Warping and Manipulating Hair

[snook305]

Anybody have any good tutorials or know where I can learn more about warping and manipulating hair. Mainly on a higher end please.
Like for High end Hair products etc..
Trying to grasp the idea of using Hair from other heads and using them or parts of them to fill in areas.
I have a pretty good stock of hair collections.
Also I have a lot of hair brushes but cannot grasp how they wold be handy on a High res file which I am used to working with.

Thanks alot for any information or Help.

Thanks

Snook

[Godmother]

Originally Posted by snook305

Anybody have any good tutorials or know where I can learn more about warping and manipulating hair. Mainly on a higher end please.
Like for High end Hair products etc..
Trying to grasp the idea of using Hair from other heads and using them or parts of them to fill in areas.
I have a pretty good stock of hair collections.
Also I have a lot of hair brushes but cannot grasp how they wold be handy on a High res file which I am used to working with.

Thanks alot for any information or Help.

Thanks

Snook

Like this: www.nataliataffarel.com/Hair2.jpg ??

Because I don't think brushes can cut the high end thing.

It' basically what u said: Warping and Manipulating Hair by using Hair from other heads to fill in areas.

The main thing is to mask BIG bits of hair and always concentrate on the flow.

Using hard brushes to mask, following the line of the hair (so u don't get "blury" parts)

Matching highlights, shadows and sharpness of each bit. with the original source.

When done masking, usually helps to draw hair using the smudge tool in a new empty layer (tick on sample all layers) and using the "already there" hair as tone sample.

Then just use the clone tool in darken mode, also in a new empty layer, to remove strays or flying hairs that don't follow the flow.

Hope that helped.

xx

Good luck!

xx

[snook305]

That is exactly what I am talking about.. Could you go further..
Or do you have a lower res PSD I could check out.
You did a very good job.. Are they hairs from another girl or the same girl?
Are you masking them so they are completely mask out "floating" or do you use hairs that were from the same background so they match even better.
I would love any further help you could give b/c that is exactly what I was talking about.
Thanks
Snook

[Godmother]

Originally Posted by snook305

That is exactly what I am talking about.. Could you go further..
Or do you have a lower res PSD I could check out.
You did a very good job.. Are they hairs from another girl or the same girl?
Are you masking them so they are completely mask out "floating" or do you use hairs that were from the same background so they match even better.
I would love any further help you could give b/c that is exactly what I was talking about.
Thanks
Snook

I don't have THIS psd... because once the job is done, and the client is happy i delete the psd.

But I can keep it the next time i get a hair job. And give it to you.

I always do hair like this, I tell my clients always to shoot several hairs when doing a story, so i can use them as sources.

xx

[Fact]

Amazing work Godmather, looks so real.

[pellepiano]

Yes, very nice work. Wow. Did all additional hair come from the same shot or did you use hair from a similar shot at the same session?

[Godmother]

Originally Posted by pellepiano

Yes, very nice work. Wow. Did all additional hair come from the same shot or did you use hair from a similar shot at the same session?

I always tell my clients to shoot EXTRA HAIR files, I had 11 extra hair files for 4 shoots.

btw... I'm doing Dove next month... maybe i can convince my client to let me share a psd file with u guys? if that's not high end I don't know what high end is

xx

[Markzebra]

Worst case scenario - you can also paint hair. I mean using very carefully constructed custom brushes. CS4 is great for this because of rotate view.

[pellepiano]

And you can also rotate hairbrush strokes by angle you paint. Neat.

[domididom]

Godmother could you tell us something more about retouching hair? Your work is amazing.

[snook305]

I agree I really like your hair work and would like to see more.
I can provide Model Picture and hair if you like. But I am suer you have a stock of hair if thats what you do.
Let me know because I would like to see how you are warpng and masking it in place so it looks natural.
When I do cutting out of hair I often use the smudge tool to make up new hairs. Speaking of which does anybody have that cat eye shape brush I cannot find mine anymore and it is the only one that I find leaves the ends ending thin like real hair.
Thnaks godmother for any PSD of screen shot of somme of your layers.
Snook

[snook305]

Hey Godmother never heard back from you on my proposition..
I have tons of Beauty and hair shots and I am sure you have quite a stock of Hair yourself.
I am pretty sure your in these forums reading daily so, what do you think?
Couple of guys in here also interested..

Please let me/us know and I can send you the images.

Snook

[Fact]

Venga Godmother, sabemos que estás ocupada pero un tutorial tuyo sobre el trabajo en el cabello sería una maravilla ;-).

[snook305]

Tengo una sensación que ella está hablando puro hueva, por esso no hay respuesta de ella.

Saludos

Snook

[Godmother]

Originally Posted by snook305

Tengo una sensación que ella está hablando puro hueva, por esso no hay respuesta de ella.

Saludos

Snook

LOL

Nice try on the spanish.

Actually - I AM very busy

It's not the image thing, I have loads of images, but i'm not going to spend 6 + hours working on an image i already did, or one that's merely for learning purposes, because i'm a freelancer and time IS LITERALLY money

Next time i do a hair job, i'll save the layers, surely u don't expect me to do something specifically for u guys... not tht i don't like u... but... well... I need to EAT

I'll post it as soon as i have it.

xx

[toan thai]

Originally Posted by Godmother

LOL

Nice try on the spanish.

Actually - I AM very busy

It's not the image thing, I have loads of images, but i'm not going to spend 6 + hours working on an image i already did, or one that's merely for learning purposes, because i'm a freelancer and time IS LITERALLY money

Next time i do a hair job, i'll save the layers, surely u don't expect me to do something specifically for u guys... not tht i don't like u... but... well... I need to EAT

I'll post it as soon as i have it.

xx

do you always flatten your files? most of my files are from 200MB to 1GB in layers. i just can't bring myself to flatten them. thank god hard drives are getting cheaper.

[snook305]

Funny Toan I was thinking the same.. I can never close them and Always save a PSD for my self for future references etc, Even I forget what I did sometimes and like to have it all open so I can see my own steps...Not sure why anybody would close them and then send them out and then get rid of them.. Quite strange but believable...
Snook

It's gotta be a Girl thingy...:+]

[toan thai]

i am working on my retouching site at the moment and since the layout is different, i have to open all the psd files to do new cropping. i notice some areas i had missed or over done and was able to fix quickly in layers. layers is part of workflow, i just can't get rig of them

i don't think it's a girl's thing if the price of external drive stay the same, i would consider flattened the files. remember 100mb zip disk cost $100...how things have changed...

[Godmother]

Originally Posted by snook305

Funny Toan I was thinking the same.. I can never close them and Always save a PSD for my self for future references etc, Even I forget what I did sometimes and like to have it all open so I can see my own steps...Not sure why anybody would close them and then send them out and then get rid of them.. Quite strange but believable...
Snook

It's gotta be a Girl thingy...:+]

Maybe its because at THIS point I already know my steps

It's not my pictures, I don't take any pictures, I work on my client's images, so.... Once approved, paid for and downloaded by the client what's the point in keeping psds?

I don't usually experiment on images for clients on deadlines... I do it on old images in my own time and those psd I do save because I like trying new things,but working on 6 to 10 files per week if I do save ALL my psd I'd spend all my money on drives ¬¬

xx

[pixeltek]

Originally Posted by Godmother

Maybe its because at THIS point I already know my steps

It's not my pictures, I don't take any pictures, I work on my client's images, so.... Once approved, paid for and downloaded by the client what's the point in keeping psds?

I agree with you 100%. I always flatten files. I never keep PSDs ever. Absolutely no need to when you know what you're doing.

[toan thai]

Originally Posted by pixeltek

...I always flatten files. I never keep PSDs ever. Absolutely no need to when you know what you're doing.

......ouch!

[DJSoulglo]

Most retouching houses do actually save their psb/psd's. But it's different, they have servers and back-up systems as well. I can see as a freelancer how you wouldn't save everything.

[Markzebra]

Of course you save your PSD's, at least for a good period - frankly you'd have to be an idiot not to.

Generally people who talk in terms of not saving layered files, are the type who actually prefer working flat, that means a lot of non layered retouching. And are too protective of their lack of technical knowledge to admit WHY they are doing this. The other potential reason - they are flattening in order to stop other retouchers breaking their technique apart, and I've seen this too.

Originally Posted by DJSoulglo

Most retouching houses do actually save their psb/psd's. But it's different, they have servers and back-up systems as well. I can see as a freelancer how you wouldn't save everything.

[snook305]

Thank you Mark glad you said it and not me.. I have been getting a lot of flack lately for saying what I think.. Not that I care really but, Thanks.
I agree you have to be an idiot not to save your files with layers.
But as we know there are a lot of idiots in this world and forum..

Snook

[Godmother]

Originally Posted by Markzebra

Of course you save your PSD's, at least for a good period - frankly you'd have to be an idiot not to.

Generally people who talk in terms of not saving layered files, are the type who actually prefer working flat, that means a lot of non layered retouching. And are too protective of their lack of technical knowledge to admit WHY they are doing this. The other potential reason - they are flattening in order to stop other retouchers breaking their technique apart, and I've seen this too.

Why would u save them?

x

[Godmother]

Originally Posted by snook305

Thank you Mark glad you said it and not me.. I have been getting a lot of flack lately for saying what I think.. Not that I care really but, Thanks.
I agree you have to be an idiot not to save your files with layers.
But as we know there are a lot of idiots in this world and forum..

Snook

I must be an idiot then...

I save jpgs, show the client, he approves it.

I save the tif, upload it for the client, he approves it

The retouching is paid for and printed...

Then I delete the working file.

I really don't see WHY I should keep it. EVEN MORE ... save ALL of them?

please iluminate the idiot

x

PS: I'm a 27 years old single mother with 2 University mayors who started retouching 4 years ago. English is only my second language but I managed to get clients from London and NY, already done editorials and advertorials for Vogue, Elle, Esquire and other smaller mags worldwide... Also worked with Unilever, L'Oreal (Hair products and Make up), Maybelline, Nike, among other smaller brands over the world. So... I REALLY REALLY don't see my self as an idiot.

[pixeltek]

Godmother -- YOU'RE NOT AN IDIOT!!!!

It's a matter of preference.

Those that want to keep them -- great!

Those of us who wish to delete them -- great!

WHO CARES??????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I save the high res before and high res after -- if the client wants a change down the line, then I just put the before on top of the after and re-work anything that needs re-working.

[Fadewoodarts]

I have my PSD's, RAW's, and even JPG's that I shot with before I was smarter to shoot in RAW all archived and on external HD's stowed away safely not to be touched unless the US government declares ownership of my shit.



Like some people have said already, It's a matter of preference and practicing professionalism. They get lost or thrown away, I know I was throwing away pictures back in the day, and I have caught myself a few times later saying "Shit, where did I put those photos, I need them for a project..........oh wait."

Some people care to keep them, some people don't. I am also a freelancer/self-proprietor.

[snook305]

In any case everyone has different habits, can we get back to some good Hair work...
Godmother I understand you may be busy, when ever you get a chance please post some stuff. I was just offering you the stuff that I have which is A LOT!!
Either way Thanks, and PS. your not an idiot.. maybe idiotic but not an idiot..
Snook

[pixelzombie]

considering how cheap blank dvd's are, i always save the psd files...