Kind of Tests Do They Require For Jr. Retouchers?

[SteveB2005]

I am curious to what kind of tests are given to beginning or jr retouchers at art houses. Do they have you do difficult hair selections, color corrections, curves, compositing, etc? How long do they usually give you to take the tests and do they pay you anything for testing. I have heard some of the bigger places pay you something for testing.

Any info on this thread is helpful to all.

Thanks, Steve

[pixelzombie]

someone else asked this and you can check some of my replies, it'll be under "find all posts made by if you clicl on my name...

[SteveB2005]

Originally Posted by pixelzombie

someone else asked this and you can check some of my replies, it'll be under "find all posts made by if you clicl on my name...

Thanks Pixel. I'll check and we'll see what some other artists will post

steve

[sonny7]

I have not heard of being paid for taking a test. You should expect to be asked to do just about anything. I have had to do skin retouching for fashion shops. Complex compositing. Exact color matching. Look at it like an assignment. Time frame...remember these shops charge by the hour so the better and faster you are the more money they can make.
Good luck.

[pixelzombie]

i was paid for a test i once took, they wanted me to come in for a whole week actually, but all i could spare was 8 hours...

[annawj]

At a fashion/beauty retouchers, you'll probably be given an image which will test your abilities in the main areas they are concerned with.
So expect to clean up skin (no blurring/dust & scratches/smudging!) balance skin tones (look out for red ears and fingertips), tidy eyebrows, reduce veins in eyes and enhance whites and iris colour if necessary. Clean teeth and whiten gently, remove nose hairs, Clean up any cross-hairs in the hair, maybe add some shine to hair.
Clothes may need to be tidied up - creases reduced, fit improved (practice subtle warping), colour correction on clothes (look out for colour bias in whites/neutrals/blacks), metal clean and shiny on jewellery/buttons etc, moire removed perhaps (best done by lightening/darkening and amending colour so as not to ruin texture of fabric).
Body shape may need warping (don't go crazy! set the warp brush to low values and warp slowly bit by bit to minimize distortion of texture), maybe shape waist, chest and legs, knobbly fingers and feet smoothed and tendons knocked back.
Don't forget a thorough check for dirt all over the image, dirty studio floors, scuffed shoes, lipstick on teeth, threads hanging off clothes, anything distracting which detracts from the image should be looked at.
You may be given a file to match for colour, otherwise I would advise that you don't go crazy with colour and focus on the physical retouching.
They will be looking at your work for technique, potential, ability to follow a brief and sympathetic eye for colour.
So a great natural skin job will be more favourable than extreme colour effects.
Don't be afraid to ask questions about what is expected of you but don't pester busy retouchers too much or you risk seeming annoying!
You shouldn't be expected to be able to do everything immediately if you're looking for a junior role. They're looking for someone they can mould into shape. Have a go at every part of the retouch, often you don't know how to do something until you give it a go. If you're really not happy with a part of the retouch, let them know when you hand over the file (but show you've given it your best shot, don't just ignore the difficult bits).
Importantly, get the job done as best you can WITHIN THE ALLOTED TIME. If you're given 3 hours at their office to retouch it, don't spend 2.5 hours on skin and rush the rest, divide your time equally. If you retouch the image at home, make sure you deliver the job when agreed, if you're late on the test job, you'll look like your unreliable.
Most of all, be positive and enthusiastic, show a genuine interest in their work, don't ignore advice on technique, or stray from a brief, and be the kind of person they're going to want to spend 8 hours a day with!
Don't expect to be paid, I've never heard of it, but be very grateful if they do!
GOOD LUCK!

[zganie]

I dont know what kind of yests they give.But! seems to me it should not be a problem if you know your stuff

[erinavery]

That was great of you to write all that out...seems like really great advice.

[twopoint0]

In my experience, they will give you "the job from hell" that went 15 rounds with their top retouchers. You will have to work on an unfamiliar machine in a distracting environment. You will be told to take your time, but "most people finish in about 2 hours", which will be absolutely impossible. You will not be paid.
But I don't know, maybe that's just me (and everyone I ever talked to). Good luck!
Sarcasm aside, just go for it and learn from the experience. No matter what happens, you'll be better off than before you tried.

[Yowser]

I've tested for most everyone I've worked for. The tests are generally 1-2 hours and no 2 are alike. Draw your masks well cause those will be looked at, don't flatten anything and keep an eye on the time. If you generally use a wacom I suggest bringing one with you (some places, oddly enough, won't have one available for you and you'll be stuck using a mouse).

[Markzebra]

Best you will have is you will have is someone trying to genuinely see what you can do, worst is TRYING to fail you to make themselves look better. Typical techniques that are used for this .. A rubbish machine or Imac with only 10 gigs of scratch space left. B a deliberately incomplete brief, and then saying yes i SAID THAT, when something different happens. C technique well used by Tapestry, telling someone that the test they are doing is actually a piece of client work which has to be out that day, giving no feedback, then analysing the work to according to Photoshop 5 best practices. In these ways its really quite possible to nail even the most talented bastard that comes through the door.