other methods, this is the look I prefer and how each image from my studio is
produced.
The Eyes.Once the skin is retouched, we then enhance the eyes. We use the
Dodge tool to define the catchlights and bring out the eye color. The hardest
part of the eye-enhancement is making sure the enhancement looks natural in
each eye. Many who are new to Photoshop will enhance the eyes to make each
identical in color and to match the size of the catchlights. The perfect en-
hancement, however, is one you don’t notice—one that uses the light patterns
that already exist in the original image.
Shadowing.The next thing our retouchers look at is the shadowing. If I de-
cided to work with a higher lighting ratio to thin the face using a very dark
shadow, the retoucher will look at the shadow side of the nose and other shadow
areas to see if they need to be lightened. If needed, they will use the Cloning
Stamp tool at a low opacity to soften the shadow slightly and not remove it.
And That’s It!This is our basic retouching that is done on each image—and
that’s it. How can we get by with so little enhancement while other photogra-
phers aren’t? I work on fixing obvious problems in the studio, not on the com-
puter. I shoot with digital the same way as I used to shoot on film. Just because
youcanmake difficult correction and enhancements on the computer doesn’t
mean youshould. With film, we were able to do only negative retouching, with
any additional correction being done as artwork on each individual print. When
you grow up shooting this way, you are very careful about what you create;
mistakes that digital photographers now make every day (then waste time fix-
ing in Photoshop) used to cost film photographers a fortune. (Of course, the
digital photographers of today pay a price, too—typically their personal lives!)Our Approach to Correction.
Look for Simple Fixes.Because we are a higher-priced studio, our retouchers
do also look at each image to see if there are any simple corrections—things
that could be done in a matter of seconds—that would greatly enhance the
image. For example, because of the amount of traffic in our high-key area, there
are always little marks on the floor that can be easily eliminated with a simple
brighten and blur action.
For Heavy Subjects.Liquify.For very heavy subjects, the retouchers look
at the face and body to find obvious bulges or areas that could quickly be
thinned down. Two effective ways to handle problems of weight are using the
Liquify filter (Filter>Liquify) to flatten bulges. Simply select around the bulge.
Then, choose the Forward Warp tool from the upper left-hand corner of the di-
alog box. Then, adjust the size of the brush as needed and push in the bulge.
Stretching.The second technique is very effective for thinning a person, es-
pecially in the face. You simply go to Image>Image Size, turn off all the Con-
strain Proportions box, and increase the size of the image to stretch the facePOSTPRODUCTION 117The next thing our
retouchers look at
is the shadowing.