FINALLY tried D&B Technique!

[gymnast61791]

Until now i'd been using a clone stamp at 30% to smooth skin and bring back texture with high pass...i always knew in the pit of my stomach there was a better technique, but that it would be hard. Stumbled across D&B technique and decided to give it a try.
BEFORE http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/3240/skinbefore.jpg
AFTER http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/9109/skinafter.jpg
Image was taken from this thread: http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/pho...n-texture.html from user Cuervo79. I am not using this member's "after" as my "after." I honestly did the work

[flexmanta]

Welcome to the club of "Those who didn't blur". Congrats.

[gymnast61791]

Haha thanks. Any critique of this photo?

[goolug]

Cool. Keep on moving.

[mistermonday]

Congratulations, You did a pretty good job. My comments are:
- There is a lot of redish / magenta areas which are color & saturation shifts resulting from your dodging. You did not mention if you did a color correction afterward or not. If not, I would suggest you add a blank layer set to color blend mode, sample good skin color and paint over the D&B areas which have shifted color / saturation.
- I think the final image should be a little brighter overall. Brightening ita little will also further reduce the differences in luminosity between the dodged / burned areas and those that were not.
Welcome to the "hard labor" D&B team.
Regards, Murray

[gymnast61791]

Thanks so much for the comments. Hugely appreciated.

[flexmanta]

Something happens when you first start dodging and burning, and it's that you like seeing the before after so much, that you are quickly happy with the results. Then other people start noticing things you left out. Im sure Cuervo told you about the things you can do to help you in your d&b process, but im going to say it again cause it's very very important. Create a d&b helping curve in luminosity mode that you can toggle on and off during the d&b process. It's also very important to close your eyes while you are turning this layer on and off, and let your eyes adapt for 2 or 3 seconds to the new contrast before you make another stroke. Otherwise they can play tricks and tell you an area is dark when it actually isn't.

[gymnast61791]

Do you have areas in mind that have been left out? I have made some adjustments since posting the image.

[Cuervo79]

Next time ask for permission in order to retouch a photo and then publish it to display your skills. Some people may say "fair use" but I personally try to ask if I want to use a photo for practice because I don't like people taking my photos (or in this case crop) and retouch them without my permission. Seems some people forget that photos have copyright and that some people actually post examples of their work because the photo is either taken by them or they have permission from the photographer.
Hopefully next time you'll ask for permission and look at things differently instead of "ooh this is for the taking".

As for how your skills look. You're doing OK, other than recommending what Flexmanta suggested (visualization layers) you also have to retouch at different zooms. Since this is a crop it is a bit unpractical to do so since you can't zoom out to see the "whole picture" but when you're working with a complete portrait its good to work at 100% 50% and 25% to see how everything is working out. Since sometimes work done in the pore scale uncovers shadows that when you zoom out need to be adjusted. So not only do you have to use visualization layers but also zoom out and zoom in frequently, specially when you're finished. Try to use whole numbers of zoom don't go with zoom numbers with decimals in them. For some reason photoshop has problems displaying certain fine details when the zoom number is with decimals.

[gymnast61791]

@Curevo79 thanks for the response and critique. As to the copyright issue, I sincerely apologize. I didn't realize the photo was yours, or you had specific permission. I must not have read your post carefully enough. But either way, it would have been better to ask first. I would never want to step on any toes whatsoever, so once again, i apologize

[Cuervo79]

Originally Posted by gymnast61791

I didn't realize the photo was yours, or you had specific permission.

That's the problem.... Next time ask, and yes the photo is mine... That's why I would recommend that unless you have permission from the photographer, take the photos yourself or ask someone else...

[gymnast61791]

Originally Posted by gymnast61791

I must not have read your post carefully enough.

Again, I'm truly sorry. I can delete this thread if you'd like.

[Cuervo79]

This written medium can become problematic sometimes, no I'm not angry if I was I would not have given you pointers. And no you don't need to delete the thread.

My point is this: take all the photos you see as copyrighted and always ask permission, don't assume that its OK for the taking just because you saw it in a public forum.

[linmar]

Looks good, does somebody know of a good D&B tutorial?

[amica999]

Originally Posted by linmar

Looks good, does somebody know of a good D&B tutorial?

Have a look here, dear http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/pho...-download.html