High end retouching - Tutorials out there, or best kept secret?

[RMThompson]

Hey guys, do any of you know where to find some instruction on high end retouching like this:

Where Professional Models Meet Model Photographers - ModelMayhem

It's AMAZING work and I want to learn how... any ideas on where I could find some tutorials?

 

[Big Mike]

One place might be a Photoshop/retouching forum.

I've been a member at THIS ONE, for a long time, but I'm not very active/up to date.

 

[FourAcesPhotography]

Airbrushing bro.

Photoshop Tutorials - Airbrushing - Natural Smooth Skin | Photo Retouching | Photoshop Tutorials

 

[Garbz]

It's not a best kept secret as much as it is dedicating time to the art. I think most people with somewhat basic photoshop knowledge can achieve this quite easily if they had the patients and the vision needed to dedicate a solid couple of hours to a photo to achieve a goal.

Lets just say brightness contrast and levels adjustment along with a quick clone brush is not sufficient.

 

[UUilliam]

It isn't that hard tbh...
The mistake most people make when trying to touchup is they SMOOTH the skin using the GAUSIAN BLUR
this removes all texture

What I do is:

Use a clone stamp and sample the skin VERY close to the spot and set my hardness from 0% - 75% (so it blends in)
this will remove the spot, but keep texture (the bumps)
(i resize my brush to the size of the spot each time though)
After i do that, If I am still not happy or there is too much tiny spots...
I duplicate the layer 2 times, Hide the top layer
then I Guassian blur the skin so it is porcelin soft. (like a doll)
and mask it so it only affects the skin and not eyes, hair etc..
then i show my top layer and set the opacity to about 10 - 30%
This adds the texture back in, but being subtle enough to hide the tiny imperfections

there is millions of ways to do it,
Ill try make a video tutorial (there are manyout there costing £100 - £800 just to show you, but ill give it out for free!!!! :O
But it isn't as good as the pros, The pros take anything from 3 - 6 hours to retouch, I usually wing it and take a maximum of 1hour to retouch a photo
(thus if you have seen my retouch in http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...ork-you-beginners-welcomed-2.html#post1667160 that is why the halo is there, because I done that retouch in about 20 - 30 mins focusing mainly on removing spots, creases, re-constructing the mouth, enlarging the eyes, fixing the lighting (i dodged and burned some of the face and i Dodged the top lip (thats the bright pink line) to give a sense of depth.)
Ill try get a video up Asap, But currently i am fixing my laptop (I have formatted about 10 times in the last month... litterally... going from linuc, to xp to vista.. but xp n vista dont recognize my drivers whereas linux does but cant use photoshop, so i put vista in again and have finally got the drivers fixed!!! so i am installing all my apps again then creating a custom Vista Install disc so it installs all my programs for me if i need to format again...)

If you do not mind paying i Highly recommend this, http://www.digitalphotoshopretouching.com/
I used that one, Learned quite allot.
But i knew the majority Prior to it, so was a waste of money in my point of view...

another good photoshop tutorial package you should look at: http://www.photoshoptopsecret.com/
Worth the money IMO, It isnt what they are doing the effect to, It is how they do it you should study.
Learn the tools, Not the method.

 

[Dao]

This link contains video on some photoshop work on skin and other stuff. (i.e. smoothing the skin without losing the texture)

Christy Schuler I Retouching

 

[UUilliam]

Okay, I have camtasia now, If someone can upload an image for me to use( Jpg or raw, I would prefer a .RAW though so i can Extend the tutorial into more than airbrushing tbh.)
thankyou in advance, I will credit you in the titles.

 

[musicaleCA]

Go take your own image. :greenpbl:

As Garbz said, it's usually just a case of patience (not patients...Garbz, do you have a MD I don't know about? ). I myself know I can achieve similar results, but I also know just how long that would take me (on the order of several hours). A lot of layers, a lot of care and attention to detail, and a lot of redoing things that you messed up just a smidge.

 

[MelissaMarieImagery]

The trick is work SLOW. And zoomed in.

 

[megz1234]

If you are using photoshop, I have learned a lot from Martin Evening. He has books out there and tutorials. The only one drawback is his deep english accent, but maybe that's just my midwestern issue.

 

[musicaleCA]

If you are using photoshop, I have learned a lot from Martin Evening. He has books out there and tutorials. The only one drawback is his deep english accent, but maybe that's just my midwestern issue.

Yes. Evening's books are golden. I've got his CS4 book; fantastic, it is. Lots of pretty examples and colour. ^.^ (Oh, and I learn stuff from it too.)

 

[jamesbjenkins]

This book from Scott Kelby taught me quite a bit. I really dig Kelby's teaching style and his sense of humor.