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]]> http://makelightreal.com/small-oval-inset-vintage-photo-texture-download/feed/ 0 http://makelightreal.com/vintage-pinup-retouching/ http://makelightreal.com/vintage-pinup-retouching/#comments Sat, 18 Apr 2009 14:12:50 +0000 Neil 2086749335 Vintage Pinup and Boudoir Retouching

tutorial is sponsored by the generously donated pinup images of Kelly @ Bay Area Pinups

This is some of the fun vintage effects achieved with the Vintage packages, video guide after the jump:

Would you like to bring a truely vintage and artistic look to your boudoir photos?

Well start out with a great photographer like Liesl Cowley, Kelly Hsiao and use the finishing tools linked below in these video tutorials:

Leave a comment if you would like to hire Neil to retouch your images for a vintage effect!  The client initiation fee is $40, and that covers the first two images – after that it is $5-20 per image depending on the style and complexity you are after.

The Make Light Real Create cart has these products available to help your boudoir retouching and vintage photoshop retouching:

	Vintage Master Kit Vintage Master Kit – 18 Postcards + 30 Textures + Multiple Choice Action Set You want to master the vintage look – bring that soft, worn lovability…	$89.00 … more info
	ONE ACTION: workflow and training Available for Immediate Download The complete ONE ACTION Photoshop workflow action with training video. Set includes: ONE: lightroom preset/camera…	$79 … more info
	Vintage Multiple Choice Action Set Vintage Multiple Choice Action Set The Vintage Multiple Choice action produces 11 layers for you to blend into your vintage style. The action does…	$39.00 … more info
	Vintage Soft Color Faded color, bleached negative antique vintage styling The vintage soft color action will gently desaturate your image with a soft chocolate antique…	$4.00 … more info Max: 1
	Golden Touch Monochrome Sunny Golden B+W Toning Photoshop Action free download Part of the Golden Touch Series Golden Touch Video Tutorial = training + inspiration Golden…	$9.00 … more info
	Skin Smoothing Photoshop Actions Skin smoothing for perfect portraits description	$9.00 … more info
	Draw a soft vignette action Draw a soft vignette action This quick photoshop action helps you draw attention and focus to an area of the image you select with one of three…	$4.00 … more info

The classic illustrated pinup styles are commemorated in the work of these artist if you’re looking for tone and style clues:

• Edward Runci – Google Search
• Alberto Vargas – Google Search
• Gil Elvgren – Google Search
• George Petty – Google Search

In reference to creating vintage and antique photo effects, we want to achieve the elusive ‘light leak’ effect…

Click to download

Click to download

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.

Click to purchase

To read a concise tutorial on creating the faded - light leaking look try this tutorial by Wharf 8

Now comes the toning of the image. Again, I used the curves layer to adjust the reds, blues and yellows as well as to slightly fade the image.

If you’d like the Golden Touch in your light leaking adventures – buy the texture set:

Click to purchase

Creative light leaky blessings this friday!

The action does not produce automatic results, it’s up to you to finesse the options – but it’s results have an authentic antique, vintage and aged print look.

Who is this action for?

Intermediate to Advanced Photoshop users looking for a starting point for authentic, malleable vintage effects.

How does this action work?

The action produces 11 layers for you to blend and interact with giving you  285311670611 possible combinations for your photo styling pleasure! You can use the layer masks and layer blending modes to reach the creative potential of your images.  The action set is a palette of paints for you to finesse into your masterpiece, it is not a shortcut but a workflow.  If you are really interested in the vintage look, you’ll want to distress the image in custom ways so that it looks aged differently on different parts of the photo.

Here is a series of screenshots of the eleven example layers – first is the original image for reference as you see the changes:

^ original image – return for comparisions ^

The soft light smoothing layer is a basic retouch method that nearly everyone’s familiar with, it’s at the bottom.

The Simple Vintage B+W layer is one of 6 custom curve layers operating in the LAB color space.  You can quickly paint in a little black into your layer mask to provide a variably aged look.

The reddened antique curve layer complements the green layer below it – if you are hoping to provide a vintage color look, the emulsions of prints tend to fade either red or green – you can custom mix them by local area or overall tonality (see green layer).

The funktifier green layer has a tone-map auto loaded.  A tone map is a layer mask that uses the same lightness values as the image, providing a green tone to the shadows of the image.  You can alter your tone map with a curve, or you can alter the curve adjustment layer to alter the hue or saturation of the green.

Muted and bleached Sepia layer which lightens your shadow zones and mutes(darkens) your highlights to a ruddy sepia color.  This is your basic faded sepia look that you can dial in and customize for your image.  Double click the curve adjustment layer to open it and operate with the surgical artistic destiny of your intuition.

Lens Leak layer 1 – Pay attention here folks, this is a trick to mimic the light leaks on film from old or leaky bellows.  It takes into consideration your image as it builds the effect.

Light Leak option 2 – a stronger effect of the light leak – blend it into your image for that variable look that the years of aging produce.

Bleached shadows color layer – this layer mimics a light bleaching of the print, a delicate darkroom process that would take you a few months to master if you were doing this 10 years ago.  It’s also an effect of the aging emulsion, so build up your taste for the effects of aging by looking at plenty of old pictures.  Good taste makes good pictures – not actions. 

Basic low color desaturation layer.

Grain texture layer.

Vintage texture layer @100% – mix in to taste – this is an auto generated texture, so I suggest a light hand.  Custom textures are included in the Vintage Master package.

Here’s the results of my custom vintage processing of these two example images

My creative intentions were to capitalize on the dramatic eye contact and the sparkle of that ROCK.  To do so, I went completely black in the shadows, but kept them a warm, chocolaty black, the major desaturation is matched with a slight warm highlight hue – making the overall image nearly a duotone – one highlight value, and one shadow value.  I worked to channel the feminine power in the gaze, into the tonality and impression of the entire image.

Completely opposite in tone and intention, I felt the feminine grace of this pose and chose to follow that direction in my retouching.  Whereas the ring shot was sharpened by an increase in contrast this image was softened by gaussian blur and custom texture overlay from the Beautiful Blurs Volume 2.  I used the blur to focus attention on the back of the dress and hairpiece.  Overall this image never gets to completely black, and the highlights buzz with a soft lightening texture.  

I hope this discussion is valuable to you as you seek to find the expression in your images.

Vintage Maker Kit – 5 Postcards + 10 Textures + 2 Actions

A tremendous value to help you achieve a vintage photo style for $39

The vintage look isn’t just a one time thing for you. You’re looking for a classy, fun and witty theme to bring into your work to astonish your clients. The Vintage Maker Kit is 5 postcard backs, 10 texture files to add a worn and antique feel to your images, and 2 photoshop toning actions that will creatively alter your photographs to achieve the tonal balance of an image faded and worn by years of love and appreciation. Postcards are 2400 pixels on longest side. Available for immediate download upon purchase.

Download the Original size

Download the Original size

Download the Original size

Download the Original size

Download the Original size

Vintage Maker Kit – 5 Postcards + 10 Textures + 2 Actions