The processed hair looks like it's made out of sticky caramel
That's this brand new technique called dodging and burning. Ssssh you heard it here first.
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How much touch up is too much
- Thread starter pezdaddy
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That's this brand new technique called dodging and burning. Ssssh you heard it here first.
I think that's fine - you've made the image flattering without going overboard.
And here's an example of that line well and truly crossed...
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For simple portrait shots I always brighten teeth and the whites of the eyes, and scale 96% horizontally as a matter of course. If necessary, I'll smooth out the face and neck very lightly.
The goal is not an overdone glamor shot look that screams "Photoshopped!"; instead I'm going for slightly thinner and younger looking with a nice smile.
They keep coming back to have their photos taken, so it works.
The goal is not an overdone glamor shot look that screams "Photoshopped!"; instead I'm going for slightly thinner and younger looking with a nice smile.
They keep coming back to have their photos taken, so it works.
Damn you, that caramel makes me hungry.
By default like that, eh? I once had the displeasure of looking at my own photos on a monitor that had an identity crisis: it was a 16:10 display but the software thought it was a 4:3, effectively scaling everything 120% horizontally. I almost couldn't eat for a day
... not necessarily. Ive met people who wanted it that way.
In the entertainment industry this is daily bread.
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Excellent job. Whoever told you to leave the acne on doesnt know what they are talking about!
That's my point. There is no correct answer to this question.
For what it's worth…she's a long way away from graduation and not going to be on a CD cover any time soon.
I'm sorry. I didn't get your point. (Internet forums. Ugh!)
I thought you were jumping on the bandwagon and looking for advice yourself. Anyway, I think with your illustration and my "Captain Obvious" response we answered the OP.
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The processed hair looks like it's made out of sticky caramel
Yeah, it's rather yummy.
I thought this thread was mainly about family pics. If we're talking about the entertainment industry then there is no such thing as 'too much' and this whole thread becomes pointless.
I've modified photos at the request of female friends by enhancing the bust, trimming the waist and thighs, elongating the legs etc. They've been thrilled with the results, but they are absolutely delusional if they think it's a fair representation of themselves.
Sorry, I forgot that this was about family and friends.
The example you posted is from an add Ive seen in photo magazines.
In privat they should just tell you how much they like it to be touched up.
I think the OP did a great job. The original was hideous.
Thank you! Very new to all this so I appreciate the comment (good or bad).
BTW, it was my wife who told me to leave it in place. She just thinks you should leave people how they look in real life. I just smile and nod. As I've learned in this thread, photography is "real life", but not necessarily "real life".
Does your wife put on makeup before having her picture taken? Much of the retouching we're doing is simply putting on makeup afterwards.
Many people wear black because it makes them look thinner. Photoshop is the new black.
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I don't know if Lightroom has blending modes like Photoshop. If it does, try duplicating the image, applying a screen blend to the new layer, and then removing the overly bright areas (such as the woman's dress) with a feathered eraser.
I did that with one client - the old fashioned way by tilting the paper easel in an old fashioned wet darkroom. I had listened to her while she told me what she didn't like about past photos from other photographers, and that she was sensitive to carrying too much weight in her face.
She loved the portrait, and became a regular client. I never told her how I did it - just said that it was the lighting.
I those days I was under the impression that this was a very unusual technique used by very few, or a very secret one used by a lot of us!
Now of course anyone can do the same thing in a quarter of the time and with no side-effects like falling out of the zone of focus of the enlarger lense.
Ahhh . the good ole' days...
I think that's a great way to look at it. It's what portrait painters have been doing for centuries.
Makeup and a change of clothing is fine. Liposuction is out!
It's the purpose of the photo that matters.
If it is advertising "anything goes" because the purpose is to sell a product.
For your kind of portrait I will work on it until it looks "fake" then move back maybe two steps. I stop work just before it starts to look like I touched it up.
In photoshop make a layer for this and you can adjust the transparency. I make one for shin and even one for teeth, then I can adjust teeth whiteness with a slider and move it up until it is unrealistic then go back. If you don' have photoshop and layers just use the un-do it you go to far
For portraits of women you want them cleaned up but still believable. After all you COULD have removed (covered) the blemishes with makeup. I think as long as you stay with the effects a professional makeup artist could have done you are OK.
Now it you start doing things to take 15 pound of the model and make her 5 inches taller and added a lot of extra hair length, change eye color and so on you've gone in to the realm of commercial advertising photos. But even that is fun to do. try it. See how far yo can go and I bet the model will like it, even if she never shows it to anyone.
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No. I think the intent of this photo is to be like "Graphic Art" and not a realistic portrait. For that purpose it s very well done.
One way to design is to look at the intended audience. Are you shoots this for people who know the model and what to see/remember what she looks like. That is has to be reasonably accurate. Profesional makeup and hair styling is OK, lighting and minor re-touch is OK
But as in this case the photo is to be viewed mainly by people who don't know the model, maybe the purpose is to sell shoes or concert tickets then "anything goes". A commercial model does not represent herself in the photo and need not look herself in the photo.
That stylized graphic looking photo is good.