Photo Retouching Practice.

I have seen this image before and we may have used it a while back. With a whole new set of players, I feel it's safe to bring it back in a new challenge.

No comments from the cheap seats on the condition of her skin. This is a lovely young woman and I would hope that we can all treat her image with respect.

I encourage everyone to give it a try even if your new to Photoshop. All participants should be prepared to explain the techniques they have been using, as we can't learn or help without some idea as to how it was accomplished.

Good luck!



Here is my 1st attempt.

edit: I start by opening the original and duplicating it and then turning off the original layer.
I create a new layer. This is the layer that I will do all of the following adjustments on.

I started by using the following tools and settings.
Healing Brush Tool - Mode= normal - Source= Sampled - Clone sample mode= Current level and below.
Spot Healing Brush Tool - Mode= Normal - Type= Content aware - Sample cloned data from composited data= Sample all layers.
Brush Tool - Mode= Normal - Opacity= 100% - Flow= 1%

This is the image (Layer A) after only using the tools above and one added Levels Adjustment Layer.



edit: I then select the uppermost layer (Levels Adjustment layer) and hit Shift>Option>Command + E to stamp all visible layers. I then name this layer A.
I highlight all other layers except layer A and the original background layer and group them. I then turn off the group.

I then start where the tutorial starts with only the layer A turned on.

Here is the image after using a skin softening technique described in this video:

Long story short...I need a way to quickly drag multiple images to my canvas and put them in certain places without any of them overlapping each other. At the moment, when I select multiple images and drag them onto the canvas, they all sit on top of each other right in the middle until I go to each layer and move to their own space.

Is there a way I can automate the images to go to the correct position? Having to go layer by layer doing that manually takes a lot of time when I have 20+ images per sheet so I'm hoping there is a quicker way. I'm well aware of actions but not sure how I can use that to place images to different parts of the canvas. As far as I know, creating an action will put each image on the same spot of the canvas but hopefully I'm wrong about that and someone can show me the correct way of setting it up.

I did find a post to this but the solution did not help me and it was over a year ago so I did not want to bump an old thread. Here was the post I came across


"I'm having a bit of a strange problem with the text tool on CS4 at the moment.

When I have drawn a work-path with the pen tool and then attempt to type along it the text does now show up and I cannot edit it.
The cursor changes when I hover over the start of the path to indicate that the type path is available but once I click and start typing nothing seems to happen. The name of the text layer changes to what I've just typed however so it is definitely inputting it somewhere."



This is exactly what I am dealing with now. The solution in the original thread said make sure the text is not white on white background ( mine is black on transparent ) and is left justified and not center or right. My text is left justified and it still does not show up. My text is Wet Dynamite. The odd thing is my font size is currently 72, if I drop it down to 48, the W shows if I go smaller it disappears again. Even at 48 when the W shows, if I try to retype, I still can't see the rest of the phrase. I have done this method before and had no issues in the past with this technique. This seems like a bug in CS4 to me.

Any help with this would be great as I can't get past this stage in my design and can't use the warp tool for text because it looks like crap.

Thank you for your time. Ive saved my project out into a test file so you can see. If you can load it and easily see or add the text in the top curved path, then I know there has to be an issue with my CS4

This won't be news to a lot of you, but it may be eye opening for some. Sometimes to get a better idea of what direction to go in, it helps to know what not to do. I thought I'd take a minute to celebrate (lament) the garish eyesores that some "experts" recommend others produce when retouching.

While there is subjectivity in art, a retoucher's job is more constrained, and there is a standard as it applies to commercial work. I'm getting a handle on those standards myself reading books and watching tutorials by people like Scott Kelby, Matt Kloskowski, Julia Kuzmenko McKim, and Michael Woloszynowicz. My background as an Illustration major turned Graphic Designer helped me have an idea, but photography has its own standards. If you're retouching or compositing for someone other than yourself, they generally need you to enhance their work, not leave signs of your influence there. There's a reason only a handful of people are entrusted to do retouch jobs that many photographers don't have the time for. Subtlety is key, and non-destructive workflow is essential. Now stepping off my soapbox, on with the show.

This visual belly flop, while obviously not commercial, was used to advertise someone's custom brushes at DeviantArt, and meant to imply the good effects of their use.





I'm reminded of that armchair Rembrandt who showcased her skills on that Ecce Homo fresco when I look at this. The hair detail was crudely smudged into oblivion with indelicate childlike strokes, and the white point clipping quickly got rid of any evidence there was human skin .This is stating the obvious to anyone with a cursory understanding of image treatment standards, but rarely is using the contrast slider considered a job well done. Even in the most liberal definition of artistic license, deliberately overexposing an image in post, and blowing out the details with white isn't a good idea. I'm afraid of hue and contrast that isn't used minimally, and most people should be. It's a highly destructive way of retouching, as you're generally adding information that isn't there, or taking away information that is, but to an extreme degree. This may look good to someone whose life entails solely playing RPG games, but not in the commercial world.

This next one hurts me even more, because it was used in a tutorial. The thought that it may contribute to an army of people who think they're helping the world by doing things the wrong way makes my last meal move north. I won't name names (fortunately it wasn't here) but this image was supposed to demonstrae techniques for how to make skin look better in Photoshop.



This is what happens when you try to retouch someone's face without using frequency separation layers. It's also what happens when you look at someone while under the influence of mushrooms, but that's anther topic. Making someone look like they needed a skin retoucher so bad that they got a t-shirt airbrusher from the mall to render them inhuman isn't saying the best about your skills. I've seen countless variations of similar tutorials on Photoshop, often to high praise from an unwitting audience. But listening to professional retouchers, photographers and digital artists, they seem to be painfully aware of this phenomenon, and the bad habits it cultivates. If this area is of interest to you, I highly recommend looking up frequency adjustment+skin tutorials, preferably with "high-end" or "professional" somewhere in the title.

This last one is just redundant, but I thought I would include it to show just how pervasive bad Photoshop tips are, as this was on a quasi-professional site, titled to demonstrate skin retouching techniques.



This is bad for all of the aforementioned reasons, but I just hope the follow up tutorial is about how to find clues as to what exactly is in the images that have undergone these techniques. Now if you'll all excuse me, I have to go get some sunglasses. There's a lot of tutorials out here.

Fellow members, I have this photo that is in bad need of a repair. The photo has been damaged some way and has this awful green area over a good part of the whole image, including the faces of the subjects. I have tried a lot of the tools I have in my bag but I am having difficulty reducing it. Some advice would be appreciated. I can't post the complete image per an agreement, so will just post a section of it.

I have several images in different layer in PS3 ( macro images with different points of focus).
I have aligned all layers ok, but when trying to blend the layer (all layers selected) using the auto blend layers tools, the tool does not give me the stacked images button.
Instead it launches straight into the process.
The results are not what I am expecting, each layer bar one has a totally black mask, and the image is not a blend of all the images.
All tutorials for the process using CS3 show a button for selecting "stack images" mine doesn't.
Am I doing something wrong?
Please help as I am going mad with it

New members please note.

You'll find explanations and helpful links here, including links to the original request threads. Please go through these images first and see if that's what you want and if the links address your need.

If more help is necessary, go for it; start your own. We also invite you to post your work if you created one of these effects. Share your pride!!

I apologize for any redundancy to the links provided. Nature of the beast, and I guess more is better in this case.

If anyone has additional effects they would like added, please PM me with the post url. The requests seem to go in cycles, fads I suppose. So if you remember one from some time ago that you like and think should be in here, PM me please with the thread url and I'll add it.


Following is a list of contents which will be updated as new topics are added. If you don't recognize the effect by name, scroll down to the images in each post and see if this answers your question. If not, post your effects question in a new thread.

Thank you for visiting here first!


Post 2: Smooth and glossy effects, might include Topaz Clean plug-in
Post 3: Popular Sports Image effects, smoothed, glossy, enhanced contrast; cartoon-like
Post 4: Dragan Effect: high-contrast, glossy, a bit of sepia toning
Post 5: Dave Hill Effect: similar to some of above in use of contrast and gloss. Also uses distortions.
Post 6: Popular Sports Image effect similar to that in Post 3. Discussion of using Topaz Adjust
Post 7: "Washed Out Look," "White Out Effect," or "Porcelain Effect"
Post 8: Another cartoon effect using Photoshop or Topaz plug-in Selection
Post 9: I am currently researching this one as the image and discussion link to do not match. Apologies . . .
Post 10: Sepia Toning

I have some questions about a new layer vs. a layer copy. Let's say I am retouching a head shot. First I copy the Background layer (Ctrl-J) and clear up blemishes with the Spot healing brush. Next I want to soften some skin shine with the Patch tool and I want that on it's own layer. As I have tried various ways of doing this, it appears that I have copy either the Blemish layer or the Background. If I copy the Background layer, the the stacking order is critical: it has to be below the Blemish layer for the blemish fix to show. Copying the Blemish layer, then the Blemish fix is part of the Shine layer which defeats the purpose of a separate layer. New layer does not work for using the Patch tool, or I may be doing some completely wrong.

Then add another skin fix like soften the skin (Gaussian blur) and I'm really tied up with stacking order, etc.

Can someone help me with the correct order/procedure for creating layers that would be used like above.

Mixed up...

Todd

Hello everyone, I'm fairly new to Photoshop CS 5 so I apologize if I am asking the wrong type of questions, here goes:

When working with Vector Masks can you:
1) "Link" or "share" one image's vector mask with other images? (ex. If I made "Building A" then duplicated it, but then wanted to change what Building A looked like, I would only have to change the source mask and the copies would be updated.
2) Move the image independent of the vector mask (it seems like I can only move the vector mask, not the image itself). Or in other words: can I move the image and have the mask follow it, instead of only being able to move the vector mask inside of the image boundaries?

My application of the question:
I'm making a 2D top down layout of a "city block" type area. To fill in the buildings, I've made Building A,B,C etc, and use multiple copies of each building. Ideally, I would like to be able to "link" or share say Building A's vector mask with all the other instances of Building A (so that when I change the master, they all change to the new mask shape). The second behavior I'm trying to find is the ability to move the layer without moving where the Vector Mask is on that layer (since it seems that you can only move where the mask is, meaning that even if I could share masks, they would all end up in the same place meaning I would have to re-position each one by hand again.

Any ideas are appreciated, thank you for reading.

Just what it said...I would like some retouching help.

I found this damaged image on the web, for my amusement only I decided I wanted to fix it up.

I am lost on removing the blue, and it has a darker fringe which makes it tough. I will post the whole thing, but the small section with the bhue is my need. ..The small sections on the background were easy, but thats background!

Any pointers would help me learn this!




Hand painting the pixels won't work as the dress has lace texture