More processing practice (possibly NSFW)

[Bend The Light]

Just messing with some more processing with Portrait Professional, so I am re-working a few of K's pictures. Any thoughts would be nice. I have changed some of the SHAPE of her face amongst other things, so although i thought she was fine before, I would like thoughts on how the changes look, whether they look too much, or there could be more.

Before and After 1:

cdm k6 by CTS.Studio1, on Flickr


cdm k6_pp by CTS.Studio1, on Flickr

Before and After 2:

24-8-2012 K7 by CTS.Studio1, on Flickr

24-8-2012 K7_pp by CTS.Studio1, on Flickr

Cheers

 

[amolitor]

To my eye, the skin winds up looking a little too plasticky. Also, in the last one, if you're going to plasticize HALF of her face, do the other half too You can see her freckles and whatnot on the shadowed side, and that asymmetry makes her look a little odd.

I like the freckles!

I think I'd just tone it back a bit, basically it looks like a "good" direction in terms of making pleasing professional looking model shots, but it feels to me like you're going too far down the road.

 

[Bend The Light]

To my eye, the skin winds up looking a little too plasticky. Also, in the last one, if you're going to plasticize HALF of her face, do the other half too You can see her freckles and whatnot on the shadowed side, and that asymmetry makes her look a little odd.

I like the freckles!

I think I'd just tone it back a bit, basically it looks like a "good" direction in terms of making pleasing professional looking model shots, but it feels to me like you're going too far down the road.

Thanks. Yes, the freckles in the shadow haven't been done properly. These are the very first attempts and I haven't spent enough time with it yet.
And I agree about the plastic look. I think when practicing and trying to find what each setting does, there's a tendancy to slide the sliders all the way and see what they do. Afterwards comes more subtlety.

I will keep practising.

I want to do more work with customers in this way, so "ironing out" a few bits and bobs is useful and with Portrait Professional it is quite easy to do.

Cheers

 

[tirediron]

Great shooting, BTL - I would really STRONGLY avoid doing an iota more work on her skin than she absolutely demands (and by `demands` I mean, gun-to-you-head sort of deman). She`s got great skin as it is, and I think the freckles really add to her appearance.

 

[Bend The Light]

Great shooting, BTL - I would really STRONGLY avoid doing an iota more work on her skin than she absolutely demands (and by `demands` I mean, gun-to-you-head sort of deman). She`s got great skin as it is, and I think the freckles really add to her appearance.

Oh yes, I know. And I did leave it mostly untouched in HER images. These are just me practicing - seeing what can be done.

Thanks

 

[Granddad]

It's strange that this should be the first post I look at on TPF today - I just bought PP and it's downloading now (65%). I trialed it and was sold within 20 mins. I had a shoot recently with a lady of about 45, she'd had a MUA do her makeup before the shoot and it wasn't good... "I look like a raddled old hag!" was what she said. A PP trial corrected the bad make up job and made her look very glam. It's not what I'd normally do but for a budget shoot I can see it may save me A LOT of time and frustration.

As you say Bend The Light, it will take some practise to get it right and avoid the overcooked look but when has working on a photo of a beautiful woman ever been a chore?

 

[Derrel]

Great shooting, BTL - I would really STRONGLY avoid doing an iota more work on her skin than she absolutely demands (and by `demands` I mean, gun-to-you-head sort of deman). She`s got great skin as it is, and I think the freckles really add to her appearance.

Agreed, 110% + 50%!!! #3 is the winner!

 

[Bend The Light]

It's strange that this should be the first post I look at on TPF today - I just bought PP and it's downloading now (65%). I trialed it and was sold within 20 mins. I had a shoot recently with a lady of about 45, she'd had a MUA do her makeup before the shoot and it wasn't good... "I look like a raddled old hag!" was what she said. A PP trial corrected the bad make up job and made her look very glam. It's not what I'd normally do but for a budget shoot I can see it may save me A LOT of time and frustration.

As you say Bend The Light, it will take some practise to get it right and avoid the overcooked look but when has working on a photo of a beautiful woman ever been a chore?

A chore? Never!

I think, like everything, it has it's place. And you mention budget shoots, for better or worse, that's what i do. This is Barnsley, UK, and so so many people can't afford anything else.

And some of them are beautiful.

Great shooting, BTL - I would really STRONGLY avoid doing an iota more work on her skin than she absolutely demands (and by `demands` I mean, gun-to-you-head sort of deman). She`s got great skin as it is, and I think the freckles really add to her appearance.

Agreed, 110% + 50%!!! #3 is the winner!

Thanks. #3 was also PPd beforehand, but not as heavily as the first. still retains a lot of natural, that one.

Will keep practising.

 

[fjrabon]

you've got bizarre halo things around her head in the edited images.

 

[Bend The Light]

you've got bizarre halo things around her head in the edited images.

Hmmm, I see them now. Wonder where they came from?

Will investigate.

 

[Pallycow]

One thing I do when pp'ing women who want the soft sking look, many call plasticky (for some reason women like it...I don't per se, but eh whatever) I keep a copy of the original layer and when I get done with the skin/face, I mask back in over the hair and other parts of detail I think are important, usually starting around 15%, and I mask it back in to taste. Many of the tools for smoothing skin often affect the whole image, if you don't take the time to select just the skin...which is time consuming. So, I've just found it easier to apply to whole image and mask back in detail.

1 and 2 are examples of where I would have done it, hair is too soft I think.

I also do this on shots with men and women. The women like the soft look, but dudes don't, and guys just don't look good softened anyway. So I mask back in the guys and leave the women soft.

Just thought I'd add that in there.

 

[Bend The Light]

One thing I do when pp'ing women who want the soft sking look, many call plasticky (for some reason women like it...I don't per se, but eh whatever) I keep a copy of the original layer and when I get done with the skin/face, I mask back in over the hair and other parts of detail I think are important, usually starting around 15%, and I mask it back in to taste. Many of the tools for smoothing skin often affect the whole image, if you don't take the time to select just the skin...which is time consuming. So, I've just found it easier to apply to whole image and mask back in detail.

1 and 2 are examples of where I would have done it, hair is too soft I think.

I also do this on shots with men and women. The women like the soft look, but dudes don't, and guys just don't look good softened anyway. So I mask back in the guys and leave the women soft.

Just thought I'd add that in there.

Thanks. Most useful. I have used a layer mask to bring a guys features back - I use portraiture for skin stuff and have it output to a new layer anyway for that purpose. The Portrait Professional that I am toying with is easier for shaping, I feel, but can't do the skin softening so well.

Cheers

 

[Pallycow]

One thing I do when pp'ing women who want the soft sking look, many call plasticky (for some reason women like it...I don't per se, but eh whatever) I keep a copy of the original layer and when I get done with the skin/face, I mask back in over the hair and other parts of detail I think are important, usually starting around 15%, and I mask it back in to taste. Many of the tools for smoothing skin often affect the whole image, if you don't take the time to select just the skin...which is time consuming. So, I've just found it easier to apply to whole image and mask back in detail.

1 and 2 are examples of where I would have done it, hair is too soft I think.

I also do this on shots with men and women. The women like the soft look, but dudes don't, and guys just don't look good softened anyway. So I mask back in the guys and leave the women soft.

Just thought I'd add that in there.

Thanks. Most useful. I have used a layer mask to bring a guys features back - I use portraiture for skin stuff and have it output to a new layer anyway for that purpose. The Portrait Professional that I am toying with is easier for shaping, I feel, but can't do the skin softening so well.

Cheers

Yup, I use a mix of Imagenomic Portraiture, and Noiseware (which as a byproduct will smooth skin nicely at times), or I run inverted high pass filters, just depends on the image. But I've learned in each case to always apply to a copied layer so that I can mask back in any detail I feel the "boxed product" did that I don't like.

There is more than one way to skin a cat, and we all have different methods.