subscribe 0330 333 1113 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 22 February 2020 43
Top tips for
retouching
1
Shoot in raw
To get the most out of your image
and your print, shoot in raw. You can do
so much more to your image at the
editing stage if you switch to this fi le
format. Despite raw fi les taking up more
space on your hard drive and memory
card compared to JPEGs it will open up
more creative possibilities.2
Know when to stop
It’s really easy to keep editing your
image trying to make it perfect,
however you don’t want to go too far
and take away that essence that made
your image successful in the fi rst place.
There’s a fi ne line between done and
overdone so get feedback, keep
comparing your edited image to the
original so you can avoid this.3
Proof colours
In Photoshop you can check the
proof colours by going to View>Proof
Colours. If you are still working on your
image do this rather than converting
your image to CMYK as it will retain the
RGB colour gamut (which is larger than
the CMYK gamut) but it will still preview
your image as CMYK, which is what it
will be printed out as.4
Get a professional
to print it
Printing is a real art form and requires a
lot of technical knowledge. I am not
ashamed to admit that it is not my
strength and so I invest in my work
through external printing services such
as WhiteWall. Ask them about fi le
formats and colour profi les so you can
be sure your print is perfect. For me
they can produce a far better result at a
better price than I would be able to
achieve at home.5
Get a sample
If you are printing something for an
exhibition or big print get a test print
fi rst. Test strips/prints are available from
any good printers and are vital before
you commit to the fi nal one.6
Think about
presentation
Don’t just think about your image as
a printed photo, think of it as a fi nal
product. Printing on materials such as
aluminium or canvas can be great.
There are many different options
but try to match your image to the
best method because not all images
suit all processes.IN ASSOCIATION WITH
‘I recommend WhiteWall’s ultraHD Photo Print
Under Acrylic Glass. Compared to conventional
photos, ultraHD Photo Prints offer signifi cantly
better resolution and have visibly sharper
defi nition in the image’s fi ner details. Adding our
15mm Basel fl oater frame in the natural oak
colour gives the image a rustic yet classy look. If
you want to put more focus on the satiny gloss
of the feathers and on the image itself, go for
WhiteWall’s giclée print on Hahnemühle Fine Art
Pearl paper. A brown Hamburg passe-partout
frame suits the image too. I would order the
picture in a size of at least 40 x 40cm.’
Jan-Ole Schmidt, Product Manager,
WhiteWall.comWhiteWall
recommends
4 Background burning
Once I had removed the main marks from the
background I then duplicated the top layer and
went to the Burn tool (Range set to Shadows
at 8% exposure) and gradually darkened the
background. I then added a Curves Adjustment
layer to tone the overall image.