Edit the shot
4
ModeratelocallightingUsethe
Adjustmentbrushforlocaliseddodging
and burning.Duetothesteeplightgradient
from the lefttotherightoftheframewe
need to liftsomeoftheresultingshadows,
as well as brushinginoutsidedetailfroman
underexposedframe,wideningthedynamic
range in theshot.5
CinematicproportionsToachievea
more theatricalfeelwecancropthisframe
to 16:9. Sincewe’vetakena panoramicseries
of shots thisfitstheshapeofthefinalframe.
However, fora moreclassicorpainterlyfeel,a
squarer frame– 4:3,forexample– wouldbe
an ideal choice.6
Oil textureAsa final,optionalstep,
consideraddinga painterlytexture.While
it doesn’t addtothethemeofmodern
cinema, overlayinga texturefileandchanging
the blend modetoSoftLightcanprovide
atmosphere,buildingonourlightingstylethat
mimics a popular20th-centurypainter.1
Adjust whitebalanceFilteringthelight
from a flashtoadjustthetemperature
creates analmostfinishedcolourtonein-
camera, butsomeadjustmentmaybeneeded.
Here the orangecastistoostrong,soweneed
to removesomeofthemagentaandred,for
morning ratherthansunrisecolouring.2
StackyourframesAdjustthebasic
settingsofallofyouruniquelyilluminated
frames in aRAW-processingapplicationsuch
as Lightroom,thenmovethemintoPhotoshop.
Stack themaslayers,andmaskoutthe
unwantedpartstocreatea universallylit
image, withperfectlightingforeachzone.3
CleanuptheframeWheneveryou’re
workingina realenvironmentinsteadof
a set it maybenecessarytoremoveobjects
or retouchareas.Forthisshotweneedto
iron out someblemishesinthewallpaperand
paintwork.Thesubjectalsorequiressome
basic retouchingwork!BEFORE
4 5 6
CINEMATIC PORTRAITS