Make Light Real

Neil April 18th, 2009

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:

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• Creativity , Curves Power , How To: , Inspiration , Mind Like Water , ONE Action , Photoshop Retouching , Textures , Tutorials , Video , Workflow

Neil January 15th, 2009

A quick comparative set using LAB color mode and the ONE ACTION set: starting with the original file just out of raw conversion….

First we retouch the skin to taste, consider the light when you do (opensextensive skin retouch tutorial)!

After skin retouch we have a richer and more directional feel to the light.

A Black and white conversion using L*A*B* color mode for luminosity.  A very classy B+W conversion.  Once we’ve shown the client the expected results we can easily proof them something more artistic, and unexpected using Beautiful Blurs, or Lighting Overlays.

Here a basic texture file from the Bleautiful Blur Overlays – Volume 2 gives the picture a little blue juice which contrasts the warmth of the skin with a Photoshop layer mode of soft light.

the Lighting Overlays Disk 1 streaky image, gives the image a funky modern splash on the left side when I used a Photoshop Layer mode of screen.

There are two answers to why to be creative – one is from your own motivation, the other is to sell more to your clients.  With the ONE ACTION workflow you could complete this whole series in less than 3min simply saving out a JPEG at each stage.

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• Inspiration , ONE Action , Photoshop Retouching , Real-light Overlays , Textures , Workflow , learning

Neil December 27th, 2008

This post in the forums at Model Mayhem caught my eye because it stressed light, even in skin retouching.

ModelMayhem.com – Understanding Skin Retouching Regarding LIGHT

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.

Continue to MM to read the three great techniques using layer modes and painting the light in

Skin smoothing photoshop action for perfect portraits and beauty retouching 

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Neil December 4th, 2008

Following in the footsteps of my retouching tutorials:

• Understanding the suggestive power of darkness
• Eye of the muse : photoshop retouching deconstructed

I know these are written to a more abstract level and so today I’d like to provide a more hands-on experience and so I have posted this L*A*B* colorspace photoshop file for you to download.  There are eleven layers in this file, from the starting image, on up through the finished look.

Let’s dig in

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Neil November 21st, 2008

If you shot this image – would you find something in it?

Photo Courtesy of Shane Snyder photojournalist

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• Creativity , Curves Power , Hear the Shadows , How To: , Mind Like Water , Photoshop Retouching , Real-light Overlays , Textures , Tutorials , contrast

Neil October 29th, 2008

Here’s our starter image for this discussion:

here’s our finished image for this discussion:

Now you’re right that’s not the EXACT same image, but there’s just a moment’s difference – I couldn’t find the un-retouched version.

I did find a smaller resolution version – again the point of contention is the vanishing point in the composition.  You may compose this while you’re shooting – and it may be proper as you’re composing the environmental elements in your image – but what is the compelling ‘moment’ of the image?

His EYES!

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• Color Theory , Hear the Shadows , How To: , Inspiration , ONE Action , Photoshop Retouching , Real-light Overlays , Textures , Tutorials , contrast

Neil October 23rd, 2008

Before:

After:

I used textures that I designed to provide a gentle and organic vignette feel to an image to darken the edges and focus the attention on the focal point of my composition. Those textures are available for purchase as the Veritas Vignette texture pack from the create store.  

I then added a little edge border to fancy it up just a little further….  I work in LAB color mode using my ONE action that allows me better control over burning down unruly highlights, and bringing out the colors with saturation control!

The ONE ACTION set is a professional grade retouching workflow for creative expression. 

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• How To: , Inspiration , ONE Action , Photoshop Retouching , Textures , Workflow