determines which side is which. The “softness” of the light we use in photography determines the contrast between the DARK and LIGHT. This is why softboxes placed close to the model produces a more pleasing skin texture. Those of you who shoot with strobes or hard light will see skin texture more pronounced.
now….
The professional retoucher’s technique is to “Lighten” the DARK sides and to “Darken” the LIGHT sides — which produces and more consistent skin texture. Often they work at the pixel level with a 2px brush. VERY Meticulous, VERY time consuming. For most of us, a 4px or 5px brush would suffice.
Here’s a personal introduction for the Golden Touch Series
The Golden Touch package of products is my contribution to a holistic method of thinking and experimenting with a particular style of images/imagery. The core training piece is a 720p HD training video that is my creative brainstorm + technical tips + workflow tricks + guided meditation. I think it’s a unique experience and tremendous value at a running time of 1h. The video training is my most hardcore advice on powerful color correcting tips that push color theory to the max; daily workflow advice from a guy who processes a few thousand images a week; to heartfelt searching and receiving inspiration. I believe this set of tools will pay you back 10 times your investment as you incorporate the golden look into your artistry.