Lee Varis skin help! color managment help

superkoax · #1 10-19-2007, 04:33 AM

Just read the whole chapter for the 4th time about color management to really grasp his technique, but he is just talking about Color Management as a global thing. What do i do when different colors appear in skin texture? And good techniques on how to look for local color changes? every time I have retouched a picture I'm always bombed when finding a color difference in skin...so, what to do?

DaveSpanton · #2 10-19-2007, 07:09 AM

Do you know what the causes are of these local color changes? (e.g. blotchyness, bad makeup, mixed color temp. lighting?)

They're always a pain to get rid of whatever the cause. I get a lot of mixed lighting stuff - it's been lit by flash, but there's a big fluro casting a green light from above.

I tend to work on the mixed lighting stuff by carefully masking the different areas and color correcting them using Curves, Selective Color or Hue/Saturation adjustment layers.

There is a section later on in the Lee Varis book on using Hue/Saturation to lighten out red (or any colour) blotches in skin which works well in certain circumstances. It can make the skin look a bit flat and colorized if overused though.

Any example pics would be good to see.
Cheers,

Ant · #3 10-19-2007, 08:24 AM

Do local selections, not so tight, feathered pretty good so you don't see the transitions - pull a curve or whatever works. Brush off where it bleeds over where you don't want it and vise versa. Fine tune with a very low opacity brush on a color layer (be sure to turn off any global curves before sampling color).

superkoax · #4 10-19-2007, 03:17 PM

Dave: Well, I'm just talking about pictures in general here...All the pictures I have retouched I feel there is different colours around the skin...so...Thanks for replying!

ANT: Thanks! So maybe what I read here is to use a curve adjustment layer and pull up to see the different colors within the same are forehead, cheeks etc?!

Markzebra · #5 10-19-2007, 03:23 PM

Know what I'd advice I would give with regard to Lee Varis

superkoax · #6 10-19-2007, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Markzebra

Know what I'd advice I would give with regard to Lee Varis

Didn't quite understand what your mean...

Ant · #7 10-19-2007, 04:10 PM

He'd probably tell Varis to shove his advice up his...

superkoax · #8 10-19-2007, 04:46 PM

oh...hehe...so I have spent my money badly by buying the book? Maybe I'm gonna ask here before buying books

Ant · #9 10-19-2007, 07:58 PM

I don't know the book. I know that a lot of people who write books do a disservice however.

KR1156 · #10 10-19-2007, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ant

I don't know the book. I know that a lot of people who write books do a disservice however.

hell yea!! but i would reccomend the eisman masking book for the up-and-comer......but no one seems to care about intricate masking and proper compositing these days...just skin work.

not for the newbie, but if you have a gerneral knowledge and experience with D&b and all that....propper color correction and propper workflow....best bet is really investing in a bunch of hiend fashion mags and really studying them.

go into those ads and really study them, not just say wow looks great wish i could do that. you prob can if you take your time and forget about looking for the shortcut.

rovis · #11 10-20-2007, 08:46 AM

I've got the "Skin" book. Imho The most interesting sections in it are about camera calibration. rest is pretty basic stuff. It's a book for photographers, not for retouchers. And look at his photos, not very "hi end".

superkoax · #12 10-21-2007, 04:08 PM

thanks, guys! Nice advice here! Will follow them

ROVIS: Yes I was looking at the pictures, thought the same thing...