Hi, we are after a few retouchers to help with overflow work. It does not matter where you are in the world. What matters is....

Your standard of work is very good.
You are reliable, and able to work to strict deadlines.
Easy to contact.

If you are interested, let me know. I will send a image to you, together with a brief.

You will then return finished work, together with an email containing, the amount of hours you spent on the job, and the price you would charge for that job.

We will then look at all work submitted. We will look for,
Quality, time taken and artistic input.

Please send your email address to me at ftp.jeff@mac.com
I can then send test image and brief.

Good luck.

Jeff Brown - Partner, FTP Creative Ltd.London UK.

Wow! What a response.... If you have not recieved the file yey, please let me know, I can re send.

There has been so many responses, it is hard to keep up.

Anyone that tried to contact me over the weekend... It aint gonna happen, weekends is devoted to my custom painting, NO RETOUCHING work over weekends!

Jeff

@quaterto finish

OK guys..... Due to the overwhelming amount of people that have replied to this thread, and due to quite a lot of totally unsuitable images being returned.
I have to put a deadline on this. No more tests will be accepted after noon (GMT) tomorrow (wednesday).
Sorry I have to do this, but I have not got the time to go through any more. If I do find a suitable candidate, I will reply to them.

One tip guys... PLEASE PLEASE! lay off the blur filter and the healing brush! I need a retoucher NOT a smudger!!

The work I get is all very high profile, it has to be right. But if anyone does the job for me, they will see their work in some very high places.

Jeff

Well I had hopes, not high, but still hopes. :)
If it's possible, would you be willing to put the picture you chose on here? No need to list the name of the person to save their PM box. :) Just so those of us who are looking to better our abilities can have an idea what retouchers are looking for and what we may have done wrong or not good enough. I know I am extremely curious.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity! :D

When it is all done.... I can post my retouch, that was used.

I would appreciate that too Jeff :) Could we start another thread on the image for learning? Discussing this in the classifieds forum just feels wrong to me. I'm not asking that you critique us (I think that would be great if you did but I'm sure you have more important things on your plate) but since you had such an overwhelming response it could be a popular thread and maybe I could figure out what to do with the legs. Good luck in finding someone.

I will just post image..... Not getting into teaching via the web. Sorry

Just an update....

Have about 21 retouched images back, thanks. I think there is another 20 or so due back tomorrow.

Just like to say thank you to all that have put time into this exercise.

Jeff

Why do so many of you just blur skin tones? Why do so many use the healing tool, why do some of you convert to CMYK? And why do some totally change the colour?

As one of my old bosses back in the eighties would have said (whilst clutching his head)... "Sometimes, I just despair"

Jeff

I am only speaking for myself in what follows.
For me, what I have read (mostly on the web, I have some books coming in) addresses blemishes and corrections by using a blurred layer, along with a masked layer. Brushing in the blur on the mask for areas needing attention. Therefore I really don't know any other way.
I am always looking to expand my knowledge and take chances, you have to take risks and chances to get anywhere in this world. You gave me that chance, as a professional re-toucher and retouching business owner that any other professional/owner probably wouldn't have even considered, given my experience. And for that I thank you.
Now I know that right now my skills are hopeless. :D

Wow! Is that right? Books telling you to do it that way? I have never read a book on retouching. All I have ever tried to do, is replicate what I done in the old days of conventional retouching (no computers).
I know it is hard to break into this business now days, but like most things, practice and pushing yourself, try to find your own style of working.

No, I have books coming in. What I have read is on the web. Maybe I should have been more precise. The books are not specific to retouching, more of Photoshop. If I don't learn any other way, then I have nothing but to continue to blur and heal. :)
Hope you don't get offended by this next comment, but I don't have "the old days" doing this without a computer. So everything I'm learning is on a computer. :)

As one of my old bosses back in the eighties would have said (whilst clutching his head)... "Sometimes, I just despair"

Jeff

Don´t despair :wink:
By my experience, the photographic retouch, it is one very influenced by the tastes, way of working and ideas of the person for that you are working for.

Besides the basic things like not blur the photo and so on which is a matter of skills. There are times that you do not obtain at first exactly the taste and result that the client really wants. Then you do the corrections. Next time the result will be much closer to the tastes of the client. It’s just an opinion.

For sure you will find a good one.

OK guys,, thats it. Thank - you all very much.

Well then tell use how not to do it with out the cloning and blurring. We all want to know. -W

If you read the comments of established retouchers doing VERY nice work you will see the comments over and over: Don't blur. Don't use the healing tool. They aren't being snobs, they're telling you what you're doing wrong. I don't care what a book or training DVD says as anyone can write a book saying anything they want. There was something that I've seen a lot of people do and I could never figure out why they did it that way... then one day I saw a particular video from Katrin Eismann where she said to do it and it clicked... monkey see, monkey do, no questions asked. Real skin doesn't look blurred. PERIOD. Go out and look at magazines with multi-page fashion advertisements, not low-res images on the web retouched by anyone that can get ahold of Photoshop through whatever means possible. Does the skin look blurred in those magazines? To think that anyone submitted blurred skin to Jeff... well it shows a lack of attention to detail IMO because I'm sure he's said "don't blur" himself in previous posts on these forums. All you have to do is click on his name to find his posts if his name doesn't ring a bell for you. :eek:

If you want to do GOOD retouching, it's up to you to figure out how to do it without blurring. Dodging and burning techniques are the only techniques that I know of but I'm neither a respected nor established retoucher. I never did things the old way but I know blurred skin when I see it and it does nothing but make someone look like they're made of plastic or some material other than skin... even if you add noise on top of the blur it still looks blurred. I think I've seen one or two people in these forums post something that was blurred and didn't look wrong. 1, maybe 2. Ever.

Certain comments/critiques from certain members of these forums are often greeted with a 'how dare you' type of attitude. They're just being honest and don't care that you spent 3 hours on something that still looks wrong because there's no point in spending ANY time on anything if you're not going to do it right. Most of the retouched images posted in these forums are crap*. I don't say that because I can do better I say that because I can tell when something doesn't look like human skin. I'm not one to single out any one person and tell them they suck... unless I could tell them how to do it better. I wish I could but I can't. I practice on probably half or more of the images posted in the 'image help' and retouching forums as time permits... and show almost none of them because I'm not happy with what I've been able to do. Not because I'm afraid of harsh comments but because it's an image I wouldn't want associated with my name.

*= It's not that I think people shouldn't post crap images in an effort to learn how to do things better... that is what most of us are here for I think... but if you can't see that most of them are crap or don't look real...

WoW! I think you have hit the nail on the head there! Next time I am at the Mopar Nationals, at Columbus... Remind me to buy you a beer.

Jeff

Videosean, I can only put my signature under your post, I agree totaly with everything you sad.

Why do I go to Columbus? Here is one of my toys....

There is no how dare you attitude hear. I just want to know how. I have been doing this for ten years and I am stuck. You can not buy a book on how Jeff, Dresser, Dorman, etc... do this stuff. I do not want to copy them but learn from them. How do you learn this stuff? And trust me, I have spent thousands of hours playing and trying to bridge the gap with little luck.

Good stuff guys.... I'm self taught... just learning what I read on the web, books and in various forums. Most of what you read is geared toward the everyday photoshop user.... NOT to the high end professionals. I have combined several techniques in my workflow.... but had no idea some of those might be no-no's in the pro realm.

Now Im sure my submission will not come close..... but thank you for the opportunity!

Thanks for the input!

No one taught me.... I had to figure it out myself!

Come on Jeff, give use a hint, starting point, something...

Jeff - You promise to send yours "after" image on the forum - please do it.

OK here is where you should be looking, And thats it guys, then you are on your own! Study, look and practice... NO blurring, No cloning, No healing, 5 mins work.

Look at them in order. (1-4)

Then let me know how helpful it was. You will have to think, but all you need to know is there. THINK ABOUT IT!

Jeff

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c131/jeff66/Picture1.png
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c131/jeff66/Picture2.png
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c131/jeff66/Picture3.png
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c131/jeff66/Picture4.png

Not trying to be the bad guy, but I think this thread has gotten out of hand. This is after all the "Classifieds" section.
ftp-Jeff already said he doesn't want to give classes online.

edit:
This was posted 2min. after ftp-Jeff posted his, didn't see his post.

Thank you for the pics! :)

Your right... it is not the place, and I should've gone home 2 hrs ago.

Thanks Jeff... those illustrations help alot! I will be practicing that.... Did anyone send you anything that came close to what you were looking for?

is it me being stupid or do those links not work?

the links work

its telling me that the pictures have been removed. is there any other way I can see the images?

The links do not work.

I agree with "don't blur".
The healing brush is ok if its size doesn't exceed 5px.

Why do I go to Columbus? Here is one of my toys....

NICE toy...

Ooer! They have gone.... Sorry chaps......... Busy in the studio for a while. Oh well I tried.

Hilarious thread.
I hope it's less hilarious in your studio! :grin:

Come on Jeff, give use a hint, starting point, something...

Dont' want to derail this thread any further, but this is for anyone looking to become a better retoucher. Read Chris Tarantino's (cricket1961) posts and his blog entries. Read posts from users like Ant, TheVeed, conrad, edgework, and at least a few others that I can't think of from the back of my head at the moment. Well, this is enough to keep you very busy already. All the learning resources you need are in their posts and they're better than any retouching book you'll ever come across unless it's a retouching book compiled by a bunch of high-end retouchers sharing their secrets, but I doubt that it'll happen. Now you just need to do your part to read and learn...and practice, practice, practice...

Hello Jeff,
Though I know my inquiry is perhaps a bit belated, but I would be more than happy to take your test if you are still looking for retouching recruits. I do quite a bit of skin/beauty and fashion.
And no, I don't do the blur thing "speed secret" either on skin. Many better techniques out there to smooth skin that have better and more realistic outcomes.

Thank you
-Peter

peter@velocity-art.com

www.velocity-art.com

Hilarious thread.
I hope it's less hilarious in your studio!


Sorry don't understand what you mean.

Hilarious thread.
I hope it's less hilarious in your studio!


Sorry don't understand what you mean.

Nothing to worry about.:)
It was just an impression/feeling, reading this thread.

Well please share with us..

Right.... Here goes.

First of all, A big thank you to all that replied to this, I had over 50 test images back! I never expected that!

Now I really do not want to get into what was wrong with some of the images sent. I simply do not have the time. So please, don't call or email me with requests.

The hours spent on these jobs, ranged from 1/2 hour to 18 hours!
And the costs ranged from between £3.50 to £500 for the image!

We have found 5 people that could fit the bill, these are (in no particular order.....

Michelle Cox
Paul Hill
Tanya Hair
Marsha Farrell
Anna Watson Smith

Well done you guys. Can you please email, or PM me with costs you would expect for test image, if it were a paying job?

Thanks you again.

Jeff

Hello Jeff,

Would it be possible for you to post one of the images from the choosen few so that we can see the quality of work that you expect? Only if you have the time of course.

Thanks

I would have to get permission from the retoucher first. Lets wait and see.

It make sense not to blur, huh imagine blurred diamond:) i think all this coming from those books available at barnes&nobles and other places with those quick fixes tutorials, but the industry have its own standards. Well only a few books are good for the start, to learn the tools (but Lynda.com seems to be better source for money spent). And the magazines have huge sample variations, even those hi-ends. I find the Europe editions more interesting (maybe it's just me). I'm happy that some pros are not afraid to share
their technique and give harsh critique because it very helpful for many as useless for
others, it's natural...
Huh the slow is fast, and the fast is slow...
Best regards,
Edgar