Color Photo Retouching in Jan Saudek Style

[kimmac]

i was wondering if anyone had any idea how to do these type of look and/or hand coloring texturing in photoshop. I am trying to do a surreal circus motif for a website. Any help or some sort of tutorial would be wonderful.

Thanks so much
Kim

<a href="http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f243/chloeparker/?action=view&current=JanSaudek1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f243/chloeparker/JanSaudek1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f243/chloeparker/?action=view&current=markholthusen.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f243/chloeparker/markholthusen.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[kimmac]

Sorry, i thought they would let me post the codes--here are the links to the images.

http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...JanSaudek1.jpg

http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...kholthusen.jpg

[santajuana]

To make this kind of hand coloring you must begin with a black & white image with high contrast, then you can make a new color adjustment layer for each color and put the blending mode on Color, then paint the selection that you need with that color on the layer mask and apply gaussian blur to that selection. This is a basic way, probably there are many other ways. Hope this help.

Silvia.

[JavierT]

I agree with SantaJuana:

Start with b&w layer and then you can paint in new layers above this and change the fusion mode depending of results you are looking for.

If I am not in an error, I remember Jan Saudek doesn´t work digital postproducion, is handmade painting directly into the copy, like spanis photographer OuKa Lele. I have been doing that with her and she use watercolor to do it. Of course, the powerful of photoshop bring us the posibility to work better, probably faster and, after finisf painting, you dont have to wash your brushes and your hands, LOL.

Important work in diferent layers, how many you need, and it brings you the posibility to play with the diferent adjustments for each other (blur, fusion mode, sat/desat, gradients, etc, etc, etc).

[kimmac]

thanks so much for all your help--i think i have a nice compromise fusing my own style.

that is amazing she hand paints all her images--i adore her work!

thanks again--you guys are fab.

[kimmac]

here is my attempt:

http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...ne2-saudek.jpg

[jenniferfrances]

wow thats awesome.
I wouldn't have thought to paint piece by piece.
I was thinking more along the lines of playing with individual channels in curves, masking and using hue/sat and selective color.

I'm definitely going to give this a try.

[santajuana]

Congrats kimmac!! I think that ur pic looks amazing! I'm really glad that you could do it!

BRegards,

Silvia.

[Ubi]

Great work. Well done. Love the desaturated colors.