Improving skin... Techniques for the body

[sirespen]

Eila! Grazie mille! I'll try it later. Now I have a photoshop conference with calvin hollywood If somebody doesn't know his forum: http://www.photoshopnonstop.de/index.php

Ciao!

[BagLady]

Too bad it's in German!

[sirespen]

Yeah, I'm sorry I forgot to mention it. He just sad: Retouchpro is one of the best forums on the net He learned a lot here.
Ok, enough offtopic

[JavierT]

You can convert your layers to smart object and apply de filters ( gaussian, surface, high pass). This allow you to re-edit the adjustmens to fine tune the correct amount.

If you don´t know how, ask to me. Ciao bambinos, LOL

[P_fuzz]

about the degrunge one:

what is the effect you get by inverting the high pass layer?

[BagLady]

It's one of the steps in the degrunge tutorial (I can't find the link)... It seems to create a smoother texture. I usually don't use it.

[Insensitive.]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/puretouch/2856814250/


D&B or degrunge?

[BagLady]

Originally Posted by Insensitive.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/puretouch/2856814250/


D&B or degrunge?

Definitely degrunge!

[cricket1961]

Inverting a high pass layer will turn it into a blur instead of sharpening.

Chris

Originally Posted by P_fuzz

about the degrunge one:

what is the effect you get by inverting the high pass layer?

[BagLady]

Thanks Chris!

I wasn't sure how to answer that question technically ... So, the classic degrunge method with an inverted high pass layer is doubly blurred!

[Insensitive.]

Originally Posted by BagLady

Definitely degrunge!

Yup!!!!

[BagLady]

Originally Posted by Insensitive.

Yup!!!!

Your work, right? Have you tried d&b?

[Insensitive.]

Originally Posted by BagLady

Your work, right? Have you tried d&b?

Yes ive tried it, but since i dont charge much, nor do i have the time for it, i dont do it often at all. Degrunge fits me.

[BagLady]

Then I must say that you've made the right choice!

Ciao!

[sirespen]

Ok the problem with the high-pass are the transitions in the skin, so far so so good. I mean, it's good to even the skin out, but the shadow and edges becomes blurred.

Inverting the high-pass filter and blur it's definitely not the same as creating 2 Layers one high-pass and one normal Layer and blur the normal Layer. Because then of course you will destroy pixels. If you blur the highpass- layer just a bit to get smoother transitions you wont affect the skin texture, because there isn't (assuming that you have used a wider radius for the filter).

Insensitive you are right, not everyone can spend that much for a retouched image.

What is you procederure Baglady? Do you use a few curve layers like Amy Dresser do or do you use only one Grey layer to do the D&B for the whole image?

[BagLady]

Originally Posted by sirespen

What is you procederure Baglady? Do you use a few curve layers like Amy Dresser do or do you use only one Grey layer to do the D&B for the whole image?

I use both methods.

[Insensitive.]

BL, do you mind if i ask how much you charge per image? I'd love to know an ideal price tag for D&B'd photos.

[BagLady]

Originally Posted by Insensitive.

I'd love to know an ideal price tag for D&B'd photos.

Prices should be based on local market rates, your capabilities and experience.

[BagLady]

Originally Posted by sirespen

Inverting the high-pass filter and blur it's definitely not the same as creating 2 Layers one high-pass and one normal Layer and blur the normal Layer. Because then of course you will destroy pixels. If you blur the highpass- layer just a bit to get smoother transitions you wont affect the skin texture, because there isn't (assuming that you have used a wider radius for the filter).

Blurring the high pass layer is the same thing as creating one blurred layer and one high pass layer above... By blurring the high pass layer, you're just doing it in one step. Inverting the high pass layer blurs even more.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong!

[BagLady]

Originally Posted by sirespen

Ok the problem with the high-pass are the transitions in the skin, so far so so good. I mean, it's good to even the skin out, but the shadow and edges becomes blurred.

Mask out undesired effects.

[sirespen]

Nothing personal but I don't agree with that! A comment of a pro would be much appreciated.

Originally Posted by BagLady

Blurring the high pass layer is the same thing as creating one blurred layer and one high pass layer above... By blurring the high pass layer, you're just doing it in one step. Inverting the high pass layer blurs even more.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong!

[BagLady]

No offence taken! Maybe Cricket1961 can clear things up for us...

[sirespen]

Yeah, in the worst case we have to clear that in Milan!

hihi One vs. One discussion lol

[BagLady]

Yes, it seems as though it's a one on one debate! I'm waiting for other comments!

[Cuervo79]

Interesting debate, have you guys tried using multiple degrunge higpass layers? I've been experimenting with using 4 layers (god mother gave me the idea) starting from 15 and ending in 6, I also found that using a brush opacity of 15 and flow of 10 helps even more when painting the mask. This way I paint in the mask sometimes in all of them on the same area, or sometimes paint different parts on each of the layer's masks.
Although I think I'm still going overboard with the effect.

give me your opinion.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22489978@N04/2841329393/

[sirespen]

You use 4 Highpasslayers with different radius? The photo is nice , but to small to see what you have done to the Skin...a before/after would be nice

jejejeje Godmother helps a lot of us

[Cuervo79]

Yes I noticed that recently even when taking off all of the retouch I did to the photo you don't notice it in such a low res, you have to put it at 100% to see it nicely.

Yes 4 hipass(degrunge) layers at diferent radius going from big 15 to small 6 in multiples of 3.


OK here is the 100% crop and a before and after its not perfect, now that I was making the comparison there are lots of stuff left to do hehehehe
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22489978@N04/2874856256/

[cricket1961]

There is no way to avoid the effect of blurring a high pass layer. If you already have a good mask you can selectively blend back in the edging that you wish to keep.
If you want to get a bigger "blur effect" on the hi pass layer, try inverting the layer before applying the hi pass filter. Of course it will mean the possibility of a bigger edge radius, but it also means that smaller numbers will have more affect.

Chris

[BagLady]

Originally Posted by Cuervo79

Interesting debate, have you guys tried using multiple degrunge higpass layers? I've been experimenting with using 4 layers (god mother gave me the idea) starting from 15 and ending in 6, I also found that using a brush opacity of 15 and flow of 10 helps even more when painting the mask. This way I paint in the mask sometimes in all of them on the same area, or sometimes paint different parts on each of the layer's masks.
Although I think I'm still going overboard with the effect.

give me your opinion.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22489978@N04/2841329393/

It sounds like in interesting technique... It's still hard to see the skin texture in the 100% crop that you've linked. The skin is obviously smoother, but I can't see the pores. Good call on the slight hair desat. I prefer the original lip color, and would have done more d&b in the chin area. Her eyes look a bit bloodshot. But hey, that's my opinion!

[BagLady]

Originally Posted by JavierT

You can convert your layers to smart object and apply de filters ( gaussian, surface, high pass). This allow you to re-edit the adjustmens to fine tune the correct amount.

If you don´t know how, ask to me. Ciao bambinos, LOL

Ciao Javier,

Yes, please explain... I thought it was used to scale objects or text in a nondestructive manner. From what you say, it seems as though it might come in handy with the multiple degrunge high pass layers as suggested by Cuervo.