Let start the new PP samples.

[Morgan_Moore]

Here is an example of blotchy skin

the file has many problems and I have boosted the curves to exagerate the effect

it is of course a mojor crop too

any comments on how to sort this out- while keeping some 'detail'

I am after a method that is not cloning based  - more like a filter lightening and yellowing the red or magenta  channel

maybe this should be done in the original raw but that chucks non skin bit of the picture..

SMM

[Dustbak]

1) Select color (skin).
2) Copy selection to a new layer twice.
3) Average and layermode on hue on the first layer to get the skintone even.
4) layermode on luminosity for the second copy to get the texture.

Any better of faster method is welcomed, just tried it with the example but with this it doesn't work that effectively. So, maybe someone else can bring a better solution for this.

[Morgan_Moore]

1) Select color (skin).
2) Copy selection to a new layer twice.
3) Average and layermode on hue on the first layer to get the skintone even.
4) layermode on luminosity for the second copy to get the texture.

Any better of faster method is welcomed.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=139705\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Sorry can you go through that again with a bit more detail !

I am a bit of a PS dummy when it comes to layers

S

[Dustbak]

Allright. Go to select Color Range. With this tool you select the color range of the skin (keep shift pressed to select a whole range). With the fuzzyness you can set the preciseness of the selection. Make sure you select all skin (some stuff that gets selected in the process which you don't want you can subtract later).

Now when you have selected that, jump the selection to a new layer twice (Command J or Ctrl J). Make the top new layer invisible and start working with the one below. Select the content of that layer (Command click in the thumb of the layer palet), now go to filter average (the whole thing is now kind of a skintone blur). Set that layer to layermode hue. Go to the top layer and make it visible again, put this one to layermode luminosity.

The first layer you made (hue) is to get the color misery go away, the second (luminosity) is to get the texture back.

This procedure works very well to get color blotchyness out not necessarily blotchyness.

You might try using Gaussian blur and keeping the layer to normal (instead of average & hue). Than the second layer again on luminosity but at 50% opacity (or anything else that suits your needs). This does get rid of some of the blotchyness.

Hope these directions are helpful to you.

Sample of the last method. It does smooth it out somewhat and you can dial in the texture with the opacity (the layer set to luminosity).




Now, if someone could explain me how I can embed images here with those cute thumbs ?

[Morgan_Moore]

Now, if someone could explain me how I can embed images here with those cute thumbs ?

attachements - choose file ??
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=139708\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Thanks  - your effort doesnt seem to have solved it??

But the averaging seems to be a good tool

I have attached 'my effort' the 'retouch was made by effectivley diiding the skin area into small chunks that where averaged' to make a blur layer, the original image was pasted on top and washed with a 40% eraer over the bad bits.

----

I attach a second image that possibly demonstrates why filtration cannot 'auto retouch'


at point X there is an 'imperfection' but at point y there is the same tone but desired

any filter that lightens point X will also lighten point y and have an adverse affect

work must therefore occur only in a selection that excludes point Y

It would therefore be my conclusion that some form of 'airbrushing be it sensitive layrer deletion, clonong or whatever will be required??

S

[Morgan_Moore]

here is the second file..

[eronald]

My take on some of the above samples of "blotches" is that the camera is UV or IR sensitive, and seeing through the skin to the veins below. It might be worth to try using a 486 filter although you'll need a custom profile. The new Phase backs have improved filters over the sensor.

Edmund

[Morgan_Moore]

My take on some of the above samples of "blotches" is that the camera is UV or IR sensitive, and seeing through the skin to the veins below. It might be worth to try using a 486 filter although you'll need a custom profile. The new Phase backs have improved filters over the sensor.

Edmund
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=139717\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Indeed my thoughts had been moving that way UV or or IR dya reckon ?

I often remove my 'skylight' (UV?)filter when shooting into the light to reduce flare

S

[Henry Goh]

Indeed my thoughts had been moving that way UV or or IR dya reckon ?

I often remove my 'skylight' (UV?)filter when shooting into the light to reduce flare

S
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=139719\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

IR - the same issues that come up with D2H, M8 etc

I also feel the Mamiya ZD back owners should try a B&W 486 filter on their lens

[eronald]

Indeed my thoughts had been moving that way UV or or IR dya reckon ?

I often remove my 'skylight' (UV?)filter when shooting into the light to reduce flare

S
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=139719\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Not quite sure. Filters have their own issues, in my experience they can wreck the quality of an AF system so I hate to use them.

Edmund

[Morgan_Moore]

IR - the same issues that come up with D2H, M8 etc

I also feel the Mamiya ZD back owners should try a B&W 486 filter on their lens
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=139720\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

a 486 seems to do both end of the spectrum

the camera is a sinar54LV (the effect has been exaerated in curves - no panic)

no chance of wrecking the quality of H1 AF - it has no quality !

S

[eronald]

a 486 seems to do both end of the spectrum

the camera is a sinar54LV (the effect has been exaerated in curves - no panic)

no chance of wrecking the quality of H1 AF - it has no quality !

S
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=139723\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

What I mean is it will mis-focus slightly ensuring consistently fuzzed images -
Let's go back to something more fun, posting pictures - anyone got a nice face that needs retouching ? Please post at least 2000x1500.

Edmund

[Willow Photography]

Two questions mr willow

How did you warm the skin ?

Also, no disrespect, there is a certain blotchyness (veins/blood under the skin) that I have tried to show in this crop

basically where the skin is a bit darker it seems to go magenta/red too

This is something I struggle with too

I can be removed by cloning but I am looking for some kind of filter or speedy method of dealing

I have tried replace colour, also various bluring but I cant get a fast method sorted

S
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=139688\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

To warm the skin I used the Color Editir in C1-

The reason I do not make perfect skin is these girls
are they are "girl next door" in a magazine and I think it will be wrong to make them to perfect.
They should look good, but not perfect or cartoon like.

[EricWHiss]

To get rid of splotches, You could also try the highpass method on skin like that...Lot's of info on this if you google highpass and skin

Make a dupe layer then:

Filter/Other/highpass  start with 15  ( you can play with this number from like 8 to 25)
Gausian blur by about 5  (or typically around 1/3 the amount for the highpass)
Invert
Set layer blend mode to linear light and add a layer mask (I do this with the option/alt key to get all black layer)
Now paint in mask with white where you want the skin smooth.

The highpass lets the texture of the skin come through but cleans up the splotches, bruises, etc

You can also use the surface blur feature to smoothe texture.

Sorry don't have time to play with the image above right now but I think it will work!
Eric

[Jonathan Wienke]

To deal with small colored blotches in skin, I've found this technique helpful:

1: Convert to LAB.

2: Select/highlight the a/b channels and tick the visible indicator for the L channel so that you see the image normally, but all edits are to a/b channels only.

3: Use the eyedropper to select the color of an area near the blotch.

4: Use the brush tool with soft edge and low fill setting to paint the sampled color into the blotch.

Depending on the size and number of the blemishes, the Dust & Scratches filter can be handy (in concert with the history brush) once you've completed steps 1 and 2. This can also be helpful with moire and chromatic aberration artifacts.

[Jonathan Wienke]

Another cool tool for smoothing out skin (eliminating fine hairs, pores, etc.) without killing detail in eyelashes, hair, etc. is Neat Image.

Before: (image straight from ACR)
[attachment=3269:attachment]

After: (also includes LCE, sharpening, some clone/healing brush work, and minor tonality edits)
[attachment=3270:attachment]

Use a smooth area of skin as your noise sample area, and tweak noise reduction settings to taste.

[feppe]

And if you're looking for a (semi)automatic, commercial solution for smoothing skin, there's the Kodak's Airbrush, which can be tweaked quite nicely, especially if you use it as a layer.

[AndreNapier]

Hi Andre,
Your before and after example is an amazing transformation.  Beautiful
work! 

I can see how you might have stretched the lips with the warp tool (assuming
photoshop).  Did you warp the eyes too, to get the upward
slant?  The forehead looks narrower in the after version.  Is the
appearance of a narrower forehead done through shading (i'd use
a curve adjustment layer with a layer mask for something like this), or
did you also reshape the head slightly?  The subtle reshaping of the
chin is very nicely done as is the retouching in general.

Is the amount of editing you did here fairly typical in fashion work?

I'm curious because I'm primarily a nature shooter.  I do some
pretty extensive edits in photoshop when the need arises.  I haven't
done a lot of head shots.  Your example is very instructive.

Thanks for the posting,
Tony
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Sorry Guys for late respond but some people still party on weekends.

Tony,

I have not yet found an easy and fast solution for good PP.
From my years behind a stylist chair I took to photography one think: my ability to see what to change in a women to make her more beautiful in my eyes. We ( me and my partner/wife ) approach PP as we would if were plastic surgeons. After all we are selling every girl dream. The key is to do it as careful and as precise that if image is blown ( often ) to 40x60 you can not see any PP and you still have the perfect skin texture and not the plastic look. Any face shape changes have to be subtle enough not to alter the overall appearance.  Magazine cover image like this will take around 3-4 hours of PP. It is worth because in following week we will sell a dream to ten girls just because they seen it in the paper. If they pay the hefty premium for PS they can see the same results. We have exclusive on 3  different magazine covers  and it definitelly keeps us busy between commercial jobs.
We work with multi layers and duplicates using mostly clone tool and light brush. No magic just hard work.

Eronald,

The trend in all high end magazines now days is towards desaturated skin tones. At least that is how we see it. The weirder the better.

[a href=\"http://AndreNapier.com]http://AndreNapier.com[/url]

[awofinden]

Another cool tool for smoothing out skin (eliminating fine hairs, pores, etc.) without killing detail in eyelashes, hair, etc. is Neat Image.

Before: (image straight from ACR)
[attachment=3269:attachment]

After: (also includes LCE, sharpening, some clone/healing brush work, and minor tonality edits)
[attachment=3270:attachment]

Use a smooth area of skin as your noise sample area, and tweak noise reduction settings to taste.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=139762\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

But the results are haneous, she looks like a cartoon character.

[eronald]

Eronald,

The trend in all high end magazines now days is towards desaturated skin tones. At least that is how we see it. The weirder the better.

http://AndreNapier.com
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=139781\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Hi André -

 Yes, I know about the desat and the weird, I think it's due to their combination of Hasselblad skin and printers clueless about color management: desat weird can save the shot from any camera as long as it's reasonably sharp in the right places, and desat also conveniently gets rid of the wrinkles, and teh printer can print weird any color he wants

 In fact I market my Phase One "Portra" desat hi-key profiles precisely because people want desat. Doesn't mean I use it for my personal work.

 Anyway, that make-over of yours has some beautiful creative drawing in it, apart from the easy skin retouch stuff !

 Do post some more before/after shots, please, but give is some higher resolution so we can do teh practical classwork

Edmund