“My first stop on any image is clean-up: removing any dust, lens spots, sensor marks and
so on,” explains Barry Craig (www.barrycraig.co.uk and http://www.digital-giant.com). “This is
the work that needs to be done regardless of client comments. The process after this
varies depending on the image. If there are elements to be composited into the main
scene, I will repeat the clean-up on these then extract them with the Pen tool. Then I will
build a low-res composition to show the client before the high-res retouching begins.
Clients usually have an end product in mind; more often than not they have concept art that
the art director has drawn or commissioned. The role of the retoucher is to take this
concept to the very strongest final image it can be. There’s still a lot of magic involved and
the client still expects a lot of creative initiative to be taken.”“Create a rectangle and add a gradient from one end to the other,”
instructs Mark Gilvey (www.mgcre8v.com). “Now put a mark through it
and try to restore the gradient to its original state. Why? You will see this
linear gradient in many different things; architecture, walls ceilings, a
sheet of paper on a table, a sign and so on. If you can restore the
gradient, chances are you can reconstruct or restore it in a real retouch.
Before I start with a composite, a retouch, restoration, or any type of
major work that I will do in Photoshop, I will look the parts over as if I’m
about to write a piece of music and assess what needs to be done and
weigh that against my confidence to be able to do it. Then I begin the
composition. I know it sounds goofy but some work is like that. You
have to get your skills and your confidence to a level where you can be
the conductor, and that takes years of practice.”- CLEAN UP BEFORE CREATIVITY
- TUNE YOUR INSTRUMENT
© Photographer: Jeff Ludes© Mark GilveyTaking the feedback Client comments:^
board is always a of the client on
© Photographer: Sophie Ebrard big part of the job
“This shot was a nightmare to get right,” says Barry Craig of the Adidas
MiCoach series he worked on. “The poor guy had to do the same
aggressive sprint all day until the client was happy that they’d captured
the energy well enough. The explosions in the image were shot
separately in the studio, so we used a mannequin to get a sense of how
they would interact with a body. The shape and direction of the
explosions are supposed to be representative of the particular
movement that the player is performing, so the clouds were shaped
using numerous different shots. I actually ended up making a number
of brushes shaped like clouds and explosions from the material we shot
to help shape the explosion how the client wanted it. Having brushes
shaped like this was the only way to flexibly sculpt the explosion with
speed and accuracy while the client was still making comments. Once
we had the general shape and size confirmed, we could go in and
improve it, add fine detail, shadowing, interaction with the player and so
on. I also had to change the entire background. The client liked the
player’s shape and expression in this shot, but not the amount of smoke
or the lighting in the background, so I ended up building a composite of
a few of the other shots from the day’s shooting.”- PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
Explosive images:with a mannequin taking the place of the player The explosion was shot separately,was a series of images, Craig Serial options: Because it
could borrow bits and pieces from other shotsBring on the brushes:and explosions from the material shot to complete the image Craig made brushes shaped like cloudsRETOUCHING TIPS