“The golden rule of retouching is that the final product must look natural,” says Nancy Lund
Springer. “The image should be perfect to your client’s specifications, without leaving a
trace that a retoucher has been there. Assessing the image, especially images that are
problematic, is the first step. This generally takes a few minutes. There are many problems
that may need to be overcome, from moiré and false colour artefacts, strange waves or
rings of colour and tone rippling over fabric, to imperfections in skin, facial hair on women,
wrinkles needing removal in fabric, seams that don’t match... the list is endless. While the
toolset needed to address these problems remains the same, the image always dictates
which combination of myriad techniques will be used. I usually start with what I determine
to be the most difficult area in order to overcome difficult obstacles at the beginning of the
project rather than at the end. Sometimes you just need take some deep breaths and start.
When faced with a daunting retouching task, I look to one of the most relevant expressions
for inspiration: it’s like eating an elephant; just take one bite at a time.”“There can also be an array of problems overlooked by your client that
need to be addressed, but due to the extra time it might take, may not
have been budgeted into the project,” adds Lund Springer. “An example
of a retouching job I once had is typical of this scenario. We were asked
to retouch a very dark image of two models in Egyptian costumes
flanked by a beautiful gold-encrusted sarcophagus and large vases.
Upon review of the image with a creative director, there didn’t seem to
be a lot of work involved in post-retouching and [it] was budgeted
accordingly. However, when I opened the RAW image, it was revealed
that the vases and sarcophagus were placed on wooden crates to make
them at a higher level to fit into the shot properly. Also, the fabric used
for a backdrop was too long and fell in waves on the ground, and some
objects unrelated to the shot were in full view. My task was to cover
these distractions by compositing parts of other existing elements into
the shot.”- ASSESS THE IMAGE 21. BEWARE HIDDEN JOBS
© Photography: Innerspin © Photography: InnerspinPro retoucher Brian York (www.brnyrk.com) outlines his workflow: “First,
process the RAW files, which I prefer to do myself to ensure highlight and
shadow detail is preserved, just slightly under what the final contrast of the
image may be. Since the majority of what I do is compositing, I start with
cutting out the elements and creating Smart Objects, always with a layer mask
inside. Then I add everything to the composition to make sure the processing of
the elements are all at a good starting point. Using Smart Objects for the
elements means I can always go back and replace the base image if needed,
regardless of any transformations applied. Basic clean-up would later be done
inside the Smart Object. Smart Objects are important when compositing as
they allow me to retain the transformation points after they are applied, so I can
go back and make subtle tweaks if needed. I recently had to create a tapered
mug from a straight sided mug and apply an embossed logo. The alterations to
the ice and condensation of the mug were dealt with and then put into a Smart
Object to create transformations. This allowed me to be able to tweak the shape
to the client’s specifications at any point while retaining the original image
inside the Smart Object to make changes easier.”- USE SMART OBJECTS
© Photographer: Taylor CastlePHOTO EDITING