Beauty Retouch

[Nienna]

Hi guys,

I havent ever actually really introduced myself, only read hear and there - but never comment.

I want to become abit more active here (so it seems,this is the most active forum in the retouching category ^^).

A link to my last retouch (down on recources of photos to retouch hehe): http://nienna1990.deviantart.com/art...ouch-121569530

so, any critiques? somthing I havent noticed? I would really appreciate it.

Natalie.

[mikedimples]

Ahhh! Floating head!!! Hehe, kidding

It's a nice, stylish retouch. What was it for? You'd normally see this kind of retouch in fashion, when it's given that style to compliment or add mood to the clothes. It would be out-of-place, in say... a portrait retouch.

Great job on the hair clean-up, dodge and burn contouring, and overall complexion at the end. Seems like you added noticeable noise, which is another fashion industry thing. Are you learning to retouch by copying fashion magazines by chance?

A warning on the eyes, and I see this a lot in newbies. In the original image, her face is lit by diffused light. The whites of her eyes are covered in a light, diffused shadow. After you retouched her, you altered the lighting to fashion spotlight, which would cast more shadow on the whites of her eyes. They look too flat now, just a bit in the top and bottom to show that they're round.

The composition is a bit odd -- a floating models head coming out of nowhere. I'd crop out the dark space beneath her head, or lighten her body up enough that we can see her shoulder's silhouette. I notice the pictures called "Stunned girl", but in your retouched you lowered the eyebrows, causing her to look more interested than stunned.

Nice, stylish retouch. You'll do great for some fashion magazine.

[Nienna]

Originally Posted by mikedimples

Ahhh! Floating head!!! Hehe, kidding

It's a nice, stylish retouch. What was it for? You'd normally see this kind of retouch in fashion, when it's given that style to compliment or add mood to the clothes. It would be out-of-place, in say... a portrait retouch.

Great job on the hair clean-up, dodge and burn contouring, and overall complexion at the end. Seems like you added noticeable noise, which is another fashion industry thing. Are you learning to retouch by copying fashion magazines by chance?

.

Im not so sure I get what you mean by what you said.

The way I see it, This is a portrait. which means the photo is mainly focused on the face of the model - this is a beauty retouch - This type of retouching is not at all done in regular fashion shoots. In fashion shoots they hardly focus on the face of the model.

"Are you learning to retouch by copying fashion magazines by chance? " - Huh? XD

Anyways, I tried fixing it abit - took note to myself on the floating head - you were right about that, so I croped and added hair where it was missing .

[Godmother]

I think u went a bit too far with the general toning... too contrasty (u even have a pure white in the forehead that wouldn't print correctly.

here is a more detailed critic.

Keep up the good work.

If u want me to elaborate on something just let me know.

www.nataliataffarel.com/Fixes.jpg

Skin looks VERY GOOD

[mikedimples]

While the composition of the photo is a portrait, the retouching style is usually found in high fashion magazines. It's a common muted color, high contrast look that gives the models and clothes a moody, edgy look.

If someone asked for a beauty retouch and got this, they probably wouldn't be very happy. While beautiful and stylish, this retouch is simply too over-the-top for most portrait/beauty work. It's much more suited to fashion in my opinion.

[mikedimples]

Mind if I ask where you learned this particular style? Was it a site/book particularly geared towards standard beauty/portrait retouching?

[Nienna]

Originally Posted by Godmother

I think u went a bit too far with the general toning... too contrasty (u even have a pure white in the forehead that wouldn't print correctly.

here is a more detailed critic.

Keep up the good work.

If u want me to elaborate on something just let me know.

www.nataliataffarel.com/Fixes.jpg

Skin looks VERY GOOD

Thanks Natalia!

I appreciate your critique very much.

I dont understand how I didnt notice that little blup near her face XD!.

The eyebraws - they werent even to begin with, and they just lookd different, but whos to say its bad?

Fixing the hair - I should work on that abit more I guess

And about the lips - I didnt understand what you meant.

Thanks! I will post later maybe an updated version.

[Nienna]

Originally Posted by mikedimples

Mind if I ask where you learned this particular style? Was it a site/book particularly geared towards standard beauty/portrait retouching?

All - self taught.

Ok, I see what you mean by a little over the top - so It probably wouldnt be for a make up artist client ^^.

Besides, I went to the direction of this style of retouching because it shows what I do and can do, not what I would normally do. The Image lacked depth and was too flat.

Sure, I can easy the retouch up abit, but then it would just be like any other simple retouchnig job I have done. All I have to do is upload the simple retouching using only the D&B layers.

File Added.

[Godmother]

Originally Posted by Nienna

All - self taught.

Ok, I see what you mean by a little over the top - so It probably wouldnt be for a make up artist client ^^.

Besides, I went to the direction of this style of retouching because it shows what I do and can do, not what I would normally do. The Image lacked depth and was too flat.

Sure, I can easy the retouch up abit, but then it would just be like any other simple retouchnig job I have done. All I have to do is upload the simple retouching using only the D&B layers.

File Added.

Hate to tell u, but skin looks WAY BETTER in this one

A very good sample of going too far.

I'd use this skin and the other hair.

I always like to keep the original underneath it all and every 30 minutes or so... look at it so i don't go crazy

u have a good eye and u keep improving your techniques just don't over do it.

about the eyebrows... I liked the lifted eyebrow because it gave the model an expression and u took it out... again retouching it's not always about riddance.

Keep it up
x

[Nienna]

Well, Thanks Natalia for all the advice, I sure needed it.

(the original is allways on the bottom, and I look at it almost every minute). Anyways, Toned it abit more and your right- now that I look at it, it looked too much.

Natalie.

[0lBaldy]

I think you did a great job... just have one a small suggestion which you can accept or reject as it is a matter of individual prefference... the teeth seem to draw my eye right to them... soooo..

[mikedimples]

Because heavy-handed retouchers are a dime-a-dozen (just type retouch on youtube), it seems lately that the more realistic and subtle it is, the more you get paid. It's so easy to push it too far -- restraint was much harder for me to learn, and I still struggle with it. I just want to make them look SO good! I hate holding back! Sometimes I secretly download one of the lipstick forum girls and do a super-heavy handed retouch just to get it out of my system. It's a dark secret of mine.

I don't think I worded one of my questions clearly enough. When I asked were you taught by a book or by a website, I meant did you learn what you know from a particular website/forum/post? I think most if not all of us are self taught -- I've never come across a retouching class. Probably most of us have learned from online resources, so I was asking you what yours are. Obviously this retouching forum is one place you've learned from. Actually, it's where I've learned almost everything I know -- except for the occasional high quality video tutorial I come across!

[mikedimples]

Speaking of high quality tutorials, I just noticed you've got some great ones on your deviant art page.

Nice work! Now excuse me while I go read them all. I'm addicted to tutorials.

[Nienna]

Originally Posted by mikedimples

Because heavy-handed retouchers are a dime-a-dozen (just type retouch on youtube), it seems lately that the more realistic and subtle it is, the more you get paid. It's so easy to push it too far -- restraint was much harder for me to learn, and I still struggle with it. I just want to make them look SO good! I hate holding back! Sometimes I secretly download one of the lipstick forum girls and do a super-heavy handed retouch just to get it out of my system. It's a dark secret of mine.

I don't think I worded one of my questions clearly enough. When I asked were you taught by a book or by a website, I meant did you learn what you know from a particular website/forum/post? I think most if not all of us are self taught -- I've never come across a retouching class. Probably most of us have learned from online resources, so I was asking you what yours are. Obviously this retouching forum is one place you've learned from. Actually, it's where I've learned almost everything I know -- except for the occasional high quality video tutorial I come across!

Well, The one thing that really got me boosted lately was the D&B tutorial here on RP.

Beside that? All me. I am inspired by, say. Natalia ^^. But other than that - nothing. There arent that many good retouching tutorials out there.