Help with glamor skin tones

[JX2]

Hi,

This is my first post. First, I would like to say this is a fantastic web site. For months I have been following the posts on this website.
I am having a problem following MBChamberlain’s technique. Could someone please explain further? I would really appreciate if some could write a tutorial. Thanks

Jim

Taken from the following post: “Fashion Image Retouched”
http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/showthread.php?p=86143#post86143
Michael wrote:
1. Retouched the skin until I was completely happy with it (pic 1)
2. Duplicated layer, added heavy median, opacity at 40%
3. Created mask, painted out the median layer around eyes, eyebrow, and lips
4. With 50% grey painted in the area around the eyes and over the lips to soften them a little, but less than the rest of the skin
5. Hue and saturation layer at 50% to brighten the eye color, masked to iris area
6. Selective color to slightly adjust the skin tones
7. Unsharp mask, painted in with history brush
8. 50% grey layer 15% monochromatic, gaussian grain blended at 40% masked with 40% grey on cheeks and nose, at 30% grey on rest of face
9. Done (pic 2)

[Duv]

Hi Jim. Welcome to RetouchPro!

Is there specific areas of Mr Chamberlain's flow that you don't understand?

Dave

[JX2]

Hi Dave

I love Michael results, but I can not seem to duplicate them. Steps 4, 5, 8 are the steps giving me the most difficulty.

Thanks

Jim

[JX2]

I posted this thread in April.
If no one can help. Does anyone know of a book that explains using the median fiter for skin smoothing. This is a techinique that I would really like to master.

[Gary Richardson]

Hi Jim,

Sorry, didn't see your earlier posts.

For all round info on retouch and restore technique, try reading Katrin Eismann's book Photoshop Restoration & Retouching.

It has chapters on both portrait work, and glamour retouches.

A whole lot of the members here have it and recommend it.

[byRo]

Jim,

Here's a view of the layers palette, should help clear some things up.
Some details on 4,5 and 8..

4) In step 2 you made a median "sheen" applied over the whole face, and then in step 3 you masked out the sheen which isn't wanted in the eyes etc.. by painting black in the mask. Now in step 4 you are going to paint the mask with 50% grey to lower the "sheen" but not eliminate it;

5) This is to make the eyes stand out a little more. The Hue/Saturation layer increases the colour and the lighting but is masked to apply only to the iris;

8) OK, this is a bit confusing - I also think it may be slightly wrong. Let's take it slow...

a) Make a new 50% grey layer. A good way to do this is to click on the 'new layer' symbol in the layers palette with the <alt> key pressed. From the options select Mode "Overlay" and click on "Fill with Overlay Neutral Color (50% gray)". Put the opacity of this layer at 40%;

b) Apply noise. Filter>Noise>Add Noise, 15%, Gaussian, monochromatic;

c) Make a "hide-all" mask (click with <alt> on the mask button);

d) In the "Swatches" palette (<F6> to turn on), select a tone of 70% grey (Michael said 30%, but that's what I think may be wrong) and paint the mask in the areas that need some texture, select a higher value, 85%, in areas that don't need much.

If that doesn't anwer, feel free to ask more.

(BTW.. I would never use the History brush as in step 7. Merge to a new layer (<ctrl><shift><alt><N> then <E>), apply USM and then adjust opacity and masking)

Rô

[byRo]

Originally Posted by JX2

Does anyone know of a book that explains using the median fiter for skin smoothing. This is a techinique that I would really like to master.

The technique is pretty much what Michael posted.

Note that the Median filter has a great advantage over a Gaussian Blur (which is what most people would do here) in that it respects the edges(*). The Gaussian blur works only until it gets near a boundary, then you get into all sorts of trouble with 'bleeding' of the darks and lights.

(*) you may have to use a little blur on some parts of the Median layer in large areas which can show some banding - but this won't be near a boundary so a light GBlur will work

Rô

[JX2]

Thank You so much Ro. You were a big help.

Gary, Thank you for your post. I will pickup Katrin Eismann's book Photoshop Restoration & Retouching.


Once again,

Thanks


Jim