tutorials on manipulation?

[jaimiepeeters]

Hi guys

To dive a bit more into the depths of image manipulation, I'm wondering if you could point me towards some decent tutorials on how to construct images using multiple photo's. Like so:

http://www.glucone-r.com/

I feel I'm ready for the next step, the first being to be a decent retoucher (always learning, never fully ready) but now I want to start learning how to make advertising images and build them from and manipulate them with multiple images.

In my mind it seems all very logical, but I'm sure that with me newbie naiveness I'm very wrong

Help me out?

[DJSoulglo]

It's not that hard really (to learn).

Learn how to mask. This is very very very very very important. If you can't make a proper mask you cannot do comping. Read Katrin Eismann's book on Masking (Masking and Compositing), look at Russel Brown's infamous vid. Learn about channels, RGB/CMYK/LAB channels as well, so you can get as much info as possible.

Now you can start. You have your image masked, you have a background. Now look at the light. Where is it coming from? Where would the shadows fall? Look at pictures, look at paintings, study light. If you have "the eye" this comes naturally. If it doesn't, it's very hard to learn.

Put your subject in the background. Create a shadow. A possible reflection even. When you sit down in a chair, the chair bends and shapes to your form, but also there's a slight color reflection of your clothing, there's a contact shadow, then there's a bigger falling shadow, look at these things!!

Ok you have a person and you have a BG, you have a shadow, you even have a reflection somewhere, awesome.

Now it's time to look at color. Does the person match the BG? If not color correction! Curves, ColorBalance, etc. Learn your tools. Experiment with layer modes. Experiment.

Ok the colors match perfectly. Now look at the grain. 2 different pics means 2 different grains. Yes even with digital. It's not proper grain, but there are differences between camera's/ISO's/shoots. So now we start making a "look" for the picture. Create a global color look for the image, make sure the grains match.

Now check all your masks again.

This all will only work if you work meticulous. Name your layer groups. Color code them. Build it logically. BG<CC<DUDE<CC<Grain for instance (see attached).

And the final ingredient: Time. This always takes longer than you think. A quick headswap? be ready to have a faulty mask in there somewhere. Zoom in and out, look away from it for 5 minutes, keep checking what you do. The more pieces you have, the more that can go wrong.

Also that website you linked is not what I would call fantastic.

[jaimiepeeters]

You rock for your elaborate response..

but you're making me also curious to what you've done in this field, please show.

[DJSoulglo]

It's not up to date, but:

www.lefthandedretouch.com

[jaimiepeeters]

good stuff

[Isedo]

Thumbs up for the answer DJSoulglo. Keep it up!