I am opening up this retoucher Steven A. Tyler at:
http://www.retouchthis.info/
To group critique. This kind soul decided to send me this email:

Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 19:40:35 -0500 [01/24/07 19:40:35 EST]
From: "Steven A. Tyler" <stylersway@hotmail.com>
To: grafx@justgrafx.com
Subject: Your retouching...

You¹ve got a long way to go chief... The model/fashion part on your site is
something else! Most of them are so over brushed that they look like wax
dummies.

Please feel free to drop him an email or two. His stuff looks pretty good, but it too is a little over airbrushed. We all know that my clients request such a look, but to send someone an email like the one above is just a bit mean at heart. Granted, I'm being mean as well. I just feel he should have a critique of his own. Keep it honest and fair, but let him know he has room to improve as we all do.
:classic:

Well, his bedside manner leaves something to be desired. There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance....sheesh.

Took me a long time to pick away the positive parts of a critique, no matter how harsh and allow the other stuff to float away. We all have lessons to learn and lessons to share. Critique to the point of near attack is most often attributed to insecurity on the part of the advice giver. Peace.....

Chris

grafx, I have always admired your work and your contributions to this forum.
I can see why you're pixxed off, but I can't agree with a tactic of lowering yourself to his level.
It's HE :clown: who has a problem, not you - so don't share it with him.

Rô

He's that successful in the retouching world, that he uses a free hotmail account for contact :lol: :lol: :lol:
Can anybody else think of a high profile fashion retoucher who uses hotmail?

Think he needs a lesson in looking professional, rather than just thinking he is.

Something like this just goes to show that you can please some of the people some of the time and some of the people not at all.

If everyone in this world was exactly alike, then we would have no diversity. Diversity makes life. Life is not boring. Shrug it off and chalk it up to his personal diversity. Just be glad it isn't yours and that you are the bigger soul of the two.

Janet

grafx, I have always admired your work and your contributions to this forum.
I can see why you're pixxed off, but I can't agree with a tactic of lowering yourself to his level.
It's HE :clown: who has a problem, not you - so don't share it with him.

Rô

I actually responded back, by thanking him for his thoughtful critique and telling him to "stay tuned" since the samples on my site are over two years old and I'm currently working on an update. I also went as far to ask him if he would like to see samples of my current work, what style and age group would he like to see.

A nice consise snarky retort is always nice also.
"That is my latest work for the West Palm Beach Wax Museum. I'm happy with the work, but they keep saying, "More wax, dammit!!!. We're paying you for wax!" Nothing pleases these people."

"I loved your latest album, Mr. Tyler. But I always liked the Stones better." Dream on.

"Chief??? Don't call me Chief, buddy!!! That's Ms. Chief to you."

Wax off.

A nice consise snarky retort is always nice also.
"That is my latest work for the West Palm Beach Wax Museum. I'm happy with the work, but they keep saying, "More wax, dammit!!!. We're paying you for wax!" Nothing pleases these people."

"I loved your latest album, Mr. Tyler. But I always liked the Stones better." Dream on.

"Chief??? Don't call me Chief, buddy!!! That's Ms. Chief to you."

Wax off.

First off "snarky"! LOL My new word for the day, all week it has been persnickidy (sp?)
Second "Wax off"! ROTFLMAO!!!!!

Because of the anonymous nature of the net, people feel they can criticize, belittle, mock or bully at will. You see it everyday..try and blow it off as means spirited people doing what they need to do to feel adequate..
What goes around comes around.

Lasa

Because of the anonymous nature of the net, people feel they can criticize, belittle, mock or bully at will. You see it everyday..try and blow it off as means spirited people doing what they need to do to feel adequate..
What goes around comes around.

Lasa

It's amazing how many people actually think the net is anonymous, when in fact it is quite the opposite. With very little know-how, you can track people down in a matter of min's. That's when it comes round to bite them on the butt.
Most people who use an ID, Email or any other form of regular name on the net, can be traced using simple tools like Google and public records. Or their are methods to trace people via info left by their PC, and software that can track their activity. I must admit I've had some great fun with people coming on to a forum (not RP), who start flaming/spamming it. They soon shut up when you send them an Email, giving their home address and phone number etc. The net is neither a secure or anonymous place to start silly games, but there will always be people who will try. Treat them as a joke, because that is exactly what they are.

Daaaaaaaang Chris....

Ah'm Skeerd-a-You!!

:eek: :bawling: :lol: :bow:

:lol: :lol: :lol: Nothing to be scared of m8, I only act in extreme circumstances.
The best example I can give was when a member of staff from a VERY large retail group in the UK (Dixons Store Group LTD), tried messing me about (tried messing up my site etc). This was done after a advised people on a faulty product they sold, and got 1000's of people to go in and get refunds. He left behind his IP and computer details in my site logs. That gave the rough location of the shop, and gave me an IP to look out for. With a little bit of software on my site, I set it up to gather info from the computer he was using, then lock him out of his PC. I then got his network login details, staff member name and number, what PC he was on in the shop, and the address of the shop. Sent all this info off (plus logs of activity) to the company HQ, Network admins and directors. Didn't take long for them to stop him.

I personally hate people who willingly damage another PC with what they know, when they could use their knowledge for good things. I have never done harm to another, but have traced people and let them know that they can be held responsible for their actions. Example of a flamer on another forum, was one that was doing it while on holiday. He was using the hotel internet Cafe to flame members. I traced him to the Hotel, then tracked down his home details. He shut up the second I gave him his home location and told him the name of the hotel he was in.
It isn't always easy, as some of the main hackers etc know all the tricks, and can hide themselves away behind other PC's. But the main culprits are usually not so clever, and give away more info than they realise :D

PS: You can find my location in a matter of seconds with google, but I have nothing to hide :D .

Dude, I am SO in awe right now....
Seriously. I mean, it's not that I thought that was not possible or anything, but that is just awesome.

ChrisHoggy, using his powers to fight the forces of evil, in forums across the world!!

:bow: hehehe :D

:lol: :lol: :lol: The packard Bell support forum (I'm there quite a bit) gets more flamers and fools than any other forum I've seen. It is quite amusing to see them curl up in a corner when they know you are on to them. :lol: :D
There will always be people who need teaching a lesson. Some see sense without intervention, where as others just need to be shown the error of their ways :D
Easiest way to get their info is to say "Is this a photo of you?" and link to an image on your site. As soon as they click it, you have all their system info and IP address in your site logs :lol: Simple trick, but they can't stop themselves clicking on the link to see what it is :lol: .

You check your server logs for IP address? What does that tell you?
I thought the IP might tell you it belongs to Cox etc. How do you get who that is assigned to?
What computer information are you getting? Browser, OS?

It gives you the IP address of the PC, OS, Browser, ISP and with that you can get telephone exchange or UBR area. With a little research it can give you an name, Email address or username. Then it's just a matter of tracking down his/her give-away mistakes while on the net, or using the right tools to get the info.
Details on how it is done isn't something to be discussed over the internet "EVER", as that would make me as stupid as the flamers/spammers themselves. But as many people will tell you, it is very easy to track people on the net. How do you think the police track down people without a search warrant to check ISP's logs or site logs? Everything needed is in the public domain, you just need to know where to look, and how to look :wink:

Chris I'll try and stay on your good side...no flaming, no cursing, not even a bad thought...
Lasa

I agree with Ro. Block his email and forget it.

Art is ALWAYS in the "eye of the beholder" anyway.

Steve C.

This is off-topic but,
If Cox gives out personal information from an IP address to someone outside of law enforcement, they will lose all their customers in a week.
Do you want your ISP releasing private info?
Isn't what you're doing illegal?

Ok, I think this needs explaining. There is nothing illegal in accessing public records, that is why they are called public records. There is nothing illegal in tracing someone via public accessible information, as it is information put in to the public domain either with the consent of/or by the information owner.

At the end of the day, all you need is a name and area in order to get someones address and home phone number from the 100's of online directory enquiries services.

Lets take Mr Steven A. Tyler for an example . All his info is available on the net in a matter of 3-4 clicks and about 2 min's work. His full home address, phone number, ISP details, his ISP Email address, his hosting company, other domains he owns (more than one), when he bought them and much more. Thats if you want to search for it. If you take the easy option, you will not only find his home details, but his employers name, address/phone numbers and records of past employment. He openly publishes this info on his site (if you know where to look), and it took me all of 2-3 seconds to find it (I typed a 6 letter word in to my browser and pressed "Go").
I did this kind of thing as a school presentation once (without showing them what to do) I used only the Head teachers nick-name to start the search, and within a few mins I was ringing his mobile phone that was in his pocket and playing a demo track he recorded while in an amateur band. All the info was on the internet, I just needed to know where to/how to look for it.
This is why people need to take internet security as the most important part of the PC. If I can do it without doing anything other than legal searches and software, think of what the bad people can do :eek: :eek: :eek:
In 95% of the cases, it is the user that publishes their own info for people to find. It may be scattered around the internet, but it's all there :wink:

everyone will always have something to say about someone elses work. thats just how this industry turns. and the only way to grow is to listen to what people have to say. either its something positive or negative, it should always be taken as encouragement.

when i first started, i had a lot of people sh-t on my work while i thought it was really good. instead of getting upset, i asked myself why they feel that way, and what is it that i can do to make things better. if you were to just get upset, or just brush things under the carpet, or not even giving time of day, in the end you are only hurting yourself at excelling to the next level.

all im saying is that an opinion should always be helpful. though at times they can be a bit hurtful, its just the reality of things. deal with it.

ive look at both retouchthis and justgrafx, and i feel both of you have a long way to go in this industry. now something like that can be taken offensively, but i mean no disrespect. there are just clear signs of retouching done on the photos, and ive always been taught that a proper retouched picture is a picture that doesnt look retouched at all.

good luck to the both of you in this field, and remember the most important thing of them all .. always have fun. and keep an open mind.

If you have a skill intended for the service business that is professional retouching, you need to consider whether your clients appreciate (pay for) your skill level...there will always be those who taunt or criticize. Our business is full of snarkiness and trash-talking, as are most other businesses out there...

Personally, I love it when someone finds issue with my work; it means that I need to be more critical of my work, before others are. In many cases, my standards of excellence are higher than my clients, and that's what they are willing to pay for. But not always...I appreciate when a client or a peer pushes me to excel. And I like being called Chief.

everyone will always have something to say about someone elses work. thats just how this industry turns. and the only way to grow is to listen to what people have to say. either its something positive or negative, it should always be taken as encouragement.

when i first started, i had a lot of people sh-t on my work while i thought it was really good. instead of getting upset, i asked myself why they feel that way, and what is it that i can do to make things better. if you were to just get upset, or just brush things under the carpet, or not even giving time of day, in the end you are only hurting yourself at excelling to the next level.

all im saying is that an opinion should always be helpful. though at times they can be a bit hurtful, its just the reality of things. deal with it.

ive look at both retouchthis and justgrafx, and i feel both of you have a long way to go in this industry. now something like that can be taken offensively, but i mean no disrespect. there are just clear signs of retouching done on the photos, and ive always been taught that a proper retouched picture is a picture that doesnt look retouched at all.

good luck to the both of you in this field, and remember the most important thing of them all .. always have fun. and keep an open mind.

I'm pleased to say that I will be launching my new website the end of April. It will showcase not only my diversity in retouching styles, but illustration as well as graphic design. Websites are rarely updated on time when someone is swamped and I am ashamed to say that most of the work on my website is over 2 years old. Please hold critiques on my retouching ability until then :wink:

Grafx....try looking at his work in a possitive way, his b&a's show a lot of minor mistakes like leaving cloning trails, and softness resulting from using the healing brush where he should have been using the stamp tool.
cleaning up most of the skin, but at the same time leaving some important areas like nose and lips still in need of work…etc.
also, leaving marks of obvious distortion where he liquified the nose in the 2nd image i attached.

next time you work an image, you'll remember these little things and double check your work,

and i dont mean to be slamming this guys work at all, its just a method of learning i use myself for my work, it really helps me up the quality of my work. I study lots of retouchers images and learn from them. the ones with the mistakes help me sort out my own!

i hope this made some kind of sense?!?

Hmmm...speaking of updating website. How large do you guys recommend samples to be? I think mine currently are really too small and you cannot see the detail. I know that everyone one seems to love the rollovers, but about how large do you think I should go and still maintain some sort of decent load speed?

lol its funny, i like byRo for his great knowledge of this retouchng hobby of ours, but now i see we both share opinions on other matters as well, great!

:bow:

I am opening up this retoucher Steven A. Tyler at:
http://www.retouchthis.info/
To group critique. This kind soul decided to send me this email:

Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 19:40:35 -0500 [01/24/07 19:40:35 EST]
From: "Steven A. Tyler" <stylersway@hotmail.com>
To: grafx@justgrafx.com
Subject: Your retouching...

You¹ve got a long way to go chief... The model/fashion part on your site is
something else! Most of them are so over brushed that they look like wax
dummies.

Please feel free to drop him an email or two. His stuff looks pretty good, but it too is a little over airbrushed. We all know that my clients request such a look, but to send someone an email like the one above is just a bit mean at heart. Granted, I'm being mean as well. I just feel he should have a critique of his own. Keep it honest and fair, but let him know he has room to improve as we all do.
:classic:

this is SO awesome. i work at a retouching studio and we get alot of unsolicited portfolios and resumes, but steven a. tyler was a standout:

- first off, his name is steven tyler

- secondly, the CD he sent us with his work was ridiculous, not the work on the CD but the CD itself. the image on the face of it was a crotch-up portrait of himself, low-heroic wide-angle perspective, arms crossed, holding a stylus, wearing a muscle shirt, some beauty/skin work face in the background. the cheesiest thing i've ever seen, like an action-movie poster, starring a retoucher, and pretty awesome in a "you-are-completely-ridiculous-and-completely-unaware" kinda way

- thirdly, his resume and cover letter are the most egotisical pieces of work ever. i mean, you're supposed to be confident and sell yourself well, but for some reason he just came off as a cocky bastard who's incredibly impressed with himself, or not confident at all and overcompensating, and exactly the type of person that i spend my life avoiding

- i'm not going to go into a critique of the work on his website, but the most we could hire him for is a paid internship. too many bad habits that we'd have to cure him of first before we let him work with any "real" clients.

in the end, his website/cover letter was passed around the office via IMs for about a week, and his ridiculous CD was pinned to my wall for a month. steven a. tyler was the joke of the office

and the idea that he's trolling other people's websites and sending them emails like THAT made me laugh out loud. i only wish i had kept his submission package around

I am opening up this retoucher Steven A. Tyler at:
http://www.retouchthis.info/
To group critique. This kind soul decided to send me this email:

Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 19:40:35 -0500 [01/24/07 19:40:35 EST]
From: "Steven A. Tyler" <stylersway@hotmail.com>
To: grafx@justgrafx.com
Subject: Your retouching...

You¹ve got a long way to go chief... The model/fashion part on your site is
something else! Most of them are so over brushed that they look like wax
dummies.

Please feel free to drop him an email or two. His stuff looks pretty good, but it too is a little over airbrushed. We all know that my clients request such a look, but to send someone an email like the one above is just a bit mean at heart. Granted, I'm being mean as well. I just feel he should have a critique of his own. Keep it honest and fair, but let him know he has room to improve as we all do.
:classic:

Hi grafx

pls just ignore this sort of critique there is one thing giving a negative critique there is another to actually insulting people i myself is recovering from a slap in the face when asking for comment for my site i did mentioned that i am a newbie with photoshop etc but i got insulted and being compared with the master vicki hansen and all the professionals out there lol.

just do your work your way and what you believe feel is right if your clients are happy then you should be happy too.

regards

sergio

chrishoggy,
I think it's distance that makes it alright with your typical "netnerd" too, im new to all this forum stuff myself, but what i see is a total lack of reality! someone who might flame you on the net, i think might well cower in the corner if they were ever in stricking distance! If you had a response from someone in your area you might get angry enough to HUNT them, but from half way across the planet, what do u do? other than "I KNOW YOU ARE BUT WHAT AM I".