Please support my retouch adventure:

[ryandavid__]

Hi everyone, this is my first post here but I've been poking around for a while and it seems to be a brilliant forum. I'm currently a university student studying visual communication specializing in photography and moving image and want to use my time as a student developing personal goals in design, web design and preliminarily photo retouching and restoration. I currently have an intermediate knowledge of photo editing used in my personal photography and am confident in the use of Photoshop.

Now this is where I'm seeking help, I'm asking for you lot to put together a 'schedule' of techniques and practice ranging from the basics through to more advanced work. Links to resources for each technique would be ideal.

In return I'll be documenting my experiences on here and in a personal blog which should be a valuable resource to those wishing to learn retouching.

I'd be extremely grateful if someone would put some time in to creating a concise list of what I need to know. Many thanks in advance.

[0lBaldy]

ryandavid, Welcome to RetouchPRO Hope you enjoy your stay here and make lots of friends. Poke around, ask questions, offer help, have fun!

Below is my feeble attempt at visually communicating

[ryandavid__]

Olblady, thanks for replying but I'm looking for some form of structure to my learning. It could possibly be seen as laziness, but I'd like to find out what I need to know and the best order of approaching each challenge.

[mikedimples]

If you are looking for a structured retouching education, I'd recommend Lynda.com's video tutorials (it's a pay site, but it can't be beat). Here's a great place to start:

http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=688

If you prefer to read your information, then pick up http://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-Rest.../dp/0321316274

I know this isn't exactly what you were looking for, but you will get a far more complete retouching education there than you will get here. RetouchPRO is a great place to come to share techniques and ask specific questions, but not get taught from scratch.

I'm looking forward to seeing your stuff!

[ryandavid__]

Thanks mike, seems like the way forward. I knew about lynda.com but hadn't considered it in this case. Thank you.

[mikedimples]

No problem, the best way to utilize this site is to post your work for critique, learn new techniques in the retouching forum, asking how a particular technique was applied, or by participating in a challenge thread IMO. Welcome aboard!

I'm not speaking for the entire community by the way, there may be people here who would love to write a group, starting-from-scratch workshop thread.

[0lBaldy]

I hate to sound condescending or patronizing but if you have Photoshop or other Adobe products the best 'outlined' learning resource is probably already on your computer ... there is a built in tutorial within the 'Help' menu that explains almost every aspect of the program...

For lessons on particular subjects you can always go to the Adobe site @:
http://www.adobe.com/support/photosh...ableRSS_Anchor
( scroll down to 'Top Picks' and select the 'Tutorial' button )

There are also many other free resources on the web... Not knowing your level of expertise.. I will start with the basics for a beginner... Do not let the lessons for the older versions of Photoshop bother you to much, there is a lot of excellent information there and they are outlined in the order/schedule the lessons should be taken (you could use this order as a guide to your learning at any of the other sites posted... schedule solved!):
http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/pho.../bllps5out.htm

CS2 lessons here:
http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/pho..._Resources.htm
( a lot of other lessons are here also )

Good fundamental lessons:
http://myjanee.com/tutorials.htm

Some really good tutorials:
http://ronbigelow.com/articles/articles.htm

Tutorials for Skin, Symmetry, Eyes, Hair, Contouring:
http://www.christyschuler.com/retouching.html

Some of the best tutorials with the wit of Russell Brown:
http://www.russellbrown.com/tips_tech.html

If You Want To PAY:

College course on line:
http://www.aionline.edu/information/programs/

As stated before:
www.lynda.com (excellent)

Photo & Design Training Programs on Disc or Online:
http://www.software-cinema.com/

Photoshop Tutorials:
http://www.prophotosecrets.com/

Just about any of Katrin Eisman's books are well worth getting.

You may consider looking into 3D and CGI... It seems to be the future

Enough from me... the rest is up to you! I'm not going to put together an actual 'schedule' for you! After all, I put together this concise list of everything you need to know.

In the end you will have to just buckle down make your own lesson plan and do it yourself no matter in what direction you venture...

[HelloPiccadilly]

Originally Posted by 0lBaldy

Tutorials for Skin, Symmetry, Eyes, Hair, Contouring:
http://www.christyschuler.com/retouching.html

Hmm..
Is this the same person with http://www.kristianschuller.com/?))
It sounds very similar =)

ryandavid, what visual communication is? Could you say pls two words about your subject..
University of Hertfordshire?

[mindyann]

I really think your best bet is to figure out in what area you want to concentrate. I am a print and retouching buyer and I hire based on the type of retouching needed. Restoration, compositing and beauty are all quite different skills. There are even breakdowns within those. Something to consider is the type you find yourself leaning towards doing most often. I personally prefer restoration due to my archiving background, so I tend to study more of those tutorials. Remember that unless you're working for yourself, you will probably end up doing the same type of retouching all of the time. Make sure it is the type you enjoy! Hope this helps.

Melinda

[0lBaldy]

Originally Posted by HelloPiccadilly

Hmm..
Is this the same person with http://www.kristianschuller.com/?))
It sounds very similar =)

I believe Christy Schuler is female in Santa Barbara, California

I believe Kristian Schuller (two Ls) is male and working in Paris now

[d00dle]

<3 her voice

[nick24a]

You may consider looking into 3D and CGI... It seems to be the future..

I have heard this a couple of times. What sort of 3D/CGI work is incorporated into retouching? what skills should we be learning?

[0lBaldy]

Originally Posted by nick24a

You may consider looking into 3D and CGI... It seems to be the future..

I have heard this a couple of times. What sort of 3D/CGI work is incorporated into retouching? what skills should we be learning?

This page may give you an idea of CGI/3D usages:
http://www.productionparadise.com/newsletters/169/

This thread is from 2006 but shows the trend even then:
http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/syn...lightwave.html

[ryandavid__]

Thanks OlBadly, those links appear to be a great help.

HelloPicadilly, visual communication is a collective group of visual arts. You specialise early on in your first year - photography in my case - but are still part of the visual communication course so have optional lectures on various other subjects. If I wanted to create a website for my work I would get pointed in the right direction to a tutor who specialises in that field, or if I wanted to work with typography in my photography I could go down to the print room and get expert help on that. Not to mention the availability of equipment hire. My course is at Birmingham City University.

Thanks for everyone's help in this thread.