What kind of technique is this?

singlo · #31 07-18-2006, 04:40 AM

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Do you ever find yourself airbrushing instead of dodging and burning?

YESSSSS!!!

This is anothor hard thing to master

singlo · #32 07-18-2006, 04:49 AM

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Singlo,
And what about the porcelain look? A B&W layer above original and painted back with low opacitiies? Hope you can share those moves also.

Nick,
You almost got it. I partially destaturated the original and brush back some colour selectively with a low opacity brush using layer mask. Apply curves adjustment layer to make her skin colour as pale as corpse. The rest is dodge and burn with grey softlight layer plus airbushing.

BTW I hope Amy doesn't mind us playing with her images here; we just wanna copy and learn from the master.

singlo · #33 07-18-2006, 06:59 AM

Here is a quickie attempt to transform a high key photo of Keira Knightley (that I found floating around on the web) to low key.

snook305 · #34 07-26-2006, 10:03 AM

Singlo.. how did you get that picture on the previuos page so white with out being too B&W looking.. Very nice can you explain..
The girl with no top and Black hair...
I really like it..
And I love this thread...
Why is it that all the big retouchers are so secretive.....
seems like nothing get;s leaked out??/ Hope that changes with these new threads,,
Good work guys...
Snook

NancyJ · #35 07-26-2006, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snook305

Singlo.. how did you get that picture on the previuos page so white with out being too B&W looking.. Very nice can you explain..
The girl with no top and Black hair...
I really like it..

The skin tone is very easy to achieve with image ->adjustments->selective colour. Mostly you want to reduce the magenta in the red and magenta ranges and balance the cyan and yellow to make sure its not green.

Quote:

Originally Posted by snook305

And I love this thread...
Why is it that all the big retouchers are so secretive.....
seems like nothing get;s leaked out??/ Hope that changes with these new threads,,
Good work guys...
Snook

Perhaps, its because you're looking for something that isnt there. You seem intent on attributing your inability to reproduce any given effect on conspiracy theories.
There is no BIG SECRET to ANY of the techniques I've seen posted about. They all use the same basic techniques as everyone else. What may set them apart from others (besides a good agent) is nothing more than talent, training and a hell of a lot of practice and experience.

Amy Dresser's work is amazing, no question about that but theres nothing special or secretive about her techniques, her work is amazing because she's very talented, not because she has discovered some magical technique that she must guard with her life.

You seem to have got it into your head that these people are photoshop magicians and put them on a pedestal that you will never reach because when you ask how something is done you reject answers that are too simplistic.
You've asked about porcelin skin several times before and each time been answered with a different way to achieve the same effect... yet you still ask.
Aside from that - Singlo already answered the question a few posts up.

snook305 · #36 07-26-2006, 03:34 PM

Good to see your still around and Still CRANKY Nancy...

Trust me I get it.. But I want to learn more and different techniques...
Either say something contructive or do not say anything..
You get a lot further along in life...

But glad to hear from you , negatively or not...
Snook

PatrickB · #37 07-26-2006, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snook305

Good to see your still around and Still CRANKY Nancy...

Trust me I get it.. But I want to learn more and different techniques...
Either say something contructive or do not say anything..
You get a lot further along in life...

But glad to hear from you , negatively or not...
Snook

Nancy, you start to adopt my style

Snook,

what is it you expect people to tell you? As Nancy said, there is no secret or special technique, there is just one hell of a time practicing and frustration.

RJD · #38 07-26-2006, 04:25 PM

I decided to have a go at it. What do you all think?

skydog · #39 07-26-2006, 04:51 PM

I must agree with Snook. There are those of us on this site who are trying to learn, and if we can't learn from those with experience how can we. I have found 99% of the members on this forum to be extremely helpful and they provide good guidance and direction. There is that 1%, however, who tend to be extremely critical of what others post and/or provide little information of any value other than self promotion. If you have been reading Snook over the past serveral weeks, he asks questions about many good talented artists..each has their own look, but Snook, like myself, just want to understand, if anyone knows, how these looks are obtained. Snook is also very appreciative when someone gives him a direct constructive response. He and no one else on this site need cheap or unrespectful comments from any member.

RJD · #40 07-26-2006, 04:58 PM

Sorry Nancy I made a mistake of not reading the before posts before hand.

PatrickB · #41 07-26-2006, 05:50 PM

Guys, what are you so upset about? What do you expect?

When somebody tells you to use selective color to adjust some skin-tone and it doesn't work for you, don't blame the others!

The selective color-layer has four sliders ranging from -100% to +100% to adjust 9 different colors. This gives you a total of settings of (hold on your pants)700,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 possibilities! How is anyone supposed to guess the settings suitable for the picture you are working on?

It's like driving school, the instructor won't tell you how far you push the pedal through. You just have to find out. Practice makes perfect.

Dog, what's wrong with critism? That's what makes you grow better! A comment like "this sucks" is sure not very constructive while "I'd adjust the skin-colors, they look too dark" is certainly a good way to make you realize what's wrong with your work. Agree?

RJD · #42 07-27-2006, 01:06 AM

Patrick I was only talking in general. It may not affect this forum but it happens a lot.

funk · #43 07-27-2006, 04:53 AM

Maybe the most important question is, is selective color the best way to do it? In this porcelain-thing it probably is, but in general you can do the same thing in million ways in photoshop but inevitably some techniques are better than others. Some are even so called "cheap tricks" that you can do with minimum effort vs. doing it with dozens of layers.

All in all, I think we're all looking for the simpliest way to do things so asking different methods shouldn't be considered foul even if someone has provided info how to do it one way.

NancyJ · #44 07-27-2006, 05:29 AM

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Originally Posted by funk

All in all, I think we're all looking for the simpliest way to do things so asking different methods shouldn't be considered foul even if someone has provided info how to do it one way.

Theres a difference between wanting to learn all the different techniques to achieve the same goal and repeatedly asking the same question on the same forum, over and over again. Particualrly, ignoring when the question has already been answered by the person they were asking.

Yes there are many ways to 'skin a cat' in photoshop, but how many is too many? Why does anyone really need more than 1, if that technique works for them? I've personally seen on this forum at least 6 different techniques for achieving porcelin skin without looking desaturated. Given that the number of different techniques possible to achieve the same effect are finite but indeterminate (to the person asking, at least), if its ok to continually ask the same question, at what point do you draw the line? When is enough, enough? Do you think its ok for the same person to ask the same question every day/week/month? How many times? When does curiousity cross over into rudeness? (In other forums, asking the same question twice would be considered rude, and possibly be removed by a moderator)
When will the questioner be satiated?

I have no real objection to the desire to learn new techniques, I may object to seeing the same question posed by the same person multiple time but the real issue here is the assumption that its all a big conspiracy. That retouchers arent willing to share their techniques.... even though theres not a single thread here where someone's technique has been questioned, that one of the forum members hasnt 'demystified' and explained. We can impart every ounce of knowledge we have, but that wont make the untalented, talented nor will it make up for years of practice and refining of technique.
Retouchers with a signature style dont crop up overnight. Their style is there own and they have spent a lot of time honing their talents and refining that style. To expect to create an exact replica, relying only on 'technique' is unrealistic. There is no magic formula, every picture is different, you cant just plug in some numbers and make every picture perfectly match a particular style - there is much more to making an image that than.

snook305 · #45 07-27-2006, 06:22 AM

Nancy , why don't you let Singlo answer for himself for one and for two if you do not like people asking several times something then do not answer the thread... Some may be sick of you answering everytime also.
It goes both ways you know.

In any case no body said it was a secret formula...
Have a look at my site, I do all my retouching and the Photography.
I am a photographer first and a Retoucher second.
No body is saying or has said it is a secret One button trick they are doing.
I should know how much time it takes to retouch. Especially since my forte is BEAUTY. Even starting With a great canvas (good models(?) and make-up artist helps alot). I believe that it takes the whole team coming together to produce amazing shot's. Not some retoucher's work.
But I must say the photography "Before" shot's on that site are AWFUL. And that 80% of the shot IS retouching. It varies.
There is nothing wrong with trying to learn "More" is there?
Basically what your saying is that you and Patric know how to do it(which I have my doubts) So it does not matter.
Well that is what forums are for...Hello
After all I learned ALL my techniques from forums and asking AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN, as I am a Visual learner, not textual!
So please do us all a favor and say something Positive or do not say anything at ALL.
Thanks, I hope you understand

Snook