Beauty Retouching Critique

[Robrasil]

Hi,

I'm fairly new to fashion and beauty retouching and quickly developing a passion for it. Please take a look at my portfolio.

Is the quality of my work up to the standard clients are looking for? Any criticism on would be most appreciated!


Many thanks,

Robert Dewey
http://www.robertdewey.net

[mistermonday]

Robert, welcome to RetouchPro. Very nice work. The quality looks very good.
Regards, Murray

[Robrasil]

Thanks for your reply Murray.

[HennadiyK]

Great start Robert!
A few things to consider.
First, I would retain original skin tones. Well, corrected original skin tone...it just looks more natural...
Second, watch that contrast...in some of your image you have too much of it. (image 3,4,5). You don't want it to look fake.
Third, image 3, the side of her hand in desaturated. And I've seen it on a few other image in your port. That is a big give away that it's been PSed.
my 2c.
Have fun,
HK

[Robrasil]

Some good points there HK. I understand the balance of perfecting a beauty image whilst remaining hidden is a tricky one. I agree that my images are heavy on contrast, and especially number 3, also 4 and 5, looking a bit too photoshoped.

Could you expand on the point about skin tone please HK, or anyone else? I'd like to get it right.

I appreciate your feedback.


One more question I would ask to anyone who views this is whether the before-and-after message that pops up when the portfolio section loads, is obvious?

regards,

Rob

[morpheus1870]

I love your work mate, nice style to your retouching. Care to your general workflow?

[Robrasil]

Thanks Morpheus,

This has been my general workflow recently, it's a bit lengthy,

Levels and colour adjustment.

Split healing (frequency separation I think is the technical name). This is two copyies of the background layer. The lower one is gaussian blurred just enough to eliminate all texture (for me somewhere between 15-20). The top layer is set to "ADD" on "Apply Image" with the low layer selected, and blend mode of Linear Light in the layer panel. When ADD is selected make sure scale is set to 2 and offset is 0. This method is better at just healing texture in areas of higher contrast when using the healing brush. Working on high layer.

Then D&B using 2 curves adj, one to lighten and the other to darken. Paint with white into layer masks around 1-3% opacity.

Sometimes I'll use empty clone layers for various things such as hair, these will go beneath the D&B group.

Colour adjustments to even colour and tone throughout the image. These are mainly curves and some hue/sat, but also colour balance and selective colour, all stacked up in another group.

Highlights and shadows I then draw in a 50% grey layer set to soft light or loverlay, opacity 80-100% and flow 1%, just so I can see what I have drawn at any time. I have painted with white or black, but have recently read a message saying that its better to paint with a high and shadow tone selected from the image. This will reduce the greyishness. I go around the image and accentuate what's already there, but also modify.

Then I stamp visible and make a two more copies, 3 all together. First is set to multiply and second to overlay. I'll reduce the opacity all the way and bring it in slightly for both. Then I'll mask them out and paint in specific areas. For the third layer, I open up Shadows and Highlights. I push the midtone contrast way up and play with the other sliders. Then reduce opacity, mask out and bring back in for the eyes and some shadow areas.
As a result, as HK earlier in this blog pointed out, the contrast can become too heavy and has given my images a hint of a surreal quality.

By now there's bound to be things to go back and modify, and since the contrast layers are lowered in opacity anything before them can be modified as well.

Any final colour adjustments then liquify is usually last.

I've been retouching for 5 or 6 months now, so still learning a lot. These images have taken me somewhere between 15-30 hours each. I'm still working on technique and efficiency.


Regards,
Rob

[morpheus1870]

Thanks for taking the time to give this detailed response. I will try some of the techniques you have explained as there are a number of steps I have not even considered or know about (apply image & add).

5-6months!!! wow thats amazing progress in such a short space of time. I have been retouching my own photographs for around a year now and not reached this quality!!

[Robrasil]

Hi everyone,

I've updated my website. Any comments please.


thanks,

Rob
www.robertdewey.net