Restoration Hardware Catalog look

[Julius Knipl]

I have taken on an assignment to shoot interiors of a home built in the
30's to 40's . The interior is unremarkable. The client is looking for ideas
to make it look special or at least more interesting.

My concept is to process the photos in a way that will evoke the period.
Not really black and white, not sepia but a look that I often see in the Restoration Hardware catalog.

two samples:

https://g.foolcdn.com/editorial/imag...hen_large.jpeg

https://g.foolcdn.com/editorial/imag..._bed_large.jpg



the colors are washed out but the blacks are still nice and strong.

It seems that maybe the reds are toned down more so than any other color ?
Here'swhat I'm working with
original:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6svcm4dj9q...ginal.jpg?dl=0
My attempt:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4edc4ry3uv...tempt.jpg?dl=0


Thanks in advance

Julius K

[Sabrina81]

Re: Restoration Hardware Catalog look

The blacks in your version aren't strong. Turning down saturation a bit seems all right, but I would set and maintain black point. Something like this:

https://postimg.org/image/w1h5djrar/

[klev]

Re: Restoration Hardware Catalog look

Interior shots like this are typically lit with an immense amount of care. The processing on them doesn't appear to be too fancy. I think they were initially lit with a stronger sense of direction than yours.

You missed a few things on capturing that look in terms of polish. They are correctable. I don't know how much detailed retouching you have done on this kind of subject. It takes some practice.

Each item in the Restoration Hardware image has smooth transitions. There aren't any hot spots with flat details like the wall, ceiling, rug, door detail, window panes, etc in yours. I feel like the lighting is a little weak. It might have been the best you could do given time, equipment, and spatial constraints, but it would take a significant amount of masking and careful retouching to get this as close as possible to your intended reference.

I actually somewhat agree with Sabrina's interpretation, but it's still missing that smooth continuity. I would probably end up making a lot of masks, because that was usually what I did with something like this.

[Sabrina81]

Re: Restoration Hardware Catalog look

Each item in the Restoration Hardware image has smooth transitions.

If you don't have time to do an edit yourself, could you point out some of the places where the OP's image lack these "smooth transitions"? I confess that I don't understand what you're referring to. Thanks.

[klev]

Re: Restoration Hardware Catalog look

If you don't have time to do an edit yourself, could you point out some of the places where the OP's image lack these "smooth transitions"? I confess that I don't understand what you're referring to. Thanks.

Editing some of this stuff to a meaningful level would be time consuming, as I am out of practice.

I pointed out locations. The wall and floor have hot spots. The ceiling is all over the place. The Restoration Hardware images tend to emphasize the geometry of these surfaces. That gives it a particular appearance. The OP's image has a pretty harsh level of contrast over similar surfaces, which can make them look washed out.

[Wolfman]

Re: Restoration Hardware Catalog look

I think Klev is on the right track. The lighting for Restoration Hardware seems to be more subtle and more of a fill combined with natural light to give it a more natural look. Your version shows the supplementary lighting overwhelming
the natural ambient light so the transitions are not as smooth & natural looking.

[Sabrina81]

Re: Restoration Hardware Catalog look

I pointed out locations. The wall and floor have hot spots.

So do the Restoration Hardware target images.

[klev]

Re: Restoration Hardware Catalog look

So do the Restoration Hardware target images.

They're much more localized though.

I look at the OP's ceiling, and the density is all over the place. I look at the carpet and it's a bit too close to the flooring to stand out. I look at the wall, and it's uneven again. People run into this same issue with pictures of people, and in both cases it takes some practice and careful examination of the work to recognize the difference.

Overall though, I think he could get something close to what he wants. I think it will take considerable work to get it from this image.

[Sabrina81]

Re: Restoration Hardware Catalog look

They're much more localized though.

No, the reflected light on the floor of the target image is not more localized than the reflected light on the OP's image. Quite the opposite. It covers much more of the floor than in the OP's image. It is also brighter ("hotter") than in the OP's image.

[klev]

Re: Restoration Hardware Catalog look

No, the reflected light on the floor of the target image is not more localized than the reflected light on the OP's image. Quite the opposite. It covers much more of the floor than in the OP's image. It is also brighter ("hotter") than in the OP's image.

I spent more time looking at the bedroom image than the kitchen one. I looked at his image. It has random washed out spots and unevenness across smooth surfaces. The main composition elements are close enough in lightness that the thing looks a bit flat. It doesn't need more contrast. It needs some separation between different compositional elements and things like the ceiling and wall shouldn't look splotchy.

Doing that would take significant time,. You have to think about lighting with these things. Otherwise retouching is very tedious.

[edbayani]

Re: Restoration Hardware Catalog look

I'd do it something like this.

https://postimg.org/image/bxszh4gcz/

[skoobey]

Re: Restoration Hardware Catalog look

Just do one thing at the time. I'd:

1.remove things like the grill
2.clean up that dirty looking wall
3.even out the floor lighting
4.mask what needs to be and adjust the tones to match samples

Sure, lighting, arrangement and the camera/angle are not as perfect as the samples, but they can look reasonably close if we accept those compromises.

P.S. That is one freaky looking view out the window? Portions of it really look pasted on.

[Sabrina81]

Re: Restoration Hardware Catalog look

3.even out the floor lighting

Klev started the criticism of "floor lighting" and it is a bogus criticism. When a window or open door is opposite the camera, the light from it naturally reflects off a wooden floor. If the reflection were so hot that it clipped the highlights, then it might need fixing. Otherwise, it isn't a flaw and doesn't require any editing.

See the target images posted by the OP. Both illustrate this natural phenomenon of light reflecting off a semi-glossy surface.

[skoobey]

Re: Restoration Hardware Catalog look

Klev started the criticism of "floor lighting" and it is a bogus criticism. When a window or open door is opposite the camera, the light from it naturally reflects off a wooden floor. If the reflection were so hot that it clipped the highlights, then it might need fixing. Otherwise, it isn't a flaw and doesn't require any editing.

See the target images posted by the OP. Both illustrate this natural phenomenon of light reflecting off a semi-glossy surface.

forum.jpg
I was referring to these areas. First we fix, then color grade.