You aren't going to learn it on the internet....

[HughSteenk]

..and you can't learn taste. (Stop sucking)

[Hi, I'm new]

Ask yourself why you aren't any good at retouching. Is it because you don't really want to be good at it? Takes too much time, must be a button or technique I don't yet know? Maybe I just like ugly couches, that's my market. I mean, they, the furniture makers sure do make a lot of hideous looking couches - big companies don't make furniture nobody wants right? Maybe I just have bad taste..

There's nothing here for you, not on this site, and not out there on the internet. You want to get better? Practice. "But I like it that way." Great, you go ahead and like it, but don't expect anyone to pay you for it.

98.9% of you suck balls. It's your turn to figure out why and change it. Don't ask for technique or pointers. It comes from your eyes, your sweat, your experience and strive for real knowledge. Compare your work with what's out in the real world that people pay good money for. Hold yourself to the highest standards, not Maxim or People. There are no shortcuts. You use them and make yourself look like an idiot amateur. Face it, 90 percent of the people who use photoshop can do what you do - most better.

Look within. Use your damn eyes. Don't ask for critiques from those that know less than you. Don't submit for critique something that looks bad or is unfinished or imbalanced. They're going to notice. They're not going to overlook it. You can't hide. Don't comment on crap that you aren't qualified to comment on. Stop taking bad advice from the internet, your friends and parents. Use a damn mirror. Stop applying for classified ads when your work sucks, you waste everyone's time, your own being the least important. It's impossible to fill a position or job out a project without wading through piles of junk. Save yourself the rejection and others the headache. You are bringing the industry down. Hell, advertising rates have been stagnant for nearly 10 years now. Go back to the shadows until you have something to offer. Sure, we all started somewhere. Problem is, you need to erase your brains first and start with the basics. Stop getting ahead of yourself.

Do you really know what the titles Junior Retoucher and Senior Retoucher mean or the expectations of those titles? I don't think you do. You don't qualify as a Junior retoucher, trust me.

Don't make a website, the internet is clogged with enough junk already.

Throw your actions away. Learn how to construct a file like it's supposed to be done. Get an internship and if you're lucky, cut masks and make paths.

Be more realistic and humble. Use a Mac. Use a tablet. Get your monitor calibrated and do it regularly. Go to the museum. Look at high end magazines. Take a drawing class. Analyze light. LOOK at people. Get away from the computer. Take a photography class. Get a job at a prepress house doing separations. Get in some sort of related industry and learn something. Quit that cube job and go work at a camera store. Something. Being an insurance salesman during the day and being on the internet and playing with photoshop all the time is not feeding you.

"I've been using Photoshop since it came out" <--- Why is it that you can't make anything that doesn't look like ass then?

You answer.

14 year olds are going to own you.


Buy my dvd! (I'm not selling one and you're wasting your money)

[snook305]

You quite full of yourself...:+}
Are you a retoucher... hahahaha

Your going to go a long way with that attitude..:+]
Snook

[grannysdc]

Me smell bad but I no stink!!

Good post we need more telling it like it is!

[Swampy]

Well, Hugh, that was enlightning. Why don't you tell us how you really feel? Obviously Retouch Pro is not the place for your extreme Photoshop skills. This site was designed for people to people help with digital image issues. It's not a place to get a job, it's not a place to rant about the "amateurs".

[dodezaine]

Hello

my English is bad therefore my understanding can not have been 100%,
but if you thinks thus and wrote this, why came until the forum?

Cya.

[HughSteenk]

Originally Posted by snook305

You quite full of yourself...:+}
Are you a retoucher... hahahaha

Your going to go a long way with that attitude..:+]
Snook

I'm not trying to make friends Erick. What's the status of your P30?

[BagLady]

If there's nothing on this site, why would you want want to participate or contribute?

[Swampy]

Are you talking about the gun or the camera, Hugh?

[HughSteenk]

DB Swampster

[HughSteenk]

If there's nothing on this site, why would you want want to participate or contribute?

but if you thinks thus and wrote this, why came until the forum?

This is denying the purpose of this thread. Stay on topic. comment, fine. Ask moot questions, not fine. Doesn't change anything.

[snook305]

:+}
Eric by the way...:+}
Not sure... Upgrading to the P30+ I think next week..
and the new Phase/Mamiya camera...

Just out of curiosity why the Post...:+}
Although some how I agree with a lot of what you are saying.. I learned EVERYTHING I know technically from the internet.
I would consider myself above average retoucher and I learned everything from net and VTC's. Nothing Beats VTC's. If your like me and like visual learning tether than reading words... They are the best way and of course like you say nothing beats hands on!

For Instance have study just about every tutorial there is for masking hair and until recently really getting my hands on and doing it did I learn it is not that hard and there are only certain ways to do it.
You can make your point across but after more than 7 post it may come across less harsh..:+}
Snook

By the way who are you?

[Flora]

Originally Posted by HughSteenk

....This is denying the purpose of this thread...

... ??? ...What purpose? (beside giving vent to your own frustration) ...

[HughSteenk]

Originally Posted by snook305

:+}
Eric by the way...:+}
Not sure... Upgrading to the P30+ I think next week..
and the new Phase/Mamiya camera...

Just out of curiosity why the Post...:+}
Although some how I agree with a lot of what you are saying.. I learned EVERYTHING I know technically from the internet.
I would consider myself above average retoucher and I learned everything from net and VTC's. Nothing Beats VTC's. If your like me and like visual learning tether than reading words... They are the best way and of course like you say nothing beats hands on!

For Instance have study just about every tutorial there is for masking hair and until recently really getting my hands on and doing it did I learn it is not that hard and there are only certain ways to do it.
You can make your point across but after more than 7 post it may come across less harsh..:+}
Snook

By the way who are you?

Why not? Sick of seeing crap. Sick of seeing links to this site. Unless you intend to sell something, there are maybe 2 real retouchers who might come here (Tarrintono is one, but he's a bizness man just pimping wares for the most part - thinly veiled). Reading through the threads here, man, hurts. Perpetuating badness.

As far as learning via tutorials. Sure, no secrets. It's all out there. Doesn't seem to be working though for most though does it? In your case, you are one who is already in the industry and knows how things should look and have a modicum of taste innately and/or from experience. Some people don't have it and never will nor will it expand from badness to something else because they don't/won't seek it out. It's not that hard. Practice makes perfect. Not rocketscience, never was. Being critical is more important. As for being one of the better retouchers, I'd say more of the better photographers who retouch their own work. I don't imagine you'd fare as well hired as a retoucher professionally. You do a decent job with your own stuff certainly.

Harsh? Look at that Ant guy, and he's not said anything that I've read that's incorrect. I of course haven't read everything but so far so good. Is this a social club?

My name is Hugh.

[HughSteenk]

Originally Posted by Flora

... ??? ...What purpose? (beside giving vent to your own frustration) ...

Read the post. It's for you too. Why do YOU suck? How could you be better? There are helpful statements in the thread. If you fail to see them, fine. Again, posting statements outside of the thread topic are just derailing. Why question, I'm not wrong here. Who cares my motivation?

[BagLady]

A moot question is one that is arguable or open to debate. What is the purpose of this thread?

[Flora]

Originally Posted by HughSteenk

Why not? Sick of seeing crap. Sick of seeing links to this site. Unless you intend to sell something, there are maybe 2 real retouchers who might come here (Tarrintono (actually the name is Tarantino) is one, but he's a bizness man just pimping wares for the most part - thinly veiled). Reading through the threads here, man, hurts. Perpetuating badness.

Why not simply ignore it all if it hurts so much? Nobody here actually asked or forced you to come and look .. But more important ... why does it hurt so much???? ....

Why do you think that there are so many links to this site??? Obviously, unlike you, a lot of people don't think that we are perpetuating badness.

Originally Posted by HughSteenk

Read the post. It's for you too. Why do YOU suck? How could you be better? There are helpful statements in the thread. If you fail to see them, fine. Again, posting statements outside of the thread topic are just derailing. Why question, I'm not wrong here. Who cares my motivation?

I did read the post .... fact is you didn't answer my question... You just keep on insisting and hiding behind the importance of staying on topic .. Topic that doesn't make any sense to me until I know the purpose of your outburst ...

[snook305]

Originally Posted by BagLady

A moot question is one that is arguable or open to debate. What is the purpose of this thread?

Blowing off steam..?

Had a bad day Hugh...
You have to take the net for what you can get out of it...:+] Nothing more and nothing less.

What I enjoy are the Dragan,DAve Hill, etc.... threads...
Funny thing is.. they never get anywhere and they are MANY pages long!!
I chime in to ruffle them up a little, But they never get anywhere.
You have people like the member Mtmm that get really close and then bail and leave all the people hanging... Quite sad, but is usually how forum threads go..
I am a photographer and like you say retouch my images.. Would not think of retouching others work...
Snook

[Flora]

Oh well, it seems that our new 'friend' Hugh has decided to abandon the arena...

In spite of his way, I think he made some good points ...

Originally Posted by HughSteenk

Look within. Use your damn eyes. Don't ask for critiques from those that know less than you. Don't submit for critique something that looks bad or is unfinished or imbalanced. .....

....Be more realistic and humble. ..... Get your monitor calibrated and do it regularly. Go to the museum. Look at high end magazines. Take a drawing class. Analyze light. LOOK at people. Get away from the computer. Take a photography class.

Anyway if a RetouchPRO riot or mass suicide was his purpose ...(he never said) ... he got yet another reason to be frustrated....

[Diego81]

Get a life Hugh.
Poor frustrated boy.
As you say bla bla bla bla and you even don't show what you really can do.

"Barking dogs don't bite"

[pixelzombie]

Originally Posted by HughSteenk

14 year olds are going to own you.

i've seen what youngsters do these days, they don't have the patience to learn from the ground up..you should see the look on their face when i tell them to use layers properly and to set their History States to 1...

[Artoucher]

Browsing the Internet leads to information of tools and techniques.
One must be familiar with all the tools and filters before you can practice.
if someone develops a combination of actions that creates a certain effect and shares it, it will be beneficial for self improvement.

Artists have been sharing and teaching techniques with students forever, the internet is just a bigger classroom.

Now, reaching an advanced level of skill using techniques learned requires practice.... but like athletics, sometimes people are better because they just have more natural skill at the craft than others.

[DCobb]

Hugh, follow directions on the form below.

[cardmnal]

anybody think hugh may have lost a job or client to a (gasp) sucky retouchpro member. I think he is simply striking back, lol!!!!

[cricket1961]

Hugh. Pimping wares? After 3 years of helping people out that is what I am doing is Pimping wares?

I posted A tutorial/link. I have never pushed my books, not once. I mentioned 2 of my speaking engagements because they were on topics that are talked about a lot on this forum.

And after many many people over a LOT of time(years) on this forum I have given in and am making a DVD based on requests from both inside the forum and outside. And even though putting it together is going rather badly right now, it is getting made because people asked to see how not only how I do things, but how other stuff is done. Hardly PIMPED.

Pimped would be joining the forum for the sole purpose of selling something you have done and nothing else.

Not every one here is doing the same kind of retouching. So just because someone can do this but not that and asks how to do this doesn't mean he/she sucks. It means they want to learn something. Maybe not what you are looking for, but it doesn't make it wrong either.

Flora, thanks for the name correction. I appreciate that.

Chris

[max49]

Hi to everybody on this forum. I have been a member now for some time and as I have had nothing to contribute due to lack of knowledge this is my first post. The reason I'm posting now is that I'm as mad as hell by this halfwit and his snide swipe at Chris Tarantino. I live in a small rural area and the kind of knowledge that Chris and many others give so generously is just not available. In addition I have had severe health problems and are now relegated to a pension that forbids the kind of investment required even if the tutelage was available. Thanks to the generosity of people like Chris I have learned much and now do a little teaching myself for people in my area that have no idea of where to start in post processing. I practice hard and my skills are gradually getting up there, which gives me hope for a future income which I would not otherwise have due to physical and financial restrictions. Even if that does not come to pass the joy this activity affords me cannot be calculated. Yes I'm looking forward to the video because I want to learn from the best and to repay Chris in some small way for his consistent generosity over very long period. Individuals like Chris on this and other forums are the givers of this world and are to be valued and respected. Regards Max

[Gary Richardson]

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

Another rant from someone who thinks that we all aspire to be like they are (heaven forbid), and who requires that we all conform to their idea of taste. How sad.

The truth is Hugh, that no one really cares about your opinions, no matter how rudely they are expressed.

If in your view we're somehow sub-standard, then so be it, you don't have to visit.

The purpose of this site is not as you suppose to churn out a set of "professional" clones, conforming to your own narrow definition of that title, but to exchange information and ideas with people who enjoy working and playing with image editing.

Sorry you don't like that, but that's how it is.

[elensil]

Hi everyone, this is my first post.

I see the point that Hugh is making. I am struggling to learn the tools and methods of manipulation, while professional results imply mastery and tasteful application of those tools.

[longside1]

HughSteenk,

You seem really frustrated, have you been having problems refining your D & B technique or something?

If so, please don't worry about it, if you do a search on this forum you'll find some great tutorials that might be able to assist you. I too find photoshop difficult sometimes so don't worry about it, after all, just like you, we're all here to learn. ;-)

[Ziaphra]

Nice play on words 'Hugh'...is that really your name???

Hugh Steenk = You Stink?

lol...get a life my friend and let those who want to learn, try to do so without you ramming their faces in your 'steenk'!

[ashphotoart]

for why he is frustrated ? I'm not getting.

I'm using this community and tutorials on the internet. I learned a lot and leraning daily.


Ashish