Better tan?

[Beautyshoot]

Hi all.

What I want to learn is how to get better skin tones and I do not know how.
I tried the gradient layer and all kinds of sliders but I just can not get the brownish look like these photos:
http://www.philippesalomon.com/v3/portfolio_new.html

Any tips or links to topics in here that will help me go on?

(comments on the retouche itself is welcome too)

Thanks
Jorgen
Amsterdam, Netherlands
www.beautyshoot.nl

Before: (sRGB)
http://www.beautyshoot.nl/shoot01/00...0ps800voor.jpg
After: (sRGB)
http://www.beautyshoot.nl/shoot01/00...-2ps800na2.jpg.

Original: (adobe1998)
http://www.beautyshoot.nl/shoot01/006_a3a3180-2test.jpg

[shootphoto]

is that photo of esmee?

[Beautyshoot]

Not that this is important here, but no. Thats Jennefer

[blaskica]

Hi! I played with the AFTER sample. I used lots of adjustment layers.

[L33t]

Convert image to lab color, and then go to curves, adjust a, b.
when finish, convert back to RGB

[Beautyshoot]

thanks so far and thanks for the samples.
I will take a deeper look at it.

[TommyO]

Beautyshoot,
It would appear that your image (in Adobe1998) is very close. While we don't have access to PhilippeSalomon's images, their tonal values should be close.

In one are of your image on the cheek using a 3x3 sample measures C:1,M:30;Y:32;K:0 and is very close to an Asian skin tone used for these shots that measures C:0;M:24;Y:29;K:0. The big difference though it the difference between adjacent areas of the face, your varying much more that other reference images. By increasing the saturation of the values to about C:0,M:25;Y:32;K:0 it becomes very close to Philippe's, accept for the spread/distribution. Point being, you're very close, just some slight variation and a bit more saturation, then more distribution of color.

Below is a much smaller jpg in Adobe1998 with the tonal changes, no masking to keep it to the skin though. Also, I added a detail of the skin to note the tonal differences.

I do like your retouch. Very even, good attention to detail. So much so, that I got confused as to whether I was looking at yours or Philippe's ! Really! Different style though. Thanks for the access to the high resolution image. That always helps.

[Beautyshoot]

@ tommy, what did you do to the file afterwords?

thanks for the kind words. Actually I made some nice mistakes like using a noise brush next to the eye and did liquify after I made coloradjustments that resulted in a nice white line under her chin <blush>

[TommyO]

Originally Posted by Beautyshoot

@ tommy, what did you do to the file afterwords?

Not sure what you mean? Can you clarify?

Originally Posted by Beautyshoot

Actually I made some nice mistakes like using a noise brush next to the eye...

Saw that, but wasn't worth mentioning. I like the softness of the edges overall.

[Beautyshoot]

@Tommy, sorry for my crappy English

I mean.. you worked on that file? What did you do to it? (or do I see ghosts... i have seen to many times the same imagage that i dont see the difference anymore between one and the other hahaha)

[TommyO]

I only made one very slight change, being the tonal values of the skin. There was no point in my trying to redo the other aspects (texture, etc). Once you know the correct skin tone values to use, you can do the rest. If you want to duplicate Philippe's look, you must change more than the tonality. His skin is smoother, more even, with less contrast within the d&b. However, the tonal values are similar to what I provided you... less cyan & magenta.

Best of luck ! and your work is very good.

[Beautyshoot]

oh no.... not duplicate. But to learn its not bad to try to duplicate but I want my own style of course.
For me this is all fun and hobby. And i want to improve. But sometimes you just keep hanging at a certain level before you get a brakethrouhg. Sometimes it takes long and thats frustrating hahaha.

I dont use blur at all for example. I did, but not anymore. I think philipe does? dunno. Looks very smooth to me though.

thanks again for the kind words!

[amora]

Originally Posted by blaskica

Hi! I played with the AFTER sample. I used lots of adjustment layers.

wow ur good

[DJSoulglo]

Another way to do this, is to make a gradient map with nice deep rich colors (obviously in compliance with the skin tone in the image), place it on the image, set the blending mode to SOFTLIGHT, opacity to about 30-40%.

If you then want darker, just duplicate the grad, put it on multiply and place it underneath the softlight layer.

Obivously you'll need to mask the skin out for this.

[ray12]

To copy and duplicate skin tone colors from one picture to another I do the following:

I copy and paste the picture of the skin tones I want to dulicate on a separate layer in the new image. I reduce its size so I can see both it and the new skin tone image im working on.

I use the "color sampler tool" to get the exact "numbers" for the skin tones I want to re-create in my new image. I write down these numbers (RGB). You may want to pull up the "info pallete" to see these numbers... and use a sampling size that makes a good average sample.

Then I put a curves adjustment layer over the image im working on and place another sampler in the specific area of skin where I want to add that previous (tan) skin tone. I adjust the red, green and blue channels of the curves so the numbers sampled on the new image equal the numbers I got on the tan skin I liked (same RGB numbers). This will make the whole image change colors toward tannish...thats OK.

This gives me an "exact correction color"...making the skin I have in my new image match the color tones of the previous tan sample. I then do a control or command 'I" (invert) on the layer mask (make it a black mask)...and then I can paint that correction color onto the new face. Use a very soft, white, 20% opacity brush to do this.

Since this is a layers adjustment layer...it is totally non destructive...and it will not destroy or damage any pixels underneath that have to do with delicate texture.

I may have to do this several times to get the realistic look I want...because if the skin color in the new picture changes dramatically from area to area...then obviously my correction color will be different over the new base skin color...so...place another sampler on that new skin tone...and make up another correction color for that area of skin too. Make sense?

This takes some time...but if the image is important...you can get nicely duplicated skin tones from this. Remember that there are about 5 different kinds of skin tone values on most faces...and if you want great results... you will have to make up new correction curves for each kind of base skin color in the new face ( The 5 different skin tones are: Near white highlight skin tones, Bright... but not highlight skin tones, Average flesh tone, The blush or cheek color tone and, The various shadow tones). Maybe 1 or two skin color corrections might be fine for your specific project...but if youre picky...picky...maybe you might need more samples to get the region matches you want.

Ray12

[Verywierd]

You can apply a tan quite effectively using just a multiply layer filled with the required skintone, and a gradient mask. I made no changes to lighting or contrast to try to match Philippe Salomon's images.