How to: "Christian Schmidt" Look

[Gee]

yep thats it

[Gt_max]

Originally Posted by saby

may be this helps???

its wired... I can't find the AIM RGB in CS3

[palms]

Originally Posted by Gt_max

its wired... I can't find the AIM RGB in CS3

you need to download it from the link in thread #14
here

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/pho...ma-1-00-a.html

Palms

[Gt_max]

Originally Posted by palms1

you need to download it from the link in thread #14
here

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/pho...ma-1-00-a.html

Palms

Thank you for the quick reply !
I tried the link but unfortunately it doesn't load for me and I couldn't download it

[palms]

did you try the link in the next post down ? only i know of someone else who downloaded today and i dont think they had a problem

maybe a mod will see this and sort the link out and post at the begining of this thread for those who want it ? ( if not will have to try a subtle nudge )

Palms

[Gt_max]

Originally Posted by palms1

did you try the link in the next post down ? only i know of someone else who downloaded today and i dont think they had a problem

maybe a mod will see this and sort the link out and post at the begining of this thread for those who want it ? ( if not will have to try a subtle nudge )

Palms

I downloaded the zip
there are 2 profiles and a psd file
What exactly am I supposed to do with the 2 profile files ? should I put them in a specific folder or load them from somewhere inside photoshop ?

[MacBurg]

If you are at all interested in this technique and look, maybe you should read this post from the beginning? All of your posts are asking questions that have all ready been covered in detail.

[palms]

Originally Posted by Gt_max

I downloaded the zip
there are 2 profiles and a psd file
What exactly am I supposed to do with the 2 profile files ? should I put them in a specific folder or load them from somewhere inside photoshop ?

post #18 should help

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/pho...-1-00-a-2.html



Palms

[quadupix]

Originally Posted by Michael Bonner

.........followed by copying and pasting the result over the original in the Screen blending mode, and sandwiching a Curves layer between the two tweaked to add some cyan, blue, and green. Final touches with a slow-flowing white brush on a blank layer set to "overlay"

Do you rename one file before copying the results over the original? Because when I try to open the original only the converted image shows and I had to rename the original, open it and then drag the original over the final image. Is this correct or anyone wants to share more light on this? Also, do you flatten the converted image before pasting it on the original?

Sorry if this questions sound dumb...........

Thanks again

[pixelhunter]

For all the lazy peeps, a recap of post #42:
I am way too helpful with this

- Download this www.aim-dtp.net/aim/download/aim_profiles.zip
- Unzip
- Right click the profiles, and choose "Install". This makes them avail. in PS.
(it's the AIM RGB we're looking for)

- Open a picture
- Edit - Convert to profile -> Adobe RGB (1998)
- Edit - Assign profile - AIM RGB
and again
- Edit - Convert to profile -> Adobe RGB (1998)
- Edit - Assign profile - AIM RGB
- Duplicate Background layer
- Set copy to Multiply
- Still on copy -> Blending Options - Alt-click "Underlying Layer" and drag the white(on the right) slider to about 112.
- Add a Curves layer, and drag the black slider to about "Input 25".
- Take a bow.

[Michael Bonner]

Originally Posted by quadupix

Do you rename one file before copying the results over the original? Because when I try to open the original only the converted image shows and I had to rename the original, open it and then drag the original over the final image. Is this correct or anyone wants to share more light on this? Also, do you flatten the converted image before pasting it on the original?

Sorry if this questions sound dumb...........

Thanks again

I use the history palette to merge my results:

-Take a snapshot of the converted image, just in case you need to go back to it

-Select all, Copy Merged (essentially copying a flattened version)

-go back to the original state above your snapshot in the history palette

-Paste results, set to screen blending mode

Voila!

I try to avoid editing destructively at all costs and this method allows you to maintain the original below all the converted layers. I also take snapshots periodically to compare my results and go back to a certain state at any time.

*Edit* In the process above, you're only working within a single file- no need to open duplicates.

[quadupix]

Originally Posted by Michael Bonner

I use the history palete to merge my results:

-Take a snapshot of the converted image, just in case you need to go back to it

-Select all, Copy Merged (essentially copying a flattened version)

-go back to the original state above your snapshot in the history palette

-Paste results, set to screen blending mode

Voila!

I try to avoid editing destructively at all costs and this method allows you to maintain the original below all the converted layers. I also take snapshots periodically to compare my results and go back to a certain state at any time.

Perfect!! Thank you!

[palms]

Originally Posted by pixelhunter

For all the lazy peeps, a recap of post #42:
I am way too helpful with this

- Download this www.aim-dtp.net/aim/download/aim_profiles.zip
- Unzip
- Right click the profiles, and choose "Install". This makes them avail. in PS.
(it's the AIM RGB we're looking for)

- Open a picture
- Edit - Convert to profile -> Adobe RGB (1998)
- Edit - Assign profile - AIM RGB
and again
- Edit - Convert to profile -> Adobe RGB (1998)
- Edit - Assign profile - AIM RGB
- Duplicate Background layer
- Set copy to Multiply
- Still on copy -> Blending Options - Alt-click "Underlying Layer" and drag the white(on the right) slider to about 112.
- Add a Curves layer, and drag the black slider to about "Input 25".
- Take a bow.

Well i will thank you pixelhunter hopefully this will make it a bit easier for those to find everything in one go mind you any bets on when the next how do i appears


Palms

[pixelhunter]

Originally Posted by palms1

Well i will thank you pixelhunter hopefully this will make it a bit easier for those to find everything in one go mind you any bets on when the next how do i appears


Palms

Page 10

[Gt_max]

Originally Posted by pixelhunter

For all the lazy peeps, a recap of post #42:
I am way too helpful with this

- Download this www.aim-dtp.net/aim/download/aim_profiles.zip
- Unzip
- Right click the profiles, and choose "Install". This makes them avail. in PS.
(it's the AIM RGB we're looking for)

- Open a picture
- Edit - Convert to profile -> Adobe RGB (1998)
- Edit - Assign profile - AIM RGB
and again
- Edit - Convert to profile -> Adobe RGB (1998)
- Edit - Assign profile - AIM RGB
- Duplicate Background layer
- Set copy to Multiply
- Still on copy -> Blending Options - Alt-click "Underlying Layer" and drag the white(on the right) slider to about 112.
- Add a Curves layer, and drag the black slider to about "Input 25".
- Take a bow.

Thank you for spending your time explaining it again to me...
not that I want to be a lazy person but I try and I totally get a different result =(
here are my 2 attempts :

[pixelhunter]

Originally Posted by Gt_max

Thank you for spending your time explaining it again to me...
not that I want to be a lazy person but I try and I totally get a different result =(
here are my 2 attempts :

Post your PS "history" from those images.

[Gt_max]

Originally Posted by pixelhunter

Post your PS "history" from those images.

I do exactly as you explained
I open up the file
Edit - Convert to profile -> Adobe RGB (1998) but its already on Adobe RGB (1998) so I just click ok then Edit - Assign profile - AIM RGB pro which makes the photo look much brighter and again Edit - Convert to profile -> Adobe RGB (1998) and Edit - Assign profile - AIM RGB which again makes it more white, I duplicate the bg layer set the blending mode to multiply this makes the photo gets some of its original colors back... problem starts when I change the blending options:custome - Underlying Layer to 112... thats what make my photo looks all wired and then a curve layer which 25 black input...

[Michael Bonner]

Originally Posted by Gt_max

I do exactly as you explained
I open up the file
Edit - Convert to profile -> Adobe RGB (1998) but its already on Adobe RGB (1998) so I just click ok then Edit - Assign profile - AIM RGB pro which makes the photo look much brighter and again Edit - Convert to profile -> Adobe RGB (1998) and Edit - Assign profile - AIM RGB which again makes it more white, I duplicate the bg layer set the blending mode to multiply this makes the photo gets some of its original colors back... problem starts when I change the blending options:custome - Underlying Layer to 112... thats what make my photo looks all wired and then a curve layer which 25 black input...

Try holding down the Option/Alt key when you change the underlaying layer slider to 112. You should only be moving the left half of the slider.

[Gt_max]

Originally Posted by Michael Bonner

Try holding down the Option/Alt key when you change the underlaying layer slider to 112. You should only be moving the left half of the slider.

OMG yes !
Thank you Michael

[garibaldi]

ok Im not putting anything or anyone down in this thread but I think that most of this stuff here is not in the ballpark, maybe your pulling into the parking lot of the ballpark, but you arent in it yet. That Shmidt guys work is really somethin. First, I am impressed with how slean a lot of the images are. second, I think he is shotting large or MF. Second alot of those shots are composites, and prob some cgi mixed in. alot of those really neautral, and pleasing scenes are practically impossible to get in camera. Study the shadows, highlights etc, not the post stuff, the actual composition in the picture, look at how everything is sharp. Any photogs reading this will be nodding their heads. So i think there is much much much more going on here than convert a profile and dupe it. But keep up the thread, its great reading. BTW Id love for someone that realy knows or actually does those shots to come here and just lay it out, get rid of all the speculation once and for all. Same goes for the dave hill thread, man is that long in the tooth!!!!!

[Michael Bonner]

Originally Posted by garibaldi

ok Im not putting anything or anyone down in this thread but I think that most of this stuff here is not in the ballpark, maybe your pulling into the parking lot of the ballpark, but you arent in it yet. That Shmidt guys work is really somethin. First, I am impressed with how slean a lot of the images are. second, I think he is shotting large or MF. Second alot of those shots are composites, and prob some cgi mixed in. alot of those really neautral, and pleasing scenes are practically impossible to get in camera. Study the shadows, highlights etc, not the post stuff, the actual composition in the picture, look at how everything is sharp. Any photogs reading this will be nodding their heads. So i think there is much much much more going on here than convert a profile and dupe it. But keep up the thread, its great reading. BTW Id love for someone that realy knows or actually does those shots to come here and just lay it out, get rid of all the speculation once and for all. Same goes for the dave hill thread, man is that long in the tooth!!!!!

As a photographer, I see what you are saying and can agree on many points- I'd guess he's shooting digital MF at the least and that he does composite many of his images. I could certainly see the possibility of CGI as well. And for the natural looking scenes, well that's another matter entirely.

However, I think the profile conversion method described in this thread is quite effective at creating a good starting point for achieving the end results that you see in his 'clean' photos. Attached here is one of Schmidt's photos, as well as a similar original photo from earlier in the thread and the result of a retouch that included the profile conversion method. The results, I would argue, are similar, and considering the retouched image here is from a 500 pixel-wide JPEG shot with the wrong white balance and with what looks to be a fair amount of noise, versus an uncompressed file from a 50 megapixel Hasselblad, I'd say the success of this technique lies more in the subject than the application.

In any case, this thread is far closer to being "in the ballpark" than the infamous Dave Hill one.

[sirespen]

I agree with garibaldi, btw Michael Bonner i think your result is the best i've seen so far.

Ciao Sebi

[Gt_max]

Originally Posted by Michael Bonner

In any case, this thread is far closer to being "in the ballpark" than the infamous Dave Hill one.

WOW... your result is the Closest !
can you please explain the procedure ?

[garibaldi]

The method of pushing the gamma through profile cycling is pretty close. The one thing that I have noticed though is that once you do that, you lose a lot of the dark tones. Notice how in his photos that the balance and dynamic range is very broad. The cool thing about whatever he or his retouchers are doing is that it matches very close to what the human eye would see as far as range. Anyone who shoots knows all too well that there is no way your going to hold shadow detail like that without blowing out highlights or vice versa. That shot of the people sitting along the window in the airport....no way that you could expose them properly with light coming in from directly behind and hold an even tone through 15 feet of floor in front of them, as well as keeping the outside view perfect.....and talk about the DOF, everything is crispy and sharp. I commend the work, but that isnt all done in camera. And i highly doubt hes setting up enough light banks in an airport or wharehouse or escalator hall to balance that, and without any hotspots either. ITs compositing. One more thing....theres not a shadow to be found in any of those images. I think its cool, and would love to see the process from start to finish

[djslyda]

^ ^
i agree, Christian Schmidt, Erik Almas and Dave Hill are all masters at compositing, i too would love to see how they do it.

[diggnikon]

I thought id add my version - still trying to tweak it some more

[sirespen]

Hi digginikon! Could you please post a link for the image? Because i can't click on it :S

Ciao Sebastian

[fryday]

Here's my attempt. Let me know what you think.

[diggnikon]

HI Sirespen

i shrunk my version , ill do another one over the weekend and post a link

[BobZZZ]

This is not quite the same but on similar lines F Stop mag has a how too from Jonathan Tay who explains how he lights and comps these type of shots. http://www.thefstopmag.com/?p=259