Master Retoucher

[Doug Nelson]

Originally Posted by TheVeed

Maybe the August contest of the month could be a beauty retouch image. I'm sure most of us would participate.

I'd love to offer a beauty retouch, but most of the rights-cleared images I have access to are already retouched. If you (or anyone else reading this) own rights to good model-released "before" images, please contact me via PM or the contact link.

[superkoax]

ant: LOL! arrogance is a killer It doesn't hurt to be nice, you know! But I guess some people just have to be that one!

Gerry

[OperaFan1981]

I have been reading this thread very carefully.

I am a self taught photographer that started summer 2006. I so want to be apart of this retouching community.

Thank you for all the retouchers that have shared your insights. I will be improving my skills in both photography and at retouching.

--Ron
www.ronaldntan.com

[Ant]

Originally Posted by superkoax

ant: LOL! arrogance is a killer It doesn't hurt to be nice, you know! But I guess some people just have to be that one!

Gerry

^-Spoken just like someone who sells hammers and drills for a living....

[superkoax]

Ant: hehe...I must admit...I find your choice of writing most amusing Would love to hear from you


G

[superkoax]

ANT: BTW, you surprise me with your statement about hammers and drills How? You "googled" it, right?


Gerry

[smak]

Ant is lucky the people here are so PC and polite or someone would have thrown him in front of a yellow cab long ago.
Hey, Ant's cool....he works in New York City!....he's high end!......all the top magazines!......he sleeps with supermodels!.....he's the one grown-up in America that thinks Simon is cool!!!!.....he's snarky!......he pfuiiiii

[myfairies]

I found this 3d very interesting. I did not undestand some of the last posts, but never mind.... I think their subjects changed from the main one.

There's something that Skydog wrote that impressed me:
Practicing poor technique just give consistently poor results.

That's just what I feel but I did not know how to express it!..... I feel I'm running in a circle and go nowhere.
I'm just an amatour, so I shouldn't bother much, but I HATE not to achieve the results I could expect due to all the efforts and strenght I put on it.

I think there's something missing in what I'm studying.... I do know well that lightning is something I do not know. As for colors I lack this too.... I feel I should have somebody to help me. Tutorials are not enough because most of the time I do not know why for that particular photo I should follow that specific tutorial instead of another one. Sometimes I feel very tired and discouraged. But I DO really want to learn. I looked for an online course but I just could find generic photoshop courses. I want to learn retouch and manipulation, and like Skydog wrote, keeping on trying is not enough (unless you are really a sort of art genius, which I'm surely not).

I can do lots of things but I'm good at none. And this makes me depressed.... I do not want to be outstanding in digital art (I do not have the time, the age and also the strenght to get such a result), but at least good......

Sorry folks, this was just a.... what's the English word?? a yelling out?

[superkoax]

myf: good tip is to invest more time into your projects! It's like the phrase : "practice makes perfect" ... well practice makes better retouching!

To learn good retouching you need to have a good basic foundation...To achieve a good basic foundation you need to know basic stuff within colour management...right colours and right curves and so on! This can be fond around on good websites, for example www.lynda.com ...They have some very nice tutorials! I got this tip from a pro retoucher, shellbye, she is a member here...

I would recommend to buy books from Eismann! A very good retouching artist that explains advanced retouching in a easy way(IMO)...I had to read many times to really understand how she did things, but she explains in a very good way!

Lee Varis is a book recommended by many people! Glitterguru as well...

Stay away from retouching tutorials that contain guassian blur and masking,..it will give you a bad result and it kills skin texture...

I learnt dodge and burn from people here at RP, people can be very nice when being asked about certain techniques! the dodge and burn technique is a technique the pro's use! since it doesn't involve killing the texture it's more about balancing the skin textures and skin tones!

Hoepfully this was to some help!

If any questions, give me PM here at RP!

Cheers'

gerry

[pixelzombie]

masking is a very important skill that needs to be practiced if you are to be a retoucher....i used to work with a guy who had been working with photoshop since version 1, yet he never knew how to use quickmask till i showed him last year....his masks were horrible and we often had to fix them when working on files that he had touched...

[bcarll]

I feel a lot of frustration here by those who want to learn to do things the right way and that's how I felt 40 years ago. As a young adult I wanted to be a master cabinetmaker. One who builds furniture. All the answers I got were the same as I hear now on this forum from those wanting to know where do I learn my craft. I was told no schools to learn from and that I would have to apprentice with a master cabinetmaker to achieve my goals. I think the key word is "apprentice." Seems like an ancient term as I type it and not one heard of much today but the under lying tone of this discussion is find someone to apprentice under. Learn your trade and either move on or stay put. Develop your own style and technique and be your own master touchup artist built on tried and true techniques. That's how I became a master cabinetmaker. Apprenticed for three years under a Scottish master then out on my own. You talk about tradesmen who don't want to give away secrets -- I am still that way. Not a good trait to have but secrets that you have worked hard to learn are hard to just let go. Human nature.
Photography has always been a love of mine so the retouching for me was just an extension of my hobby. After a serious injury and some down time I learned more about photoshop and really got involved in retouching old family photos and then it just branched out into a profitable hobby doing work for others. I am not professional but my work comes close because I strive for excellence as I did with all the furniture I have built over the past years. The computer has made it all at our finger tips and is fullfilling the I want it all and want it now mentallity of our youth. I too get frustrated when I wonder how in world did they get that result from that old picture and I can't achieve the same. For those wanting to learn it new and fresh and have colleges around night school may give you a basic knowledge of photoshop and photography. I was appalled the other day when my neighbors boy came by sporting a new Canon rebel digital. He wa going to take photography course this year and needed a camera for the class. Do you think he will learn about Fstops, film speed, shutter speeds,and lighting? Hopefully he will but as he talked it sounded like that wasn't part of it.
I've rambled on and shown my age I guess but remember you may have to spend a little money to learn your trade, may have to apprentice with someone, you may have to attend seminars or classes at educational sites, And the bottom line is it ain't going to come to you so you must go after it.
This was and is a great post and I've learned a lot from it. I too wonder how to take my art to another level and have invested too much already in DVD's and books but so far that's the only way I know for me.
For you folks who already know the trade think about this story --- I grew up in a fishing village as a young man. A friend of mine went to an old man of 90 years old and asked if he would teach him how to make fishing nets. The answer was a quick no. As time went on that story got around the community and we found out that others had asked the same of the old man and got the same reply. He sat on his front porch lonely and sad and one day died sitting in his rocker on that very spot. He took his knowledge of fishing and net making with him and had spent years with all that knowledge inside him and never shared it with anyone. His son while cleaning out his home found many of his shuttles and needles used in the forgotten craft and they are on display at the historical society in town. How sad to know so much and not share it with anyone. I thank this forum for being here for me to gain knowledge and to participate in. I am still the student but I hope someday to be the master and to be able to share with others my craft.
Thanks for listening to an older chap.

bcarll

[Calvinhollywood]

This Thread gives me much motovation to get a professional retoucher.

Thx to the pros here

Greets from germany
Calvin

http:www.calvinhollywood.de

[myfairies]

Thanks to all
Thanks Superkoax for your suggestions. I have tons of books, magazines and cds on Photoshop but I will look for those by Eismann (hope they are edited in my country, otherwise custom duties will kill me!).
And thanks to Bcarll for sharing his thoughts and memories, I really enjoyed what he wrote.

I will keep on looking for an online class. All those tutorial found on the net are helping me but in a way I get confused.....
and yes, I usually get happy for my poor to normal results but in this case (digital art, I mean), as Bcarll wrote, "I strive for excellence"....

[KR1156]

pixelzombie.......i couldn't agree more with you, thank you for pointing that out!

you made my day..........all i ever hear is skin this, skin that. especially on this forum!

[bri775]

I've been retouching in CMYK for years as that's how our workflow has been at two different prepress houses. My question is do most professional retouchers out there correct/retouch in RGB or CMYK, or both?