Hello

I am trying to find out how to achieve that highly polished look in retouching skin like the Dior adverts.

Have a look at this link to a hair salon and view their portfolio section:

http://www.rush.co.uk/portfolio.htm

If you look at my portfolio you can see that I am on my way to getting smooth skin, however I am not sure how to get this exact look.

I have used the method of median blur, and then bringing back detail with noise on a softlight layer. I also spend a lot of time using the healing brush to remove blemishes beforehand.

The pro's do not use any blurring.

Another method I have been trying out is the dodge and burn technique (thanks Conrad - from a previous thread) This does a good job of getting rid of blochy skin BUT just how do they get that polished look without blurring??

You can view my website to see the kind of work I do.

Are you sure they're not blurred? I see no pore detail in those images.

Pierre

The guy who did it works with me as a Production Manager...

He said that he didn't use any blur so I wanted to see if I could / or anybody here could figure this out...

He mentioned channels... Does anyone know about retouching channel per channel?

See this link for samples and a tutorial by Phyllis Stewart...

http://www.innographx.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18&sid=ca488cc3937f7797341128e6acf40edb

thank-you I have had a look and I don't think that is the exact technique. I actually used smudging in the following image:

http://www.retouchme.co.uk/home_03.htm

But the thing is that the pro's do not use any blur or smudge... or so I hear :hat:

I have been getting a somewhat similar result lately bu using a new filter in Photoshop CS2. Its called surface blur and its the last item in the blur list.

I take the original, do levels correction and then blemish removal - then I make a new layer and do a surface blur which gives me a skin color gradient that is better than median. I then sogtly paint this soft idealized smooth skin over the original to get the right balance.

This techniue can also be used with blending modes for some further nice effects. Its somewhat close to what you showed. I always go back later and make sure that eyes, brows, lips and ears and hair near face is not covered up overly so.

Thank you for educating me - I'm intrigued!

This may not be what you are looking for but
I like to smooth out skin by using a brush set to multiply 18% opacity color is a sample from the skin. I work on a new layer then adjust that layer when I'm done to taste.

Looks like median to me. But if you work with him - why not just ask him how he did it?

I cant help but wonder if a colour fill layer has been used

The pro's do not use any blurring.Quite a sweeping statement! For "normal" glamour retouching the "pro" wouldn't use any blurring so as to be sure that the skin texture is conserved. However, as you are asking about a polished look then I'd say that this isn't a case of normal glamour work.

suzzie12, welcome to RetouchPRO :bigthmb:.
I too find the CS2 surface blur superior to the median. The method you outlined here works just fine.
Lately I've been using the surface blur in LAB mode with different parameters for each channel - still learning but the results are getting better.

linen, welcome to RetouchPRO :bigthmb:.
Don't know if I understood correctly, but wouldn't the multiply be darkening the skin?

As to what was actually used - could be median, could be smudge, could be blur, could be air-brush.
Like eveything in PS, there are many ways to get to a result, sometimes it comes down to personal preference.

Rô

Unreal, have gone from PS7 to CS2 and never noticed a surface blur until it was mentioned tonight, obviously wearing blinkers

Well, with all of the high-end jobs you see advertised they always say no blurring. BUT if you look at the DIOR adverts and some Loreal adverts they seem sooooo polished. It is hard to imagine that they do not use blur. There must be a secret to it. :confused:

Theres also no skin texture.
You're comparing 2 different things here - job adverts that specify no blurring (btw where are you seeing these adverts?) are likely wanting to preserve skin texture - which blurring can remove or in cases where the skin is very textured - make it look blotchy.
These 'polished', as you call them, pictures are either blurred, airbrushed, recoloured, median/surface blurred or a combination of the above.
Theres no big secret - there are a number of methods to achieve that effect. But if you're not happy with our answers why not ask him how he did it?

He wasn't forthcoming when I asked, so I thought I should try here before asking him again... I will though.

There is acutally an advert on here for a retoucher that says no blurring or airbrushing:
http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11853

Have a look at their amazing gallery:

http://www.markusklinko-indrani.com/photoGallery/main.htm

Looking through it, it doesn't look as if they do any blurring and there work looks really realistic (not like the example I posted above)

I just thought perhaps there was something I didn't know about...

I have also read a method by the glitter guru. It uses the clone stamp at a large size but on a low opacity:

http://graphic-design.com/Photoshop/glamour.html

tbh, I cant tell whether their portfolio is any good or not - all the images are very small and mostly distance shots. They also dont show what the images look like before. If I was looking for a retoucher - I most definately would not choose them.
TBH, their advert seems very silly to me - sounds like they want to control their employees too much.
It is possible to use blurring and airbrushing whilst still maintaining the original skin texture - or the desired texture. If you cant blur or airbrush all you're really left with is cloning, layer blending and chanels - so either they have a very ineffecient work flow and they really are clone stamping out every single imperfection or they're models and photographers are all perfect ;)
At the end of the day, all the client cares about is the end result. As long as the result doesnt look airbrushed or blurred then thats what matters.

As we can see from these forums there are a great deal of techniques for retouching and an even greater variation in desired results. What may work for one client may not work for another. Terminology is also quite variable in this field as there is a lot of subjectivity and certain "looks" don't really have specific terms attached to them. I would guess that this company is looking for someone with the ability to retouch without a "blurred" or "airbrushed" look. This may mean the would like a more realistic retouch regardless of the steps taken to achieve it. I wouldn't take the request too literally.

In terms of the channels, the production manager in question may have done a lot of channel blending to reduce "noisy" channels and may have retouched channel by channel cloning out unwanted information or using the myriad of tools other than blur available in photoshop. He may have used LAB colorspace as it separates luminosity from color and allows for manipulation of the lumiosity information without risking a color shift.

Regardless, the best solution is usually that which gives the desired result. After looking at Shelby's site I actually prefer her retouching to her production manager's results; but then again it really depends on the final purpose of the images.

I would say that comparing shelbys work to her production managers is not really a fair comparison. From what I've seen most of Shelbys work is 'natural' and realistic whereas her production managers work has a more stylised look which is common for high fashion cosmetics and hair products/styles, where realism isnt the point - hair styles like that rarely exist beyond the catwork and the fashion photo shoot.

I would say that comparing shelbys work to her production managers is not really a fair comparison.

In terms of personal preference it absolutely is a fair comparison. In terms of the effectiveness of the image in it's final application, well, that would depend on what the final application is. I still prefer the aesthetic quailties of Shelby's work... which is as valid as not choosing the retouchers from the advert based on their website, regardless of the quality of work the produce.

A technique to attempt with channels is as follows:

1. Duplicate the original to a new layer.
2. Select each channel individually and retouch as if it were a BW image, preserving the basic tonality of the channel.
3. Go back to your layers and reduce the saturation of the layer.
4. Set blending mode to lumiosity.

It's not an inherently better way to retouch and really doesn't side-step the need to blur or airbrush or clone but it is a quick jump into to retouching with channels. For those less comfortable working directly with the channels themselves, Photoshop allows you to copy the channel to a layer and work with it there. Once you're done working simply flatten the appropriate layers, copy and paste the layer back into the appropriate channel of the original image (duplicated of course). This way you can add all the adjustment layers, masks, or any other tools you would normally use.

A very basic technique but possibly a good start.

Oh ok. I think I am going to give that method a go. I do work with channels mainly for creating DCS2 files and saving selections. This is something I want to learn more about, so thank-you.

I think that with the big retouching companies their big clients would not be happy for them to show before examples. Some companies have a section called "case study" where they get special permission to show the retouch step by step. Here is another amazing company based here in the UK:

http://www.taylorjames.com

The client list speaks for itself.

Nancy... I just wanted to point out (incase you didn't know) that Markus Klinko & Indrani are without doubt high among the top 5 most sought after commercial and celebrity photographers on the planet; not only for their inimitable skill with the camera, but just as much for their unrivalled quality and ingenuity of post-production.

I'm not sure how deeply you investigated their website, but their portfolio contains some of the entertainement world's most iconic images of the last few years, including images of Iman, David Bowie, Beyonce Knowles, Mariah Carey, JayZ, Kelis, Britney Spears and so many others... totally exceptional images that have had more worldwide exposure than the work of just about any other current photographic team you could mention. In addition to that, they currently shoot the majority of imagery for L'Oreal - both hair & cosmetics - as well as work for Hugo Boss and Dior.

Their retouching skills are really quite incredible, and are clearly more inclined to the "fantasy" style of retouching (rather than the "reality" style). It is unfortunate that the website presents such tiny examples of their work, I have seen a lot of it at full size & full resolution and believe me... it's utterly stunning. They have a whole team of retouchers working under the guidance of Indrani herself.

Shellby - about a year ago I applied for that position myself (they're constantly advertising for high-end retouchers). I missed out on the job only because I was based in London and they were looking for someone based in NYC... I shudder to think about how much I might have learned at that studio.

Incidentally... I never, ever use any kind of blur. Neither do I use the healing brush or the history brush. Everything is done with the clone stamp - initially at pixel level, then gradually increasing in size whilst decreasing in opacity. This is complimented by ultra-detailed dodging and burning. Nothing else.

SK

Nancy... I just wanted to point out (incase you didn't know) that Markus Klinko & Indrani are without doubt high among the top 5 most sought after commercial and celebrity photographers on the planet; not only for their inimitable skill with the camera, but just as much for their unrivalled quality and ingenuity of post-production.
Skill with the camera means less post production is necessary - I was not commenting on their photography skills, merely on the fact that their portfolio does not adequately showcase their post production skills.

I'm not sure how deeply you investigated their website, but their portfolio contains some of the entertainement world's most iconic images of the last few years, including images of Iman, David Bowie, Beyonce Knowles, Mariah Carey, JayZ, Kelis, Britney Spears and so many others... totally exceptional images that have had more worldwide exposure than the work of just about any other current photographic team you could mention. In addition to that, they currently shoot the majority of imagery for L'Oreal - both hair & cosmetics - as well as work for Hugo Boss and Dior.
Maybe its just me but I dont get starstruck with pictures of celebrities or big brands. Yes their client list is impressive but it doesnt show me what they can do.

Their retouching skills are really quite incredible, and are clearly more inclined to the "fantasy" style of retouching (rather than the "reality" style). It is unfortunate that the website presents such tiny examples of their work, I have seen a lot of it at full size & full resolution and believe me... it's utterly stunning. They have a whole team of retouchers working under the guidance of Indrani herself.This is what I'm talking about - the pictures are tiny and with no 'before' shots for comparison it is impossible to tell how much of the end result is due to stunning models, fantastic lighting and photography and how much is actually retouched.
You are lucky to have seen their work properly, but the rest of us are stuck with the images on the website.

I'm not dissing their skills, I'm just saying that its impossible to tell from the pictures on their website.

Incidentally... I never, ever use any kind of blur. Neither do I use the healing brush or the history brush. Everything is done with the clone stamp - initially at pixel level, then gradually increasing in size whilst decreasing in opacity. This is complimented by ultra-detailed dodging and burning. Nothing else.

SK

I use whatever is appropriate to the task. In some cases blurring is the best and most efficient way to produce the desired effect.
If you look at some of the L'oreal adverts - the girls skin has a very 'waxy' look to it - which median does brilliantly as long as the model isnt blotchy. Some look recoloured (skin is the exact same colour all over) and some look like they have some parts airbrushed but 'airbrushing' can be a large umbrella of actions or can refer just to directly 'painting' onto the photograph with colour.

...and I now know who to blame when my hair colour looks nothing like the box ;)

Hey Nancy,

I understand exactly what you're saying - photos of famous people don't do it for me either - but it's a shame you can't see these images in all their full size glory, because then the aspect of those images that DOES impress me would be more evident: the "creative" aspect of what they do, and the skill with which they execute it. I expect they could take a photo of a sack of potatoes and make it look fabulous enough to go on the cover of Vogue.

However - you are right - it is almost impossible to evaluate the images when they are so small.

Unfortunately I haven't seen any of their "before" pictures, but I do know that they use the most advanced and highly regarded lighting systems in the world, and Hasselblad cameras with Leaf digital backs. I also know from extensive personal experience that NO MODEL LOOKS THAT GOOD.... EVER!!!

SK

NO MODEL LOOKS THAT GOOD.... EVER!!!

SK
Obviously no-one is perfect but there are some very beautiful women in the world and having a good base to start from makes a huge difference.

These are two of the hardest I've ever worked on ...
http://www.hazelryan.co.uk/Site2/before/P6233275.jpg
http://www.hazelryan.co.uk/Site2/before/P3241010.jpg
The first one is probably not the best angle to photograph her from, the makeup is awful and her hair looks like straw.
The second one would be quite pretty if it werent for the sun/sun bed abuse to her skin... On the close up its so damaged and cracked around her lips and the bags under her eyes are awful. I cant begin to imaging how many hours it would have taken to correct that skin damage without any airbrushing or blurring.

I ll give an example for this topic. pardon me if there is copyright issue because I get it from a friend of mine. any idea on how they make it?

Realaqu

No one give me some hints about how they made this one?

realaqu

Well, realaqu, I assume a photo like this requires a great spectra of techniques as well as a lot of time. Cloning/healing; color management; painting with light and dark; texturized airbrushing; are a few of the methods that immediatly cross my mind. Just as when dealing with any kind of project, a retoucher has to apply all of his or hers knowledge to that particular enterprise in order to come up with a solution. And as has been written many times on this forum, there are myriads of methods to accomplish that.

It seems to me the one on the left is the (already heavily retouched) original. The wrinkles on the other one look a little fake.

Look for aging tutorials to achieve that effect.

Pierre

realaqu,

The picture you posted got stuck in my head, so I just had to give it a go. I took the photo of the old lady and turned it into the attached file. The entire procedure took me about 20 minutes to half an hour. If I had been more careful - giving it more time and effort, I could have accomplished the finished result displayed in your post. Like I wrote, everything is possible with the correct technique. Inspiration plays an important factor as well.

It seems to me the one on the left is the (already heavily retouched) original. The wrinkles on the other one look a little fake.

Look for aging tutorials to achieve that effect.

Pierre

I don't think either image is 'original'; the 'old' image definitely has a fake look to me, & I'm pretty sure the 'young' image has seen some retouching too.

I've no idea about the origin of these images, so I'm not saying it is the case here, but I have seen before & after images where the 'before' has had as much retouching done as the after - in an attempt to make the retouch look more impressive.

I have also read a method by the glitter guru. It uses the clone stamp at a large size but on a low opacity:

http://graphic-design.com/Photoshop/glamour.html

I have tried the Glitter Guru's way of retouching on several pieces. Attached is one of those for you to check out.

Well, with all of the high-end jobs you see advertised they always say no blurring. BUT if you look at the DIOR adverts and some Loreal adverts they seem sooooo polished. It is hard to imagine that they do not use blur. There must be a secret to it. :confused:

Maybe they've used a program like NeatImage? I think there's a plug-in for Photoshop.

edit: Here's a link for a swedish forum where it's demonstrated
http://www.fotosidan.se/expertqa/view.htm?ID=2743

I have tried the Glitter Guru's way of retouching on several pieces. Attached is one of those for you to check out.

DigiCore,

Can you please tell me how to get two versions of the same file on one screen. I am interested in using the Glitter Guru tutorial that was linked but can't for the life of me do the first step: "...Then choose windows --documents-- new window. You will now have two versions of the same file on screen."

I am using PS CS2 and there is no Windows > Documents > New Window.

If anyone can tell me how to get this new window of the same document I would be grateful.

rnbluvva,
Here's how you do it in CS2
Window > Arrange > New Window for...

Her book goes into more detail on her technique, I highly recommend it.

Hi, I'm one of the new guys on the block so I thought I would give this a try.

Larbear :wink:

rnbluvva,
Here's how you do it in CS2
Window > Arrange > New Window for...

Her book goes into more detail on her technique, I highly recommend it.

Thanks so much DigiCore! Yes GG's book is on my list of 'to gets'. I have perused it at Borders and it has a lot of great stuff in it!

Hi, I'm one of the new guys on the block so I thought I would give this a try.

Larbear :wink:Hi Larbear. Welcome to RetouchPro!
You've achieved a striking effect. There is only a problem above the eye and along the jaw near the ear.

I'm more of a traditionalist when it comes to glamour: more pores, less oil :cat: .

Pierre

Hi Larbear. Welcome to RetouchPro!
You've achieved a striking effect. There is only a problem above the eye and along the jaw near the ear.

I'm more of a traditionalist when it comes to glamour: more pores, less oil :cat: .

Pierre

Thanks for the input, I wondered about the jaw line after I figured out how to upload the image ;) Just plain missed the eye though. Looking forward to participating in this group, sure looks like there is alot of talent out there. I welcome all the input I can get, hope I can contribute back as well. :nod:

Larry

Larbear, Welcome.

One suggestion I might have is to maybe bring up the brightness level a just a touch to open the face up a little bit.

I like your skin tones.

Your smoothing effect was very good - I know its a small image - but it seems like you may not have brought the smoothing over the whole right cheek (by the nose) and down to the top right lip area. Id like to see the same smoothing continue in these areas because it was so good.

Ray12

Please note that the image being used here is actually off my website. The photographer still ownes the copy right and I do not. I mearly did the retouching on the image.

Shellby, and everyone else, I did not mean to imply that this was my photo, I just tried my hand at trying to achive the effect you were looking for. Really sorry if I've done something wrong.... :spchless: Larry

Hi folks,
I am a new guy here but my guess would be these were done in painter using
a very light blending brush (10%or so) that brush would be "just add water"
I do this on almost every image that I work on.
If you have never tried this it is a great finishing brush for retouch work done in photoshop and you can take this as far as you want and make the image look porcelain if you want.
Don

Do you have any examples you can show on how the look comes out? Or a pointer to a site maybe. Sounds interesting.

That's ok, just letting people know where the image is from. A really great New York photographer... up and coming!

Why the reluctance to use blur? It is acceptable to retouch in other ways, but using a blur is somehow "over the line" when retouching? A blur is too artificial? It's less artificial to use a clone/healing brush/patch tools with something like the Wacom airbrush tool?

For those who are less reticent about using blurs and more focused on pleasing retouch results, here's a few tips:

(1) Concentrate on the green channel. If you want to blur a channel, the green channel is the best candidate.

(2) Skin details like pores are usually most evident in the blue channel. It can also benefit from some softening of details. A little more care is needed here to avoid an artifical look. There is an important line separating highly polished and plastic/waxy.

(3) Make sure to mask the skin before you apply any blur or other methods of softening details like Median. The idea is to give only the skin a polished look.

Keep in mind that lighting matters. Light bouncing off key areas provides shaping for an image. You can apply a curve to the highlights with a luminosity mask (crude), a tone-based mask (better), or something like a Lighten blend and Blend If sliders. For details on a tone-based mask, here are a couple of resources:

http://www.thelightsrightstudio.com/tutorials/MaskingByTheNumbers.pdf
http://www.thelightsrightstudio.com/TLRToneMaskToolkit.htm

If there are no highlights, consider adding some modeling with the Photoshop Lighting Effects filter. Harold Heim's Light Machine is a Photoshop add-in that gives you lots of control. You can control both lighting and shadow effects.

I find that applying a diffuse glow, particularly a high key glow provides excellent results. Here are a couple of resources on adding a diffuse glow.

http://www.thelightsrightstudio.com/tutorials/GivingYourPhotosAGlow.pdf
http://www.thelightsrightstudio.com/TLRDiffuseGlows.htm

If you really must avoid the use of blurs altogether, you can use the patch tool. Look at your image. You need to have portions of skin that are smooth and free from blemishes. Identify the areas you want to replace and the areas that have enough replacement skin to clone. Then create a Merge Visible duplicate layer (alt+ctrl+shift+n+e). Work on the first area you want to replace. Use the patch tool to replace the skin. Then apply a Fade (ctrl-shift-F). This will diffuse the effect of the replacement.

Here's another tip to try:

Make a Merge Visible duplicate layer (alt+ctrl+shift+n+e). Invert the layer. Desaturate it. Add a Reveal All layer mask. Make sure the mask is selected. Now, run Apply Image with Source: filename, Layer: Background, Channel: RGB, Blending: Normal, Opacity: 100%. Click the Blend Mode for the layer to Soft Light.

This maneuver with the layer mask will reduce both the highlights and the shadows. That has the effect of smoothing the skin.

The effect, as described, is appled to the entire image. If you want to limit it to just the skin (recommended), you can mask the skin. Then combine the mask from above and the skin mask with Calculations (a Darken or Multiply blend). Or, you can use a Layer Group/Set in CS/CS2 and then add the mask for the skin to that.

Cheers,

Mitch

Hey Mitch!

Nice to see some apply image techniques here. Apply image and Calculations are probably my favorite tools in PS.
The technique you described is a great way to flatten out an image or portions thereof. As long as some of the shape is brought back in with proper lighting, its a step saver.
There is nothing wrong per se with Blurring an image to help with Flesh problems. However, at the hi level there is a noticable "rejection" rate from clients who are seeing more and more how destructive and fake looking it can become when used unwisely. A low level blur, along with a low level noise application, combined with a proper opacity can definetly help things out. A retoucher needs to know when this can be used and when not to. A talk with the client ahead of time on what is to be expected for a end result can decide this issue.
Obviously time is also an issue that can help decide when to use a blur or not. I just finished a large campaign for a underwear company that featured full body shots... lots of skin! Had to be done quickly but realistically. No blemishes, even on the men. A blur came in handy but one would never know it.

Chris

i know i am lazy but anyone looked into Kodak GEM airbrush pro? give the trial a try.

Well that is the goal of all retouching, isn't it? ;) To do the job with enough craftsmanship that the image is enhanced without looking artificial or otherwise drawing attention to the retouch itself.

I agree that a careless blur can detract from an otherwise fine image. Same is true for any retouch one might consider: color balance, dynamic range, noise removal, sharpening, etc. ;)

Emphasizing "no blur" makes little sense to me. There is nothing about blur per se that should rule the tool out of consideration, IMHO. If people want a stylized look that does not appear too artificial, why not say that.

Like the way people stand and pose for glamour ads is not stylized and artifical to start with. ;) And Santa comes twice a year, too. :)

Cheers,

Mitch

P.S. I am not a fan of going back and adding in monochromatic noise to avoid skin that is "too" polished. Just watch your opacity levels for your blends. If you use clone tools, watch the fill as well as the opacity, etc. Let a bit of the original skin texture show through. IMHO, adding noise is telltale, once you are familiar with what to look for.

Mitch

P.S. I am not a fan of going back and adding in monochromatic noise to avoid skin that is "too" polished. Just watch your opacity levels for your blends. If you use clone tools, watch the fill as well as the opacity, etc. Let a bit of the original skin texture show through. IMHO, adding noise is telltale, once you are familiar with what to look for.


I agree. I have said as much in other posts on other threads. I fully believe in the natural texture for all stuff is best.

Chris

Try telling my kids that Santa does not come more than once a year! : )

i know i am lazy but anyone looked into Kodak GEM airbrush pro? give the trial a try.


It has its place in retouching at a consumer level in my opinion. You are better off learning how to do it yourself.

Chris

Hi ray 12,
Sorry for delay and I am not sure you wanted me to reply but I will anyway.
The blending brush in painter that is called "just add water" is a wonderfull
blending brush.... it works as if you were actually applying water to dry paint to blend. I am sorry I don't have a site or good sample to show other than my web site www.airbrushimaging.com look at the oil painting detail of the little girls face. That is not the best sample I just have not shown this or talked about it in detail.
The way I use it (just add water brush) is to have the brush opacity set low 10% or so and the size adjusted for the area your working in , small around detailed areas and larger on cheeks forehead etc. This is so simple and makes a perfect blend you can make the image look airbrushed or blend the skin lightly so you don't remove skin detail. I work on a clone a lot of the time just to be safe but you don't really need to. You do need a tablet to get the full advantage of the brush and you do not need to make selections just practice a bit and you can fix any portrait and make it to as polished as you want and it DOES NOT LOOK like a blur tool plus this is a great brush for finishing restoration work. I need to say the brush set at 10% requires you to build on the blending it usually is not a one pass stroke and you need to develop a touch like glazing paint but if you try this you will love it.
Don

I keep meaning to dig out my painter software not used in ages. I like the just add water brush and will give this ago, could make some interesting christmas gifts for family. Alot of info in this post and amazing how many ways one can go about a job with our chosen tools.

You know there is no real quick fix. I just get out the heal and patch tools and use them with your image zoom set to like 400%. Working with really small areas at such a large zoom, you get a virtually flawless look without loosing the texture. A bit anal retentive, but you cannot get away from doing things manually even with the filters and tools (I've actually found dust & scratches useful with large pores!). Don't look for a quick fix or you loose the sense of artistry.

Hi, I'm a pro photographer and retoucher, and I've already saw the Rush's portfolio, as I've imagined this kind of work is doing by painting the photo again, if you work in Photoshop just create a new layer and begin to work in it. Use the brush at 30% of opacity. You'll see this work. Oh! this is one of your photos, I took it as a sample.

Been chatting with the guy who actually did the Rush images and he said that he also uses a method where you choose one of the channels, copy it over onto a layer, then play around with the blend modes. I have had a play and it can have some interesting results. He said that he would try and dig out one of the layered files for me.

Blur and noise with luminocity option is very good as a snapshot for a history brush. Using this tool with multiply and screen option, is possible to control all skin structure.
Sample of this technique: http://www.pbase.com/equinaut/image/53038185

If you go and have a look at my portfolio on www.retouchme.co.uk you will see that I have been using the dodge and burn method - either with curves or a 50% gray softlight layer - and I have been keeping the detail in the skin.

I just wondered how people acheive the RUSH look without blur.

http://www.rush.co.uk/portfolio.htm

I know the guy who did it and he said that he did not use blur / median / surface blur. I believe he copied a channel over (eg the RED channel - as it has the least amt of detail) and then used a blend mode and masks to add the effect where he wanted it to go.

Cheers

I was actually replying to a post that was here, and by the time I completed mine the post was deleted???

Here are some more examples of the "polished" look

Blur and noise with luminocity option is very good as a snapshot for a history brush. Using this tool with multiply and screen option, is possible to control all skin structure.
Sample of this technique: http://www.pbase.com/equinaut/image/53038185

That sounds interesting - could you explain a little more specific how you do that ... I'm not sure I get it 100% ;-)

/megl

I just got a DVD on retouching, OH MY GOD....its the best thing since slice bread.
I cant believe I been spending all my money on books when the DVD was only 39.00
Its called

Photoshop CS
photoshop retouching secrets
By Scott Kelby

Its has about 22 techniques on it, from trimming love handles to skin.....
just wanted to share that :bigthmb:

I just got a DVD on retouching, OH MY GOD....its the best thing since slice bread.
I cant believe I been spending all my money on books when the DVD was only 39.00
Its called

Photoshop CS
photoshop retouching secrets
By Scott Kelby

Its has about 22 techniques on it, from trimming love handles to skin.....
just wanted to share that :bigthmb:

I saw that DVD and was thinking about getting it. My only question is what method do they teach to smoothing out and cleaning up the skin? Is it by blurring or is it dodge and burn or something else?

I saw that DVD and was thinking about getting it. My only question is what method do they teach to smoothing out and cleaning up the skin? Is it by blurring or is it dodge and burn or something else?

He uses clone and healing tool, he also uses the patch tool. Scott claims that fashion mags and advert use the blur tool also. And thats what he uses too.
Once he blurs the skin he brings the opacity down to like 40% so that u cant tell. But like he said there are several ways to smooth skin. He uses dodge and burn to correction photography flaws, like bad lighting and washed out skin/clothes

I do not retouch photos but I would imagine that a good way to achieve such skin is among other things to create a new layer,set opacity to 40-50%, choose stamp tool, select "use all layers" and try to work with this. I usually achieve good results with that...

That sounds interesting - could you explain a little more specific how you do that ... I'm not sure I get it 100% ;-)

/megl

First step is blur with high radius, about 15-20 px, and noise after with luminosity option, to avoid banding in gradients. After I make a snapshot, set history brush and go back to pre-blur state of the picture. Using this brush with multiply and screen option (like dodge and burn) is possible to make smooth and natural skin. Sometimes I use oversharped with luminosity also history state to get some more pores on skin. Applying brush in cross directions, is possible even to create structure, wich was not on original.

I have not had a chance to try this out yet, but I have just read some good things about the lab mode idea---correcting, or blurring just the blue channel which supposedly contains the most imperfections of the skin. This is supposed to leave the texture intact... I have also heard some nice comments about using dust/scratches filter on a dup layer and adding a layer mask to pull the texture back through just to a lesser amount. A lot of what I can see on that website has to do with superb lighting and photography, which as we all know, is hard to compensate for in Ps. The skin looks luminous to the point where i think the highlights of the skin had to be airbrushed in painstakingly and enhanced in blend ing modes/layers. It is beautiful work. Let us know if you crack your co-worker! I am curious to the mystery as well.... :wink:

-Kate

I have not had a chance to try this out yet, but I have just read some good things about the lab mode idea---correcting, or blurring just the blue channel which supposedly contains the most imperfections of the skin. This is supposed to leave the texture intact... I have also heard some nice comments about using dust/scratches filter on a dup layer and adding a layer mask to pull the texture back through just to a lesser amount. A lot of what I can see on that website has to do with superb lighting and photography, which as we all know, is hard to compensate for in Ps. The skin looks luminous to the point where i think the highlights of the skin had to be airbrushed in painstakingly and enhanced in blend ing modes/layers. It is beautiful work. Let us know if you crack your co-worker! I am curious to the mystery as well.... :wink:

-Kate

You are right about the photography, a lot has to do with great lighting and also a big part has to do with the broncolor beauty dish that creates a even tone in the skin.
http://www.duroi.com/fashionforum/index.cgi/noframes/read/8639

Also this photographer http://www.sarahsilver.com told me that she uses the broncolor beauty dish for her images. I was also told by a makeup artist that worked with her that she uses a lot photoshop also. This lady also teaches photography lessons. Im curious to know if she teaches her PS techniques.
Check out her site, especially her beauty section.
Also check out this guys site, hes a makeup artist out of Paris and Romania:
www.alexabagiu.com
I think this is the effect that shellby is trying a achieve, polish skin.
I also emailed him and he told me that he uses broncolor beauty dish, and lots of lighting to achieve his results, the photography on his site is superb, stunning.
If ppl dont know the beauty dish produces a very hard light source, but the skin tones come out very very even. And thats what your seeing in the links i posted

I am a photographer an generally don't like retouching, but when I do want that smooth look this is what I do.

I don't use any blurring, I make a new layer, select the channels palette, make only the green channel visable (that way I am only working with light and dark, no color, just gets in the way), choose the clone stamp and set the tool opacity to 30%, set the clone stamp to sample all layers, and clone away. After the skin is smooth looking I make all the channels active and see the results. Sometimes it can look too painted so you just turn down the opacity of the layer or blend it to get the desired effect.

Hope this helps, would love to hear if this is what you where looking for.

Christopher

www.cmarcel.com

...I make a new layer, select the channels palette, make only the green channel visable (that way I am only working with light and dark, no color, just gets in the way)...You know CMP, you CAN turn on the visibility of the RGB channel while only cloning on the green channel, don't you? Have the green channel selected, then just click on the eye icon of the RGB channel. This way, whatever changes you make you'll be able to see how they affect the whole image in real time. No surprises.

I clone on all channels, not just green. I find that looking at all the color information at once gets confusing. If I only look at the green channel all I look at is light and dark. I have never had a problem with mismatched colors or anything like that. The lights and darks translate well once I turn on the visability of the rest of the channels.

Merry Christmas to All!

I added a new Learning Gallery today to my site:

http://www.thelightsrightstudio.com/learning-skin-softening.htm

It demonstrates how to soften skin with a pair of layers: one set to Darken blend and the other to Lighten blend. It also has tips for removing wrinkles, crows' feet, bags under eyes, glare on teeth, etc. Lots of interesting tips for retouching portraits.

Enjoy!

Cheers,

Mitch

I'm having touble posting this...

Have you tried any of the grain removal filters? They're pretty good.
If your friend says he's using channels, then he's probably using a combination of techniques using not only channels (as masks), but channel modes. If you mention the LAB channels he'll probably tell you what he's been doing.

M.

Nice work Mig.....care to share what technique you used. Im a photographer and my field of study is beauty photography, so this is a technique I have been trying to learn.....

I use a plug-in from Kodak: "Digital Gem Airbrush Professional 2.0"
Before using the filter make a feathered selection of the skin.
There is a try-out download here http://www.asf.com
See the attachement (low res.)

Been trying out some new methods outlined here:

http://www.onemodelplace.com/newsle...rticle7_pg2.cfm

See my results

Had a problem accessing your link because it got truncated.

Is this the article?
newsletter_glamour_article7_pg2 (http://www.onemodelplace.com/newsletter_glamour_article7_pg2.cfm)

Yes that's the one

Hello

I am trying to find out how to achieve that highly polished look in retouching skin like the Dior adverts.




good idea. which dior campain? maybe a bigger kind of image in the web where i could see the skin

thanks

and found some examples

Hi everyone

Just wanted to thank you all for the great discussion here. I'm learning heaps from this one thread. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I'm a newbie to this world, and I am also very very lucky to have a model to practise on whenever I like - my best friend is a model and more than willing to help me out. My father is also a professional photographer and has a taste for 'poxy' pictures, as he calls them - rough and raw. He also gave me permission to work on any of his pictures, and use them as if they are my own, so along with my amateur pics I get some 'real' pictures to play with too.

I'm having a great Sunday afternoon playing around with sad friends lovely face, thanks to all the wonderful tips and links here.

Today I discovered the green channel. Loving it already!

So thank you all for deciding to discuss this ;)

shellby thanks for examples. nice.
by the way, where can i find median blur? i dont know the german word for median blur in my noise filter, thanks

It is in the Filter Menu > Noise > Median

I am sure that there are websites that do translations.

Or you can use the Lens Blur

hm, ok, i found several there. they used differen idioms or expressions, its not translated word-byword actually
i think i found what you mean. its "helligkeit interpolieren" which sounds funny in german, but in english its really different. if its even the filter i assume it is.

Am I close with this one?

Yes that's looking great, did you see my one? On the previous pg?

Hi guys,

My name's Cristian and this is my first post! ;)

In the attach files there're my result without blur method.


p.s.: Sorry, but my English is very, very, very BAD!

The skin looks a bit flat

Hi guys,

My name's Cristian and this is my first post! ;)

In the attach files there're my result without blur method.


p.s.: Sorry, but my English is very, very, very BAD!

Hi Cristian and welcome to Retouchpro.com!

Don't worry about your english, we are an international community, greetings from Munich btw ;)

Why don't you post some of the steps you have made to achieve this result? I'm sure there are a lot of people to give hints and advice to improve your skills to the max!

Patrick

i have told you how we do it

i have told you how we do it


hi i checked through your posts and i was wondering if you could explain how you did it...there doesnt seem to be any explaination..thanks!

hello, one of my first posts! :happy:

shelby: i really think that a blur has definately been used in those retouched photos. i mean, there is absolutely no skin detail. the only way i believe that no blur could have been used, is those are indeed not human models but wax models! ;)

if no blur has been applied, then smudging or something which destroys skin detail has been applied. every is sooooo smooth in the photo. maybe the guy is very protective of his sectrets -- who knows?

anyway, i took a two minute crack at it on your avatar photo, and here is what i've come up with. if you like the technique, let me know and i will post it. it's very easy.

cheers and good luck!

Hi Cristian and welcome to Retouchpro.com!

Don't worry about your english, we are an international community, greetings from Munich btw ;)

Why don't you post some of the steps you have made to achieve this result? I'm sure there are a lot of people to give hints and advice to improve your skills to the max!

Patrick

Thank you Patrick,

infact, the skin its very flat. I don't work in the shadow zone for avoid the flat "effect".
When I have a bit of free time I post some pics.

Bye

Shelby did you find out anything else...
I did this tweaking the red channel, Not quite the same but Similiar

Or No?
http://homepage.mac.com/ekphotography/2005/images/043.jpg
Snook

snook, is it you? i am not sure, but i know someone from the south like snook, i am peter, you remember? i asked you about photography earlier in 2004. (peppermint at quincy)

Looking good snook

Good for us to play around with ideas

A good starting image is alway important.

It seems that healing, then surface or lens blur, then bring back some texture using sharpening, then adding glow is the answer

Otherwise you can use smudge rather than blur.

Painting over the skin with a paintbrush at about 5% for smoothing can also work.

Any other ideas?

Shelby did you find out anything else...
I did this tweaking the red channel, Not quite the same but Similiar

Or No?
http://homepage.mac.com/ekphotography/2005/images/043.jpg
Snook

Looks very nice, how did you managed to get this effect?

Hi Guys, this is Valentino I just got my camera and started to play with it I'm having a blast... this thread is really interesting and Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
This is a picture I took of my friend Burgandy.

here is the initial shot. I used no bluring just the healing brush, I little bit of dust and Scrath on the red and green channels. some bush work on the shadows and highlights with curve adj. layer.

hi i checked through your posts and i was wondering if you could explain how you did it...there doesnt seem to be any explaination..thanks!

Akbar - I agree with tristefoc: There's doesn't seem to be any kind of explanation from you here??

/megl

Snook, I'm also very curious as to what you were doing with the copied red layer? Were you applying some sort of noise reducer? or is it a blur method?
Great image by the way.

Shellbye! The pictures from dior is really difficult to achieve without blurring them down! I have trie noumerouse way sto get the effect without blurring, but it doesn't seem to be ht eright one...nor do I get the skintone right! I think that if you call a shovel a shovel, this is blur! If we haven't come up with a brand new way of retouching pictures...We should hav eheard about it...

Many times I read post here and it's like we are here and behind a big wal of mystery and secrets there are the pro retouchers! I don't think that blurring and doding is bad when it comes to retouching as long as it get's the job done!


It's nice to be involved with creative brains tonight :)

here is my try!

Shellbye! The pictures from dior is really difficult to achieve without blurring them down!

I really don't like blurring - here's one, where I did the skin softening with only the clone stamp and curves:

http://www.sendefladen.dk/dpreview/GlobalTvlr2.jpg

/megl

but, your version of the clone stam is nice, but i it lacks detail...more skin detalis is important...and the skin color is somewhat greenish?! the transition between the eye brows and the forehad skin isn't good...you see the transition too much and there is a color difference there as well...! and to be honest I don't see any clone stamp with this!


Gerry

but, your version of the clone stam is nice, but i it lacks detail...more skin detalis is important...

I agree - it was done as an exercise on how far you could go with the clone stamp tool alone ... and yeah - some of the details is a little sluggish ... it was done very fast ;-)

Here's another one with more skin detail:

http://www.sendefladen.dk/dpreview/GlobalTvlr.jpg

/megl

For comparison, here is the same image megl did. This was mostly dodge/burn and very slow going. Probably took four hours. Not nearly as fast as cloning.

Larry

i think the dior campaign is very well shooted, perfect light, and a couple of prof. make up artists treated the skin the whole day like the art director & photographer wanted it..

so its not only retouching.

LEUALLEN: i think your version was more realistic, but maybe abit to much red in the cheecks, specially on the left side...but a very nice one indeed! car to share?
did u use blur? or only healing/patch?


gerry

Gerry,

The color in the cheeks is what was there. I did not emphaize it. I figured if she put rouge on her cheeks, she wanted rouge.

Very liitle done with the clone or healing brush. Only very dark or light marks. Most everything was done on a 50% gray dodge/burn layer. What skin texture there was in the original is pretty much there in the retouched version although you really can't see it in the web image.

Larry

I gave that image a try

Pach tool and D&B no blur at all

I'm going to try to make it look Dyor later, with out blurring it down

What do you think?

-If this qualify as highly polished skin

But I didn't use any blur

just patch tool

Hi,

In my opinion the dodge / burn tools are perfect to polish skin. I'm not convinced by the "grey layer" method, it's less precise and take more time (maybe i'm wrong but when I use this method the color turn to be too saturate and "posterized"... I have to retouch again to correct this)

With dodge / burn we can correct and create shadows, midtones and highlights ! The colors are more "natural" than "grey layer" method.

I'm so sorry not to be fluent in english but in this thread (http://www.jlions.com/forum/p99483-2006-08-12-12h09.html#p99483) I explain in French how to reduce the size of the skin texture (grain ?) You have to use convolution (Filter > Other > Custom...) or - better - a negative high pass in overlay mode (opacity : 20 - 30 %) moved from 1 pixel (or more) to the left / right (it depend of the light) Maybe some french guys could translate that for us.

An example of skin with dodge & burn tools (and brush in color mode - Alt to sample the colour). This is not finish yet (I'm working on it) but it give a good idea what we can do with this fabulous tools. It's only dodge / burn / brush tool (no clone)

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/2663/burntoolcm4.jpg

PS : color or colour ? :D

Here is my quick attempt :cat:

Julien,

The advantage of the gray layer method is that you can change and rework, erase, etc. The color shift is a problem but it is easily handled by using a blank layer above the D/B set to color mode. A brush set to hue and white will desatiurate colors which is what you generally need when a very dark area is lightened. Set the brush to color and sample to change colors. I don't find it too much extra work.

Here is example of my attempt at polished skin or at least as polished as I would want to make this image. It is the same image I posted above, flattened and the color and density worked. I used the techniques Amy Dresser explained in another thread to get the polished look and bring up the highlights.

In lightening to get the face skin tones where I wanted them I created two problems. The hair looked washed out, no contrast. I used a narrow shadow tone mask (Mitchell, thelightsrightstudio) with a curves layer to deepen the blacks. I painted out on the mask any areas of the face I did not what effected. It fixed the hair nicely and made the whole image snap. Second, the shadow on the ladies right jaw (camera) had a greenish, sallow color and the tone was uneven. I painted a mask limited to the discolored jaw area and used it with a curves layer to adjust the color. The uneven tone was smoothed with a D/B layer.

I anyone is interested, I made a PDF of Amy Dresser technique. This was a revelation to me and I learned much. She provided a PSD file with layers intact. I pulled apart the image layer by layer and commented on what each layer did. If you would like a copy I will email it to you. It is 1.1MB in size. Email me at leuallen at netscape.net if you would like a copy. By the way, she uses dodge and burn like Julien but I still prefer the gray layer.

Larry

Hi,

I'm so sorry not to be fluent in english but in this thread (http://www.jlions.com/forum/p99483-2006-08-12-12h09.html#p99483) I explain in French how to reduce the size of the skin texture (grain ?) You have to use convolution (Filter > Other > Custom...) or - better - a negative high pass in overlay mode (opacity : 20 - 30 %) moved from 1 pixel (or more) to the left / right (it depend of the light) Maybe some french guys could translate that for us.


PS : color or colour ? :D

Hi Julien,

Im kind of new here, I was impressed by the retouch done by Tricky..how did she accomplish the sharpness on the image?? I dont read or speak French, sorry. I would love it if you could give use some more information on this

thank you,

I'm interested by you PDF leuallen :) (my email : contact@jlions.com ) Thanks a lot !

MrPatch, Tricky use the default values, as "he" say, of Photoshop custom filter, wich are :

0 -1 0
-1 5 -1
0 -1 0

It's surprising but it seem to work :)

One day after posting my retouching, I feel not convinced by my skin texture... it's really not finished ! In fact, this is not good at all at this stage ! (sorry, I will upload better this we)

I just had to give this one a go...such a stunning model! :)

I'm so sorry not to be fluent in english but in this thread (http://www.jlions.com/forum/p99483-2006-08-12-12h09.html#p99483) I explain in French how to reduce the size of the skin texture (grain ?) You have to use convolution (Filter > Other > Custom...) or - better - a negative high pass in overlay mode (opacity : 20 - 30 %) moved from 1 pixel (or more) to the left / right (it depend of the light) Maybe some french guys could translate that for us.

Hi Julien - you're example is pretty good! But I'm not sure I quite get how you did it? Can you explain in steps how you obtained that look?

/megl

Yet again another model with such a gorgeous face! This is my take...

Yet again another model with such a gorgeous face! This is my take...

Wow Ziaphra, this is great...It reminds of http://www.eugeniorecuenco.com/..one of my favorite photographers. Check him out.

What was your workflow on this?

Thank you,

Yet again another model with such a gorgeous face! This is my take...

Almost looks like you are smudging?

/megl

Megl is right...cloning, smudging, dodging and burning...I also work with different layers so I can adjust the saturation and erase what I don't like. :)

BTW that eugeniorecuenco link doesn't work for me...I would love to see his work...!

[QUOTE= BTW that eugeniorecuenco link doesn't work for me...I would love to see his work...![/QUOTE]


Here you go Ziaphra
http://www.gianfrancomeza.com/18EugenioRecuenco/fotos2/carrera%20y%20carrera%20eugenia/0.htm

This is the actual site:
http://www.eugeniorecuenco.com/

thanks

Ooh, thanx for that...his work is stunning...I particularly love this series...

http://www.gianfrancomeza.com/18EugenioRecuenco/fotos3/VIEW-%20BOSQUE%20RUSO/0.htm

Usually I lurk in the background and just absorb all the knowlege that the artists here share...but today I thought I would try my hand at polished skin (before and after). Please give me your critiques and/or suggestions.

Good ole smudging going on there.. Funny I saw that in a magazine and thought to myself.. Some one actually used the smudging technique for a fashion campaign...
Snook

Actually, I didn't do any smudging. I used a technique that I found on a tutorial where you paint the skin with a color lifted from the skin to even out skin tones. Here is the link for that http://www.onemodelplace.com/newsletter_glamour_article7_pg2.cfm

Then did some dodging and burning, added some pores to the cheeks, and a little noise to the entire photo.

Just throwing a work in progress on top of the pile here....I found some interesting results applying the median filter at varying opacities and blending modes [primarily darken and normal]---then re-blending select elements from the original (after a session of dodging/bleaching).


-T-

From what I've been taught, you are to never use blur, smudge, or clone. They change the pixel, which is what you're supposed to avoid at all costs.

But, I guess it depends on how you were taught.

I took this image: http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/213/jancikelq5.jpg from a thread and turned it into this:

http://theveed.com/pages/challenge_print_after.html#

I used only dodge and blur on her skin, and a tiny bit of the healing brush, but almost none. I'm guessing the very 'Rush' look has a lot to do with the photographer, too. But, like I said, I really don't know.

veed, nice work, only the skin looks a bit flat and has an odd texture to it -- also the eyes are too white -- just my opinion.

Thanks! Except, I didn't whiten the eyes, actually, just a couple of veins.


veed, nice work, only the skin looks a bit flat and has an odd texture to it -- also the eyes are too white -- just my opinion.

nice work theveed......i started out cheating skin with blurs and such....now strictly D&B.....takes a couple of hours to do my skinwork, but the result is worth it and can't be matched by any shortcut.

Great work Veed. I like what you have done you have done with her lips. That was a problem for me with this image. Do you use the dodge and burn tools or do you use a Soft Light layer? Also just how long did it take you to do that? I started this image using D&B but it was taking ages...I use a Soft Light layer with a 4 - 8% opacity brush and I zoom right in close (at least 600% and upwards). Eventually I gave up and started to use the clone tool and the healing brush.

Syd

Tried to achieve this look with Flaming Pear's Mr. Contrast, but can't seem to get the shimmer that I would like. :)

Edit: Thought I changed the title as well; I originally posted this one thinking I was on another thread. I still haven't tried some of the other techniques outlined, but I will. :)

Great work Veed. I like what you have done you have done with her lips. That was a problem for me with this image. Do you use the dodge and burn tools or do you use a Soft Light layer? Also just how long did it take you to do that? I started this image using D&B but it was taking ages...I use a Soft Light layer with a 4 - 8% opacity brush and I zoom right in close (at least 600% and upwards). Eventually I gave up and started to use the clone tool and the healing brush.

Syd

Well, I can't speak for everyone, but this is what I do. I was taught this in a 3 hour tutorial from a specTACular retoucher.

Regarding Soft Light, I literally just found out about doing it that way TODAY, and tried it. It's the same result, though. You can do D&B on a Soft Light layer, or you can just duplicate the layer. Personally, I like duplicating the layer, because I like to even out the skin color.

I use the Dodge set to Midtones, anywhere from 5-10% opacity (depends on your pen tool settings.)

Now, Syd, what I would say you did wrong was that you zoomed in. DON'T zoom in, at least not right away. Start big first. Zoom out so the face fits the screen, and that's it. Start that way, then slowly zoom in.

Here's a BIG tip: Once you feel you did a good job, then use a Curves Adjustment Layer to really bring out the shadows. You'll see all sorts of new things to go over. Then use another layer to bring out the highlights, and you'll see more things to smooth out.

There is also a tiny bit of Dust & Scratches that I'll use.

The whole thing took me about 2 or 3 hours, with many breaks taken in between. If I had applied myself, it would have taken maybe 40 minutes.

Like I said, Syd, I'm not perfect, but I personally didn't encounter at any time, a need for the stamp tool. From what I've learned, the stamp tool is very destructive, and you pretty much NEVER want to use it. The healing brush is better, but even then, you RARELY want to use it, and if you do, try to set it at Replace instead of Normal. And the most you want to use on a blur, is 1.0%. Seriously.

I hope this helps. This is just one way to do it.

Veed, thanks a lot. I shall try it out immediately. I think you are right. My problem is that I have been zooming in too close, too quickly. It takes forever to do a square centimeter. And thanks for the tip about the curve adjustment. Sometime back Shelby mentioned that in this thread somewhere but I never really understood it until now. One further question: What size is your brush? If I am zoomed into about 700% I might use a 2 pixel brush and sometimes I use a 1 pixel brush when I am even closer. (Now you know why it takes me so long)! I have never had anyone to teach me this and I have just had to fumble my way along. What is the hardness of your brush? I use a 0% hardness.

Sincerely Syd

My hardness varies anywhere from 0-50%. I like to keep it at 20-30, just cuz that's what I'm used to. As for size, on average it ranges from 10-50 pixels, but yes, sometimes a smaller brush is needed.

Practice by not zooming in. Do an image where you don't move in more than 200%. You'll see you can get the same effect.

Thanks Veed I will do exactly as you suggested. I'll see if I can find a decent image to work on and posts thre results. Thanks for all your suggestions.

Sincerely Syd

I think i know how they do it. Its all about using selective colour and hue and saturation. You have to pick out the individual pixels that make up the blemishes in colour range, and then adjust accordingly. Takes a long time. Your talking around 12 hrs per image

give this image a try. here is my work on it.

Hello

I am trying to find out how to achieve that highly polished look in retouching skin like the Dior adverts.

Have a look at this link to a hair salon and view their portfolio section:

http://www.rush.co.uk/portfolio.htm

If you look at my portfolio you can see that I am on my way to getting smooth skin, however I am not sure how to get this exact look.

I have used the method of median blur, and then bringing back detail with noise on a softlight layer. I also spend a lot of time using the healing brush to remove blemishes beforehand.

The pro's do not use any blurring.

Another method I have been trying out is the dodge and burn technique (thanks Conrad - from a previous thread) This does a good job of getting rid of blochy skin BUT just how do they get that polished look without blurring??

You can view my website to see the kind of work I do.

I don't think that they will give you an correct answer due to copying them! I think they HAVE used blurr or some kind of blur technique! This is very smootk...You can barely see the skin texture...But maybe the hav a pore brush that they put in pores afterwards and then smoothen on top of th eblurred skin! a technique I want to see in action...Maybe someone can post a version like that???


gerry

oh, here is my version of the soft skin! no pores though ?! :D

here is another...didn't get teh heai alright , but I'm pleased with the overall result!

another from me! :D

yet another one from me! still learning!

You are right about the photography, a lot has to do with great lighting and also a big part has to do with the broncolor beauty dish that creates a even tone in the skin.
http://www.duroi.com/fashionforum/index.cgi/noframes/read/8639

Also this photographer http://www.sarahsilver.com told me that she uses the broncolor beauty dish for her images. I was also told by a makeup artist that worked with her that she uses a lot photoshop also. This lady also teaches photography lessons. Im curious to know if she teaches her PS techniques.
Check out her site, especially her beauty section.
Also check out this guys site, hes a makeup artist out of Paris and Romania:
www.alexabagiu.com
I think this is the effect that shellby is trying a achieve, polish skin.
I also emailed him and he told me that he uses broncolor beauty dish, and lots of lighting to achieve his results, the photography on his site is superb, stunning.
If ppl dont know the beauty dish produces a very hard light source, but the skin tones come out very very even. And thats what your seeing in the links i posted



http://www.sarahsilver.com/photographs/beauty/getready3.jpg


This picture is strictly dodge and burn! From my experienc ethe last days with dodge and burn I would def say that dodging on the darker spots is the technique...not 100% sure, but almost :D


Gerry

I have looked at a lot of different methods of evening and polishing skin, but i am not sure I understand what is happening in dodge and burn method....I thought that dodge/burn was for lightening/darkening parts of the image...I don't understand how that evens things out...maybe I am not doing something right here...anyone point me to a good outline of this method either way (I have heard about soflight grey layer, I have heard of curves layers, and d/b tools themselves...) just looks blotchier....maybe I am using to strong? to small brush? too zoomed in or out? help if you can

-K :sad:

PALOMINO: A goo dtip is to try smalle exposure %,,,therefor you have more control on each stroke! I've just got a good explenation on some basic dodging and burning technique! softlight layer with 50% is nice,,,I try to get a good dodging on those layers...finishing touch I go directly to the picture...somehow I find that better then sof light layer, but only for finish touch!

a nice way to start out is to use dodg about 10%exsposure, 0%hardness and choose what size that fits the dodging part! a good zoom is to zoom in to max 300% or less...You have better control over dark and light areas of the face if you don't zoom in too much!


gerry

thanks -- I will give it a try. Is it more for evening out blotchy color than anything else right? You still have to use stamp or healing brush to remove blemishes, etc....?

-K

yes, I use patch tool on bigger areas on a new layer and tak down the opacity to around 40-50%...I use clone tool on a new layer and take downb the opacity abit to get abit real skin! but I'm now expert there are people in RP who have far more experience then me,but a nice way to start out is to use these tools!


Gerry

Wow this thread has come a long way... and so have I!

I am now working as a full time retoucher as well as still doing some freelance work from home. I am working up in London at an international beauty / make-up / cosmetic company in house.

Blurring is ok for small jobs that you do from home. When people want an image retouched in an hour or two... or three!

Using the dodge and burn method takes time. This is what is used on high end images that are to be used for adverts, posters and shop bays. One image of a face can take a working week to do. Hours and hours. There is no fast fix.

Thanks to Heyrad especially and all of you who have contributed to this thread on my favourite retouching subject... skin!

:wavey:

Hi Shellby, congratulations on the new job! And thanks for getting this thread started. It really provides a lot of useful information for a newbie like me and, apparently, for everyone else as well.

Can't wait to try out some of the techniques discussed.

one question please:

sarah silvers pictures look awesome.
the skin tones dont look red or yellow, just little desaturated and really smooth BROWN. is that retouched or "real" ?

is "broncolor" a sort of light?

thx :happy:

one question please:

sarah silvers pictures look awesome.
the skin tones dont look red or yellow, just little desaturated and really smooth BROWN. is that retouched or "real" ?

is "broncolor" a sort of light?

thx :happy:

Yes, looks like it is a lighting system:
http://www.bron.ch/bc_home_en/index.php

Sarah Silver uses the broncolor beauty dish..i emailed her last year and thats what she told me. She also does workshops :happy:

The Broncolor beauty dish is a light modifier, it doesn't alter skin color. It just softens the quality of light.

The skin color is probably a combination of makeup and post-process work. Try desaturating individual colors in a hue/sat adjustment layer. Play around in Selective Color also.


--
Pam
http://www.pbase.com/pam_r
'art is working on something 'til you like it...then leaving it that way'

does anyone have a link to the dodge/burn method ? i'm having trouble finding it. thanks a bunch!

this thread pretty much sums it up.
http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/classifieds/11553-high-end-digital-retoucher-nyc.html?highlight=heyrad