Mastering Retouching DVD by Nick Saglimbeni.

[rizkhanpsy]

What do you think guys would it be better then High End Retouching series 2.

Check this out : http://www.learnretouching.com/index.php

[Flashtones]

If Nick wants to create a little buzz around here (no reason he shouldn't) I think he should pass his product by a well respected member of this forum for review.

[mikedimples]

From the "proof" section of the website, it looks like the technique is a derivative of degrunge/high pass separation/frequency separation. Buy this DVD if you want to retouch like Maxim, but buy Natalia's if you want to retouch like Vogue.

Also, I'm not sure if this reflects the level of technique in the rest of the DVD, but video demonstrated manual masking a hue saturation adjustment layer onto the bra when the color selection tabs of the hue/sat layer or even a color range selection would be more efficient.

[Nick Saglimbeni]

Hey guys,

Matt told me you were chatting over here, so I thought I would drop in and say hello. I'm also happy to answer any questions about the DVD while its still in the pre-order phase, because I realize it's hard to size it up properly when it's not yet available.

Originally Posted by Flashtones

If Nick wants to create a little buzz around here (no reason he shouldn't) I think he should pass his product by a well respected member of this forum for review.

I absolutely agree, Flashtones. If you'd be so kind (and this is open to anyone), please familiarize me with some of the most respected members/mods/admins on here, and I will arrange for them to receive an advance copy.

As a fellow photographer and retoucher myself, I understand the risks of glossy-looking websites that claim to do everything and often do nothing—I've been a victim of them myself. That's primarily why I've been beta-testing the series with no less than 10 photographers and retouchers, and I assure you I have no intention of blowing smoke up your asses.

And to respond to Mike's comment, I fully understand your point of view given the marketing direction I've chosen to take with Mastering Retouching. I certainly don't hide the fact that I've made my mark primarily as a glamour photographer. But I would encourage you to look at the fashion, portrait, and cinematic work on both my personal site and on Slickforce as well. I believe this system can be customized to fit your style and workflow...I am by no means trying to create an army of retouchers that make everything look like my own work.

The primary reason I created the DVD was that I've had an increasing number of both photographers and retouchers who are simply encountering retouching problems for which there is currently little-to-no professional-level information available. Let's face it, everyone's a model now (even if they define that by MySpace pics), so that means there is often a lot more imperfect baggage than a trained model would bring to the table. The look of what's popular is also changing. In my experience, nearly all retouching tutorials are demonstrated on blonde white girls. This seems odd to me, given that an increasing majority of both models and Hollywood starlets are non-white. There is no set of tools for working with different skin-tones or the unique retouching challenges that are associated with various ethnicities. Mastering Retouching teaches on models of white, black, Latina, Asian, and east Indian descent. As Hollywood changes, so must the image-makers.

My system is designed for artists who simply want their clients to always look fantastic (whatever that means to you), and who want to learn a set of protective tools that will arm you to deal with nearly any retouching situation. As a commercial photographer, my belief is that when photographers can learn to protect their clients (by insuring they always look their best), it is in the clients' best interest to stay with you, and success is then the only outcome.

I welcome and encourage your thoughts and responses. Thanks for the audience.

[Nienna]

Wow, when I first entered the site I thought it was a porn site.

Are you serious?

But never mind, I didnt feel like reading it all cuz the colors gave me a head ache. It looks alright but totally not worth 500$ (WTF?).

Natalia's DVD looks alot more promising and in a reasonable price.

[d00dle]

love your portfolio..u should do webinar as promo or something. Photo of Donna Feldman is just amazing.

[gamedonechanged]

Originally Posted by Nienna

Wow, when I first entered the site I thought it was a porn site.

Are you serious?

But never mind, I didnt feel like reading it all cuz the colors gave me a head ache. It looks alright but totally not worth 500$ (WTF?).

Natalia's DVD looks alot more promising and in a reasonable price.

Second that. $500 is pretty overpriced tbh.

[Adam Bartas]

seems reasonable if you want to do porn dvd covers :-)

[Cuervo79]

On the webpage I only see a list about what the topics are (a brief description is later written of each after you press the order button) and a short video with an example as to how to change the color of a bra.

I would definitely say its over priced. Since there isn't anything more to go by other than what I wrote at the top.

I would recommend the OP to search the tutorial area of the forum where he can find some tutorials that cater to some of the topics stated in that dvd series.
For example:
The degrunge technique http://retouchpro.com/tutorials/?m=show&id=213

The soft dior look http://retouchpro.com/tutorials/?m=show&id=209

(be sure to log out of the forum if you have problems accessing the links)

You can even google and get stuff like this:
Cloning out stretch marks http://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thread_id=370440
Using the liquify tool http://www.republicofcode.com/tutori...eo/liquify.php

Ofcourse you'll have to invest more time in looking for all of this and most of the stuff isn't given to you in a silver platter, but as Godmother has said (in one way or another) "there are no retouching secrets"

[zganie]

Ya I have to kind of agree with Cuervo,I dont usually comment on this type of stuff,but a little Pricey.But hey if you can get it great!
Theres so much info out there its incredible
Just my opinion
Zganie

[zganie]

Matt you say be fair,when you know the contents,but lets be honest There are literally thousands of people selling this type of content
1) A LOT OF IT IS JUST PURE CRAP AND YOU USUALLY DONT FIND OUT UNTIL YOU PAID FOR IT,tell me how many of you has this happened to at least once.
2)YOU BUY IT AND FIND ITS JUST REPACKAGED INFO< YOU HAVE SEEN BEFORE OR COULD HAVE GOTTEN FOR FREE
I am not saying thats the case with this product,but you can see why people might be skeptical

[gamedonechanged]

Nick has anyone contacted you yet regarding who to give an early copy of the DVD to? Id suggest starting a thread over on MM and give it to someone there too.

I think once that happens then at least that person can say ok it's worth it or no it's not just the frequency seperation methods ect...

No one here really knows whats in the DVD so I think we should

[Nick Saglimbeni]

LOL Wow! Y'all are a tough crowd in here! (Nienna, you almost made my head spin with that comment!) It's alright, I like it—you're gonna keep me on my toes!

Lemme try to address a few points and concerns:

Nick has anyone contacted you yet regarding who to give an early copy of the DVD to?

I'm actually speaking with Doug Nelson to arrange both an advance copy and also a possible session on RetouchPro LIVE.

Wow, when I first entered the site I thought it was a porn site.

LOL I supposed all the ladies on the site could be a bit distracting, and their purpose misunderstood. Having been submerged in the business of mags like Maxim for several years, I think I'm probably a bit desensitized to images of half-naked women (please note that there is no actual nudity anywhere on the site or in the series). We actually shot original content specifically for this series, and I assure you, my sincere purpose in having the models wear swimwear/lingerie is that A) I wanted to feature as much skin surface area as possible, so as to cover topics that others typically don't (but many retouchers need), such as stretchmarks, cellulite, razor bump, and surgery/pregnancy scars, and B) 90% of the customers that have requested my retouching help are men who photograph women.

All that said, I do apologize for any initial shock value. It is unintended.

I would definitely say its over priced.

Cuervo and Zganie, I appreciate your concerns on price, especially given the worldwide economic climate we are in at this moment. As I mentioned earlier, I have heavily beta-tested this series, and one of the items I did discuss with each artist was price point. Because this is a complete system and approach to retouching, as opposed to a plug-in or filter, I feel the price fits the product. My greatest concern, however, is gaining new customers. Please PM me if you're seriously interested in the product, and we can discuss options.

Natalia's DVD looks alot more promising and in a reasonable price.

I actually don't see myself in direct competition with Natalia, as our products target different audiences as well as vastly different aesthetics of photography. I think that Natalia is INCREDIBLY talented, and I hope her product sells through the roof and makes her a fortune! I watched the preview as well, and I think she's got a fantastic tutorial. I strongly believe our products teach different strategies as well as methods or retouching, and I think they will speak to the appropriate audiences.

1) A LOT OF IT IS JUST PURE CRAP AND YOU USUALLY DONT FIND OUT UNTIL YOU PAID FOR IT,tell me how many of you has this happened to at least once.
2)YOU BUY IT AND FIND ITS JUST REPACKAGED INFO< YOU HAVE SEEN BEFORE OR COULD HAVE GOTTEN FOR FREE

Zganie, this has happened to ME many times. However, as a commercial photographer, I also am comfortable with the risk associated with investing in my career. I completely understand your skepticism, and while I can't offer total transparency into a for-sale product, I can tell you that having taught countless retouching classes one-on-one, the Slickforce Technique, at the very least, is a completely original method. Whether you will like it or not, I cannot say, but I promise you that it's not "repackaged info" or something "you could have gotten for free." Again, please feel free to PM me if you're seriously interested in the series.

Alright, thanks again for your time, guys and gals. You're definitely not going easy on me, and I appreciate the honesty. I figure if I can win over even 10% of you, I'm doing pretty well. Let me know if there's anything else I can answer. Happy Holidays!

[gamedonechanged]

Thanks for the detailed reply Nick. Can I ask in terms of the actual process how much of it is presented in an end to end fashion? Not sure if I am wording that right but for example on a previous series which I will not name the topic was skin smoothing and the retoucher started off and then said ok I will fast forward now as you don't want to watch me the whole time.

I can appreciate in some places that might be the case but how much of that can we expect on your series? I like the before and afters. For the 2nd and 3rd pics how long did they take to do? Are those pics ones that will be covered in the series?

Also sent you a pm.

PS Great pic of Game in your avy. I noticed that on your site/blog too.

Cheers

[Nienna]

Happy holidays!

Wish the best for your DVD sales!

[Cuervo79]

I'm not really that interested in DVDs at the moment, specially when you already know Dodge & burn, and the degrunge technique. At this point what is more important to me is seeing someone actually working than any kind of techniques.

Well regarding the price point it really depends how you present it, I was giving my opinion to the OP, specially since the last topic seems to be a bunch of techniques I learned intuitively or by searching the internet.

[gamedonechanged]

The last topic maybe but even then you can't really just assume the rest of the topics are also same info that you have seen elsewhere. I like all the pics I see on his website and all those mag covers pretty much speak for themselves.

Also is Doug himself going to actually test out the DVD's or is he going to pass them onto someone else? I didn't think Doug himself was that into retouching, more admin ect....

[skydog]

You can buy a lot for $500. I've been burned from a $200 DVD...not going to do that again. I'd say Snook would be the most critical but impartial critic. Until there a real review...buyer beware!

[Cuervo79]

Originally Posted by gamedonechanged

The last topic maybe but even then you can't really just assume the rest of the topics are also same info that you have seen elsewhere. I like all the pics I see on his website and all those mag covers pretty much speak for themselves.

Well still, if the last topic is titled

"Lesson 6 - The Stuff No One Else Will Teach You"

and then goes by describing it

"Now you're ready for your Black Belt in Retouching. Tackle the "touchy subject" problem-areas that no one else will discuss. Stretchmarks, back fat, neck twists, veins, discolored hand and feet, freckles, moles, ashiness, frizzy hair, and jewelry removal."

Which is funny since that's some of the questions I see here and on MM and I have seen answers for them. So for me that takes away allot of credibility in my eyes. Its up to the reader to read the info, read the opinions, and then make up his/her mind.
The results may vary as you can see with your opinion and mine.

[gamedonechanged]

You have a point there. I think for a lot here they will be relying on feedback from whoever gets to test it out once Doug gets hsi copy.

[skydog]

How many hours is the $500 DVD? Doug is a nice guy and you never hear a bad word out of his mouth or in writing. Even if the DVD is terrible he'd find something good to say out it...Doug isn't the critic we seek...especially at the price they are asking.

[zganie]

Calvin Hoolywood
My first engl. dvd release is jan 2010 too
4,5 hours of my best techniques.
Something around 99 Dollars

not sure whats in it

[zganie]

You Know What Thats a lot of money for what your selling
Pre order special $500 U.S. thats like $550 Canadian and after $700?
And your not even throwing in some Preview
Hey I say BUYER BEWARE
Also Nick and Matt are not even long standing members with just a couple of posts each
I also think there partners in this venture JUST MY OPINION
after READING THE SITE ,I personally dont see anything NEW
Definately not a $700 dollar value on sale for $500
WHAT SAY YOU

[Cuervo79]

Originally Posted by Matt Timmons

For instance, I gave him my feedback about why I once didn't buy a retouching DVD because I found out it only retouched one closeup photo of a white girl, when the ads looked like it retouched several shots. Nick has (fully, in real time without fast forwarding and in complete detail) retouched 7 girls at full body length, with different ethnicities and individual retouching needs.

Why is this so important? I saw it written by the retoucher, you and the web site. I haven't found anything in the tutorials (of white women) that I have read and taken into my arsenal that can't work on different ethnicities and I have worked with a few.

Originally Posted by Matt Timmons

I do want to buy Natalia's DVD because it looks really good, and I'm one to leave no stone unturned in my education to be the best I can at everything I do. I don't clone myself to anyone's style, I take the parts I want and re-work them into my own style using every tool and technique I can find (I do want to make sure it's not 10 hours of retouching one shot before I buy though).

I can understand where you're coming from but I think your fears are unfounded, its like saying that I don't like a tutorial where they used the clone and healing tools to remove stretch marks because I didn't see it could also be used to reshape a body or to make a body part using the same tools. Granted I can claim the tutorial isn't very "complete", but if I understand how the technique is done and understand what its doing, I can transplant it to many things that didn't really have to do with the original intent. For example I can use the Dodge & Burn to take clothing wrinkles away, use it in jewelery to accentuate the shine of the facets of the stones, I can even deviate technique I use for dodge and burn to add mascara and blush.

By the way I even find the high end retouch DVD (which Natalia was invited to do) to be overpriced as well, since most of what she's talking about you can also find it on the internet. How ever the Value part is seeing her work from start to finish on the photo (I guess that's where you found it to your liking that Nick took 4 photos and retouched them from start to finish) but even then I see it as overpriced.

[gamedonechanged]

Originally Posted by Matt Timmons

Nick has (fully, in real time without fast forwarding and in complete detail) retouched 7 girls at full body length, with different ethnicities and individual retouching needs. There's no skipping over stuff, and he talks about what, how and why through every retouch from start to finish. Each retouch starts at the out-of-camera stage and finishes fully-retouched and takes about 45 min for each.

P.S. Sorry this was sooo long, but as you can tell we aren't the type of people who don't listen to or care about other artist's feedback.

That's good to know. I was wondering if they are all full retouches. It's also good to see not only yourself but also Nick on here answering questions.

In regards to who on here should be testing it of the top of my head id say either Natalia/Nienna/Ruud/mrmonday or skydog.... im sure there are probably other pros on here too.

[skydog]

Matt...I assume this is you....very nice

http://www.mtmstudios.com/

however...still cautious when it comes to $500 for a DVD

[markc78]

personally I'd require much more of a preview for these tutorials before I would be even tempted, what is provided is not nearly enticing enough plus the promise ridden descriptions make me a bit doubtful.... basically back up what you are saying with some more content & everyone will be happy

[santoro80]

I agree. The web needs more info and more previews.

[Godmother]

Hey guys... it would be really nice if you leave me out of this

I highly doubt I'm the right person to write a review, I'm biased by the fact that I hate glamour and anything related to it. To the point of rejecting a lot of money to record a glamour retouching DVD.

I don't want my name related to any of it and I do agree with Nick about us not being competition. Different target.

Have a great day and happy holidays!

x

[secretagents]

I think it's the price tag of the thing rather than the newbiness that generates a certain amount of hostility.