Improving skin... Techniques for the body

[BagLady]

There have been so many threads on improving skin.... Mainly for beauty/portraits. What are your techniques for the body??? I use color correction and d&b (but it takes forever!).

[JavierT]

Hi BagLady:

May be the technique that Insensitive posted in this link may help you. Post 19. Hope it helps.

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/pho...ft-skin-2.html

[cricket1961]

I guess it depends on what kind of shot it is.
I have had some full body skin shots that could be more artistically worked on thereby lending itself to "less detailed" skin.
I have had other shots with as much full body skin that I had to work as if it were a face. Hours of tireless softlight.

Chris

[BagLady]

Thanks for responding JavierT! I'm familiar with degrunge/highpass and only use it when there's no time for d&b.

[BagLady]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the input! I just thought that I was spending too much time on the body.

[JavierT]

Originally Posted by BagLady

Thanks for responding JavierT! I'm familiar with degrunge/highpass and only use it when there's no time for d&b.

I am a fun of D&B too. Sure that technique (Degrunge) is not the best way to get high end results, but sometimes it will be usefull.

Like Chris said: If you need high-end results, hours and hours of D&B and, after that, you can refine your work with this technique who posted "Mayday",

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/pho...-best-way.html

more time to spend but very good results.

Cheers........Javier

[BagLady]

Thanks for the link! I don't know how I missed that thread...

[Hendrik]

Originally Posted by BagLady

Thanks for responding JavierT! I'm familiar with degrunge/highpass and only use it when there's no time for d&b.

Have you tried the technique (degrunge) with higher values as I described in the thread quoted?

I use a combination of D&B and High Value Degrunge. D&B is very good, but the other method is much quicker and leaves the skin detail also intact (I posted some samples).

Maybe I will go to a 100% D&B in the future.

[BagLady]

Ciao Hendrik,

I haven't tried your HVD technique (which might be a nice alternative the the classic degrunge/highpass method!). When I have the right image I'll give it a shot... I'm not a fan of any degrunge method (thanks to everything that I've learned here!), but if there's no time, it's hard to avoid. I also think that Mayday's technique (posted by Javier) should work quite well!

Thanks!

BagLady

[sirespen]

Why you don't like the de grunge Technique? When it's applied with big radius low masked it works quite good I think.Am I miss something? Why wouldn't you use the de grunge Technique BagLady?

Thanks in advance!

[BagLady]

I'd rather not destroy the original pixels... However, it's great for a quick fix!

[BagLady]

Hey Sebi,

Check out post #6 by JavierT (and link) in this thread for more information...

Ciao!

BagLady

[sirespen]

yeah, I've just found it. Thx

[Hendrik]

Originally Posted by BagLady

I'd rather not destroy the original pixels... However, it's great for a quick fix!

Yes, but that's the fun part. If you use high values, the details are not targeted, but only the larger tonal differences. See sample:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~honey/fotograf...kin_sample.jpg

I also watched the layered PSD of Amy Dresser and see the benefits of global tonal corrections of the body with curves. The problem for me was that the correction of smaller tonal differences in the skin is not so easily corrected with curves. Reason for this is that the differences in the skin are located on a small area of the skin. There is no good or bad skin, only a variation of skin tone. My sample gives a good example.

Maybe the high value degrunge is destructive, but I cannot easily see the destruction. So at this moment, I use a combination the the three (D&B, curves and HVD). I don't use HVD on the whole body, nor do I apply it equally all over the place.

BagLady, what do you think of the sample here (and the other in the quoted thread)?

[sirespen]

A think a combination of the three techniques, like you do, is the best way. Btw. I've lost the psd file from Amy Dresser. Can you please re upload it somewhere?

[JavierT]

Originally Posted by sirespen

A think a combination of the three techniques, like you do, is the best way. Btw. I've lost the psd file from Amy Dresser. Can you please re upload it somewhere?

You just have to search in the forum, many places here where you can find it, but, don´t worry, I did it for you, LOL. First post in the next link below

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/pho...sser-file.html

Cheers...Javier

[sirespen]

jejejeje I didn't know that it was posted here. I had found it on an other forum somewhere in the net.
thx

[BagLady]

Hello Hendrick,

I think your samples look nice and that your method worked just fine for this image. Like I said, I've learned to use the degrunge/highpass ONLY when there's no time for d&b. Any blurring is destructive, even if you're using highpass (at higher values) to retain more details.

I only wish that I had known this earlier!

Anyway, it's a question of personal preference... I prefer the results obtained by using d&b.

If your 3 combo solution (d&b, curves, and hvd) is giving you good results, continue using it.

Ciao!

BagLady

[BagLady]

Ciao Javier,

Thanks for the link to the Amy Dresser file! And grazie Sebi for asking... I haven't seen this one yet!

[sirespen]

You see, sometimes is good to not use the search function

[sirespen]

But High Pass don't really blurs the skin, it just darken the and lighten as D&B does. I don't get it.. Where did you learned that. I know, I'm just a noob, but I don't believe until I see a proof. BagLady do you have a example?
Probably you guys work on 20Mpx super sharp files and not on that poor photos which i have from the net

[BagLady]

The highpass filter is used to sharpen an image or bring out details... The degrunge/highpass method uses a blurred layer under the highpass layer. Capito?

[P_fuzz]

Originally Posted by BagLady

The highpass filter is used to sharpen an image or bring out details... The degrunge/highpass method uses a blurred layer under the highpass layer. Capito?

oh so That is the degrunge/highpass technique.... I did that accidentally in my last job... I thought it looked pretty good.... untill I started dabbling with DnB... now its all about 50grey!

[BagLady]

Can't post images because I don't have permission....

[BagLady]

Originally Posted by P_fuzz

oh so That is the degrunge/highpass technique.... I did that accidentally in my last job... I thought it looked pretty good.... untill I started dabbling with DnB... now its all about 50grey!

Yes, D&B is much better! You can also D&B with a curves layer... One lighter layer, and one darker layer.

[sirespen]

So you blur the original layer and set a unblurred High pass layer above?
I use a blurred, inverted High pass layer set to overlay. Is that not the de grunge technique?

[sirespen]

Btw. I know that I'm a bit nerving, but I need to know it exactly

[BagLady]

Yes, you're right about the technique... That's what the tutorial says. I don't do it this way. I feel that I have more control over what I'm doing if I have one blurred layer on the bottom and a high pass layer (with no blur) on top. The other method combines the two steps in one... Less control. I can explain if you're interested.

In any case, there's blurring involved with both methods!

[sirespen]

Of course I'm interested

[BagLady]

Ciao Sebi,

Here's method #2

-Copy background layer (or interested area) twice
-Hide top layer
-Blur middle layer to your liking (gaus blur, or surface blur)
-Reveal top layer and set blending mode to overlay, soft light, or linear light (you can change these settings and opacity to your liking)
-Apply highpass filter at desired radius

You might want to have two highpass layers for experimenting the radius settings with the different blending modes. For example, if you set the blending mode to soft light, you will have to use a higher radius in your highpass layer.

You can also try inverting the highpass layer

Use masking, blending mode and opacity to achieve desired result

There's a bunch of experimenting involved, but you will have more control.

No two images are the same, so if I absolutely have to blur, I use this more flexible method.

I hope this made sense... If you have any questions, let me know!

Ciao!