What are the 10 abilities needed to be a succesful Retoucher

[Frank Lopes]

These are, I think, the most important 'qualities' to have:

you must be patient
you must have a good eye for details
you must be willing to ask questions
you must be curious how other people did what they did
you must be willing to experiment
you must be willing to accept advice and criticism
you must have a solid understanding of layers, levels, curves and brushes

[Photo678]

color....if you don't know your color and don't have an eye for it you are lost.

You must have a solid grasp of the selective color tool......color correction is not a cure all.

layers, layers, layers. similar to the french mise en place....every adjustment/retouch in its own layer.

Masking....I'm sorry, this is probably the number one piss poor thing I see done over and over and over again....if you can't extract a figure from a background without the jaggies....call it a day....this is by far the number one request i receive.

Knowledge of cmyk space...all your color correction and retouching acts entirely different in cmyk space than in rgb.

unsharp mask is your friend.....i find so many people that think it is a "blur" tool...."why do i want to unsharpen it" heheheh....

the ability to learn quickly....its impossible to know every trick of the trade....you may come across a problem that you have never had to deal with before....if you can't adapt to it quickly and figure a way to solve it...you will cost yourself a client.

high end fashion means perfection....get in, and get out as quickly as possible without leaving a trace of your presence in the image. I can spot a retouched image a mile away....if you want to get into high end fashion work, you need to hide yourself....the key is "models are naturally that perfect"

EYES!!!!!...i see so many great retouch jobs gone bad, because the eyes are either WAY overdone, or not enough.....


I think thats it for now :-)

[Photo Grafix]

I'm curious why the question is so computer-centric. In my humble opinion, a foundation in basic artistic fundamentals is CRITICAL to a retoucher's success. Those that I've encountered know about perspective, texture, color, light source--from the canvas. That is, good ole' fashioned art and photography classes.

All the Photoshop classes and books in the world cannot substitute for a class in basic painting, illustration and photography. A good retoucher needs a foundation. It's like learning the alphabet BEFORE learning how to read. Texture is more than a filter in Photoshop. Concepts always look better--and develop faster--when you start on a sketchpad or scrap of paper. But too many of us want it "NOW."

We should also have training in basic graphic arts: Printing. We should understand the basics of film, CTP and on-demand presses. I remember sending my FIRST retouched file to a printer and being rejected because it was RGB (I felt stupid).

Watching pros of many ages, I've seen the same retouching miracles done with curves and levels. I've seen the same miracles done with multiple layers and single layers. Whether they've read the latest Photoshop book--or never read one at all--I've seen them do just as well. The only time I see a real difference is between the retoucher who has a knowledge of and respect for artistic fundamentals and those who have none.

Tips and tricks are good. But a retoucher who knows the basics is better.