What retouching "styles" do you like?

[shellby]

Do you have a style?

What kinds of retouching styles do you like?

Everyone has an opinion and I thought it may be nice to see what different people think.

I am attached some images that take my fancy...

Some may be lacking detail, as discussed in a previous thread, due to the small file sizes.

I really like the highlights on some of the more fantasy looking ones...

[zganie]

nice lighting on the 3rd one (dior add) like the colors ,and facial light

zganie

[Cassidy]

Flip side of the coin...... take into consideration that when a woman spends good money on a perfume or other cosmetic she is purse poor, but what is that doing to her confidence? She buys something based on advertising that looks glamourous, so she in herself 'feels' more glamourous which in turn will boost her ego and her outlook of herself and the way she projects herself to others, I think there is a place for unrealistic images lacking true details such as pores etc., nobody likes to identify with the frumpy housewife, and the purchase of a glamourous looking cosmetic can be the difference in attitude and outward appearance which makes the difference, maybe a bit of placebo affect

[Swampy]

Most folks here know I'm not big on retouching. I guess because I look at these retouched women in high fashion ads and they just look fake to me. Flawless skin, perfect teeth, perfect makeup, and blank stares into the camera lense. The whole concept just turns me off. The whole realm of haute couture is foreign to me. It never was a part of my formative years. I never "needed" to have the latest in fashion, makeup, jewelery, whatever.

I always felt that the entire fashion world and the ad agencies that promoted a "look or style" was controled by men who hated women. (I know that's pretty deep psycologically, but it makes sense to me on a practical level).

I don't care how perfectly a body is proportioned, I've never seen a woman (or young girl) that looked good in low cut jeans or pants! It's just not a flattering style.

Off my soap box. :-)

As for the above photos, 1 and 2 fake skin, 3 oversized over glossed lips, 4 bad color (too much green), 5 I don't get it. Might be good for a sci-fi fantasy poster.

[Cassidy]

Swampy I agree whole heartedly with you however, I do recognise that many women do lack a sense of self and confidence and so need the placebo affect of cosmetics and jewellery to increase their personal worth. The unrealistic advertising whilst is does great damage to many, also assists many to feel and exhibit enhanced confidence in themselves.

[Swampy]

Hey, Cass... If a touch of the latest scent or lip gloss makes a woman feel better about herself, I have no problem. I can get a lift from a new outfit or haircut, but the danger lies in believing that "style" will resolve all issues or that one is not "complete" without the "it" trend.

I've known so many women in my lifetime that just had to have the latest, greatest, best that the fashion world puts out there and yet they remain shallow, dull, phoney people. To me the trick is to be able to "wear the fashion of the day", but not be affected by it. I'm even more impressed by women who can set their own style and buck the trends and feel comfortable in that.

[skydog]

I like them all. As I mentioned yesterday in another post, what stye I'd apply depends on the customer, what I strikes me creatively, and what I technically know how to do. What I'd find more intesting is a discussion on what approach one would make to achieve each of the above looks. What I enjoy in this forum is expanding my "tool-box".

[Cassidy]

Ah Swampy, not all of us unfortunately are able to assess our own self worth and so assess ourselves by the barometer of others. Glad you are so self assured, as I believe I am too

[Cassidy]

skydog, exactly, you are performing to a spec or a need

Swampy, if there was not the need, then the item as such, nor advertising would no longer exist, you only have to visit a mother's group to see how insecure and shallow they can be, fausting their purchases on the table to try and beat each other and judging others by the perfumes, jewellery and status that each has or percieves

[Frank Lopes]

Artistically speaking I like them for the same reason that I like Picasso's cubist period: the aesthetics (color, form, technique...), not for the realism.

In these examples the artists used the faces of these women as canvasses to create the "look" that the customer was after. I'm ok with that.

I have, however, a problem with the message that they try to convey:
buy this ________ (fill in the blank...) and you will look like this.

My 2 cents...

Originally Posted by shellby

Do you have a style?
What kinds of retouching styles do you like?
Everyone has an opinion and I thought it may be nice to see what different people think.
I am attached some images that take my fancy...
Some may be lacking detail, as discussed in a previous thread, due to the small file sizes.
I really like the highlights on some of the more fantasy looking ones...

[skydog]

I really don't want to redirect the current discussion on this thread, but I do have a question from an earlier post I made this week which involves "fair-use". My question earlier in the week was could I post pictures on this site from magazines etc for discussion. I'm not sure where Shelby obtained the pictures above, but should the source be acknowleged? Can one copy a photo from another area of the internet and post in on this site for dicussion? Can I scan a magazine photo for discussion? As mentioned, earlier I would like to. I'm just trying to be consistent with regards to the "rules" allow in a forum like this one...what can I or can I not post for discussion?

[shellby]

I think we should provide links that would be better. Good point.

I wanted to discuss retouching styles, not whether retouching should be done or not. I am already a retoucher so I am happy with what I do and I really love doing it. The fashion and advertising world is all fiction. We are not going to stop retouching, and designers and art directors are not going to stop coming up with big campaigns to sell products.

Here are some links to images I think are really nice:

kate winslet

ANGELINA

[Swampy]

Originally Posted by shellby

The fashion and advertising world is all fiction.

Sorry to step on your thread, Shellby. I _am_ glad you approach advertising as fiction. It's a pragmatic view and probably allows you to let your creative juices flow when you work. :-)

[shellby]

"step" all you like I just can't really say I agree or disagree with how the world portrays fashion, woman and so on... I just love working in Photoshop with beauty images and giving the client (photographer) what they want.

[KR1156]

shelby....you should checkout www.markusklinko-indrani.com....they're a retouching house here in nyc and they have the kind of retouching style that i think you would like. they do nice work, some images heavily retouched....they work on images sometimes for weeks to months at a time.

[skydog]

KR1156,

Thanks for sharing that site. I really like the effect that is presented. It is just a look, like many others, that I like and wish I technically could create. Many of us like to enhance or create a photo for various reasons. Personally, I take sports shots and I must be able to provide a product that the general parent can't achieve with their Digital Rebel. Plus I just enjoy it!

[K.C.]

Originally Posted by shellby

The fashion and advertising world is all fiction. We are not going to stop retouching, and designers and art directors are not going to stop coming up with big campaigns to sell products.

Isn't that the truth. As a professional photographer I'm continually amazed at how far we're expected to take an image to meet a client's perception of beauty. I have to just let go and allow the image to become the client's. I do all my own retouching, but seldom to my taste.

Here's a recent shot.

And a rough final. The whites of her eyes will come back down and her teeth will be whitened. This is just to show the skin to my client.

[CathyH]

KC - that is very nice retouching. She is pretty but still natural.
Is this retouching included in a package? Or is this an add on.

[Kraellin]

shelby,

i hate playing the bad guy here, but i'm sure at least one of those images, if not more, are copyrighted images. if you dont have the copyright or dont have permmissions, then you need to remove them. if you do, then great.

i dont want to kill the thread, but maybe you can replace the copyrighted ones with freebies that would give similar examples. and where i'm no copyright lawyer, maybe you can use small parts of the images as examples, much like it's ok to quote a part of a book for learning purposes. doug would be the final authority on this.

for me, personally, i consider this site as a learning site and find no real objection if the images, or at least partial images, are used for that purpose, but i've questioned doug on this in the past and he's pretty adamant about not using any copyrighted/no permissions type images. so, if you wish to appeal this, talk to doug. otherwise, please remove any that you dont hold the copyrights to or dont have specific permission to use. i also know that doug has deleted one or two recent threads over this isssue. and like i say, i'd rather not delete the whole thread. it's a good thread.

[di_dia]

I like this style...but does anybody know about this technique?

[K.C.]

Originally Posted by CathyH

KC - that is very nice retouching. She is pretty but still natural.
Is this retouching included in a package? Or is this an add on.

Thank you Cathy. I include the cost of retouching in the shoot. I won't deliver an un-retouched image if I can avoid it.

[pellepiano]

Originally Posted by di_dia

I like this style...but does anybody know about this technique?

They look like images that have been treated in Illustrator with the Gradient Meshes.

//CloseUp
http://www.creativebush.com/tutorial...enSnapz017.jpg

//Tutorial
http://www.creativebush.com/tutorials/mesh_tutorial.php

[di_dia]

pellepiano,
wow ...
thanks a lot

[shellby]

KR1156 - thanks for that link I really love that site. I have seen it before a while back.

Those Illustrator drawings are really stunning, but I think I will be sticking with Photoshop retouching... that looks like another world. Love it though.

I have removed those first attached images.

[Kraellin]

thanks, shelby.

there's no reason you cant put the links to them in here, btw. that's perfectly fine.