How to get the Jill Greenberg effect

[askreage]

Are there any tutorials tips advise on how to get that look that Jill Greenberg is so famous for? It is like a combo smooth wet metal glowing look. I am not even sure how to describe it, but I like it.

[askreage]

Sorry for posting before looking. I see this topic has been covered here.

[DannyRaphael]

Welcome to RetouchPRO.

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re: Sorry for posting before looking. I see this topic has been covered here.

No worries.

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This looks interesting: http://strobist.blogspot.com/2007/10...tups-laid.html

[Bianca Carosio]

Funny you mention her...I have an image on my MM profile that was asked to sort of mimick Jill's style..I think it came out pretty well!

[CaptainHook]

Link?
Or have you posted it already?

[Bianca Carosio]

Yes Sorry..it's my MM profile...


http://www.modelmayhem.com/member.php?id=525154

It's an image of pets....you can see the detail & sharpness more in the high res of course but there is a web size shown in that profile! Of course the pets shown in mind dont have funny expressions like hers..lol


:P

[pixeltek]

bianca, it would be helpful if you just posted the pic in question...

[Bianca Carosio]

OH..let me try that..lol

I can't post the actual image on here..only link. I started previewing it when I'd post the direct link but the image shows very small.

[pixeltek]

bianca, look at danny's post above, there is a link on how to post images...it's really quite simple

[Bianca Carosio]

I didnt see anything on how to POST it here on the thread...just image sizing I'm not forum savy..lol

[pixelzombie]

Originally Posted by Bianca Carosio

Yes Sorry..it's my MM profile...


http://www.modelmayhem.com/member.php?id=525154

It's an image of pets....you can see the detail & sharpness more in the high res of course but there is a web size shown in that profile! Of course the pets shown in mind dont have funny expressions like hers..lol


:P

only members can see the full size images, any chance you can post it to flickr?

[Bianca Carosio]

I dont have FLICKR... lol ..but you know what if you can see the image on the profile...that's pretty much the same size that shows in the view more pics part...MM sort of re-sizes them to a limited size they decide...I dont know...sorry... lol

[pixeltek]

just curious again, bianca, but if they're your pics, presumably they're on your computer somewhere lol...you don't need flickr...why can't you just upload a pic here? i don't get why you can't just do that...lol

[Bianca Carosio]

I would..I just don't know how to post it on these type of forums. I post images on the MM forums and I tried that same way here but it didn't work...so if someone can send me a sample code then I can try maybe..


Sorry for the hassle.. :P

[superkoax]

Take the picture you want to upload, open it up in Photoshop, then resize it to a smaller version! then export to web, make the size and quality to match 100kb or less. to upload it here, just push "post reply" button over the thread, then go down to where it says "manage attachments" that's where you upload the picture you have resized....

[pixelzombie]

Originally Posted by Bianca Carosio

I would..I just don't know how to post it on these type of forums. I post images on the MM forums and I tried that same way here but it didn't work...so if someone can send me a sample code then I can try maybe..


Sorry for the hassle.. :P

you're better off not posting as 100k jpegs lose a lot of the work you put into them...

[Bianca Carosio]

100K is very tiny..I resize WEB SIZE images for clients at around 400-600KB.

So I agree...If anyone wants to see it it's on my MM profile link listed on my signature.


Thanks

[pixelzombie]

the only image with animals is the dog & cat image...

[Bianca Carosio]

YES that's the image i was referring too when I first posted in this Thread.

[pixeltek]

here ya go...is this the pic? i just copied it, sized it in ps, and uploaded it.lol...

[Bianca Carosio]

Yes that's it!! :P

[EternalTomorrow]

Originally Posted by Bianca Carosio

Yes that's it!! :P

and how did you process it in post? from original that is?

[Bianca Carosio]

Main thing will jill's work is the highlight..shadows and sharpness..I saved a dog image to use as ref. when re-touching that image.

[erikhatt]

If you want to serve your clients with the same quality as Jill Greenberg, yoau cant take a low quality jpg-file with bad lightening and retouch it to quality. This job is a chain of professionalism all the way.

I have added 3 pictures wich has gone trough the whole process before delivered to the customer.

1 Camera and optics: Hasselblad 500C and 500EL/M Carl Zeiss Sonnar T*150 F4
2 Film: Kodak Portra 160 NC
3 Scan: ICG 365 Druscanner 5080DPI
4 Retouch: 2-6 hour per image in the retouchprocess.
5 Key retouch elements: Colour balancing/ Dodge&Burn/ spotting/ curves adjustments.

6 Lightening: Rimlights back 7"reflctor with barndoors and honecom. Hairlight and beauty dish in front. This was an small set-up. Colud be much larger and better if client had bigger budget.


Important: High quality pictures in, high quality out.

[TimeActor]

Hi Erik,
after a little bit of searching i´ve found your post here.
First your Pics are excellent! But not so smooth like Jill - must not!
You´re right - the quality and the correct Light Setup to get the JG Look is the key!
I will change my Lightsetup to get closer to yours.
I´m using a Elinchrom Ranger Q with two A Heads and an Elinchrom Ranger RX Speed AS with one A Head and 2 Canon System Strobes 580 EX II in Slave Mode.

Can you talk about your postproduction a little bit precise?
Sorry for my bad english! ;-)

Regards
Martin

[erikhatt]

Originally Posted by TimeActor

Hi Erik,
after a little bit of searching i´ve found your post here.
First your Pics are excellent! But not so smooth like Jill - must not!
You´re right - the quality and the correct Light Setup to get the JG Look is the key!
I will change my Lightsetup to get closer to yours.
I´m using a Elinchrom Ranger Q with two A Heads and an Elinchrom Ranger RX Speed AS with one A Head and 2 Canon System Strobes 580 EX II in Slave Mode.

Can you talk about your postproduction a little bit precise?
Sorry for my bad english! ;-)

Regards
Martin

First of all. Dont judge my pictures from a 100KB jpg. Have you seen greenbergs pictures on print in a gallary? If you saw my pictures in 1meterx1meter side by side with Jillls, you wouldnt be able to see who made witch, if both of us wanted to give you that dilemma Thats the problem with todays audience. 99% of the people on forums like this only sees the crappy websized pictures. Not the magazine covers and commercial campaigns we make for the European martket.

My post production is similar tol all the other high end retouchers in this buisness. Dodge/burn/colour correcting/curves adjustment and tablet painting/carving/spotting/liquifying/brushing in effects so on so on. No mambo jambo, just 10-12 years of working hard every day.

[TimeActor]

Yes i know the problem with 100kb pictures ;-)
Every printed pic looks much more better!
I´m close to you about hard working and there is no filter or action that gets the effect!
With my pics i spend a lot of time with my wacom intuos 3 A5 and paint the lights and shadows.
i think you and jill flattens the contrast to get a smoother look with a curve or gradient layer in blending mode soft light - is this right?

Here ist my little working:
http://www.fotocommunity.de/pc/pc/mypics/1305255

Regards
Martin

[erikhatt]

Originally Posted by TimeActor

Yes i know the problem with 100kb pictures ;-)
Every printed pic looks much more better!
I´m close to you about hard working and there is no filter or action that gets the effect!
With my pics i spend a lot of time with my wacom intuos 3 A5 and paint the lights and shadows.
i think you and jill flattens the contrast to get a smoother look with a curve or gradient layer in blending mode soft light - is this right?

Here ist my little working:
http://www.fotocommunity.de/pc/pc/mypics/1305255

Regards
Martin

I think our biggest advance is very hig quality optics/film/light. We use Portra 160NC from Kodak and in the drumscan we scan totaly flat. Every detail is captured. Contrast is build step by step in dodge/burn. Not harder than that!

[TimeActor]

Ok
i´ve not enough money to buy this high end equipment!
When i´m as good as you and jill i´ll go and buy the "machines"
but i don´t think so. Toooooo expensive!

This is a hard work i know it every night after my business working.
No chance for a better way

[wojciech]

Without equipment, without paying attention to details (skin tone ), without too much time spent on:
http://ciebiera.eu/retusze/monia/