looking for new retouch inspiration...

<p>hi - i hope i am not offending anyone when im saying that im kind of tired of reading the same photoshop books and reading the same online tutorials on retouching over and over again. Can anyone point to a more professionel source/author - i the form of books, downloadable pdf, cd-rom ....ofcause im ready to pay for it. thanks anna</p>

<p><a href="http://www.grygarness.com/downloads.htm">http://www.grygarness.com/downloads.htm</a></p>

<p>I bought the beauty retouching for CS3 as the one for CS4 one had not come out yet at the time.<br>

Well worth the money.</p>

<p>You could also look at this:<br>

<a href="http://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thread_id=332161">http://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thread_id=332161</a><br>

and this:<br>

<a href="http://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thread_id=286223">http://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thread_id=286223</a></p>

<p>:)</p>

<p>Come in Mtl, i have a pretty good advanced beauty retouching workshop that i give next wednesday ; )</p>

<p>Hi, Anna. I thought Vincent Versace's tutorials on <a href="http://www.lynda.com">www.lynda.com</a> were excellent, but I don't know what you'd think of them. They're more than simple retouching. He tells you how to make a portrait look flattering yet natural at the same time.</p>

<p>What exactly are you looking for that you're not finding? </p>

<p>hmm - diana thats a good question.I once bought Vincents book "OZ .. something" and i was really disapointed. Anyway - i dont really care about smoothning skin - so beauty retouching is maybe not the right word .Often when i view images the colors/color effect/desaturatet colors/skin colors an so on - is the first thing i react to - and that is maybe what i am looking for - how to treat colors in a image to make them look good - . Patrick - is that Montreaul - Canada? - i surgest you come to Copenhagen :) and to Steinar : yes i bought Gry Garness ebook and that is really really good - the only thing im reading at the moment - still miss something about colors. anna</p>

<p>yep, Montreal Quebec Canada : )</p>

<p>I will let you know if i plan a trip to Copenhagen, you never know!</p>

<p>yes do that - OR do and ebook:)</p>

<p>Patrick, if you ever do what Anna suggests be sure to let us know! :)</p>

<p>BTW Steinar - can you tell me if theres any reason to get Gry Garness pscs4 - as i said i have the cs3 - i mean is there any new tricks in there or is it just an update on cs4? - also imlooking at the color tool ebook she also sells?anna</p>

<p>You're really asking, "What color looks good?"</p>

<p>It's subjective. We can't tell you what looks good to you, just what looks good to us.</p>

<p>First, get your monitor calibrated. Then we can be fairly sure we are seeing the same thing as you are. Only then can we make a reasonable assessment as to "what looks good" to you and us. And be able to show you an example of what we feel is correct. Otherwise, we're stuck with a vague premise of difference in opinion on an image we can't even be sure is being shown in the same way as you see it on your sytem.</p>

<p>I hope you see the problem.</p>

<p>You are misunderstanding me.maybe my english isnt that good . As i said - often when i see another photographers images - im thinking wow how does he/she get those kind of colors/look - that is why i often ask (Patrick Lavoie) here on this forum - and he allmost allways seems to know color combination / wich tool to use in PS. Now for once i thought about getting a book / cd - kind of recipies/tuts on color looks - and NO - i dont neeed another Scott Kelby /matt kaslowski/Katrinn Eismann photoshop cookbook (they are ok for beginners). So maybe there where somone ouy there who knew about some exiting ebook/book bla bla.I know i can do as i please when working in Ps - but its nice to be inspired. My question has got nothing to do with calibration.</p>

<p>Maybe you are suffering from PS fatigue. Try another Photo editing software package and please something other than light-room.</p>

<p>Well Harry - i absolutly love photoshop soooo....... im going to go with Gry Garness ebook for cs4 and keep on trying to get the image right in camera regarding light and the overall expression of the image.</p>

<p>Ok - so i looked up "fatigue" - and yes maybe thats it! :)</p>

<p>or maybe head against the wall!</p>

<p>Better than any book is to experiment yourself. Retouching on Film and Paper expertise came from experimenting on unimportant negatives, etching and using pencil or dyes, etc... Years and years of practice. Practice or experiment until it becomes second nature. <br>

TO get a lot of it, you might do what I did. Coming from a large family I offered to restore all of the old and valuable images family members had. Some came from as far back as the Civil War, two ancestors awarded the Medal of Honor, tintypes, etc. Scanned them to get the best results, then adjusted them, color correcting very badly faded color images and BW. It is amazing to me even what you can do in PS.<br>

Removing stains, dust marks, scratches, tears, etc. Wound up with over 900 images to work with, it gave me a LOT of practice. Did the easiest ones first, as I gained experience the more difficult ones then the ones I first though impossible.</p>

 

<p>If you want a good colour workout I'd recommend downloading the Alien Skin Exposure plug-in. Experiment with all the different film looks. Then teach yourself how to recreate them using curves in Photoshop.</p>

<p>Can´t really tell if there is a point in having the book for CS4 in addition to the one for CS3, but would I think the changes would be minimal. Maybe just a slightly different workflow due to different location of the tools (adjustment layers, etc.).</p>

<p>But I really don´t know. I have the one for CS3 myself.<br>

<br /> But I guess it would be interesting to have the one about color optimization. Guess that one might contain some of what you are looking for.</p>

<p>Experimentation is also a good thing, as said above. For inspiration:<a href="http://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thread_id=462583&page=1"></a> http://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thread_id=462583&page=1</p>

<p>:)</p>

<p>Thanks Steinar for the gradient tut - Also your are propably right about the cs4 ebook - I waited to buy until You answered - in first round im trying that color optim. ebook.</p>

<p>I just bought the CS4 ebook about retouching, let see what i could learn! i always get new stuff or new way of doing thing reading..yep even as a professional you need to stay aware of new technique, try them, learn them, and mix them with your own to get a better / faster result. When you think you know too much of something or know all of it..this is where you start loosing it. Im working with Ps since version 2..17 years later. i still by mistake most of the time get a new shortcut or a new effect..im working 40hrs a week with this app, and if i still can learn material, im sure you could also ; )</p>

<p>As a user mention it, experiment is the best way of getting what you want, but you also need to get some base to know what to mix with what to get what you want...heres a quick book list i own and still refer to them sometime just for fun..and to refresh my memory;</p>

<p><br /> <br /> 1_Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Photographers: A Professional Image Editor's Guide to the Creative use of Photoshop for the Macintosh and PC by Martin Evening<br /> <br /> 2_Real World Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop CS2 by Bruce Fraser</p>

<p>3_Black and White in Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop Lightroom: Create stunning monochromatic images in Photoshop CS3, Photoshop Lightroom, and beyond by Leslie Alsheimer</p>

<p>and lynda.com have been a seriously good online tutorial for years, i learn Lr 2 years ago there, and 3 weeks after i was giving workshop on it ; )</p>

<p>As for the ebook by Patrick Lavoie, i wrote every 2 month in a french magazine call PhotoSolution, basic to intermediate material pretty good and easy to follow if you can read french. And finally im starting to get on the process of writing some ebook in a really close future, in french to start, and in english if someone would help me with the traduction..so stay tune, maybe one day i will finnaly have my ecommerce web site LOL.</p>

<p>Tips number # 45678</p>

<p>Start learning the different blending mode by using a simple adjustment curve with no setting in it, then press OK, and change the blending mode from Normal, to Multiply etc..you will discover a lot of cool quick effx there. Then by using the opacity slider you will learn how to control them.</p>

<p>For example;</p>

<p>1_ a hue saturation adjustment layer, -100, set to softlight will get you a high contrast image but with a desaturated high end look like in the mag (or close to).</p>

<p>2_by using a empty layer fill with a warm color like yellow / red set as multiply will give you the same effect as a Cockin Filter in front of your lens, so with the opacity you will be able to control the amount.</p>

<p>3_by using a empty layer fill with a warm color like yellow / red set as color will give you the same effect as tinted BW if apply on a BW image (in RGB) so with the opacity you will be able to control the amount, and get some really nice sepia or cyanotype kind of look.</p>

<p>4_i always adjust my level first, then add some contrast with a curve, then a color balance to add / remove some warmer color, then a quick hue saturation of around 15% to get some more punch..and a mix of the 1-2-3 step to get a better look.</p>

<p>Then i start my retouching on a background copy, with different sharpen method.</p>

<p>hope that help you, and let me know by email if you want to show me some material of yours for comments..real comment that will help you.</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

<p>hi Patrick - seems youre a mind reader: =) your post here is exactly whats going on im my brain - the look /the feel - and i guess when it comes down to basics You are getting your looks by experimenting AND getting inspired (as you mention above) by others and thereby learning the PS differnt tools, settings and combinations for speciffic moods/colors. I too is allways on the lookout for new ways to do things. What ive found here is that i no good enough to experiment - i have no visual goal in my head when starting out on retouching an image. Ive got to learn that. I got Lydia.com psc4 yesterday - ok ! I like your color treatment of above image and the fact that You post settings is really inspiring.I still havent bought Gry Garness pscs4 :) as im rereading thepscs3 to see if ive missed out any goodies. Im very glad that you might take out some time to comment upon some of my images. Imgoing to photograph on saturday - and when ive made the first and best image id very much like your comments. Now go make that Ebook :) im sure everyone else is waiting too</p>

<p><strong>"Maybe you are suffering from PS fatigue. Try another Photo editing software package and please something other than light-room."</strong><br />Hi Anna,<br />I tried to use PS a few years ago and was frustrated. Now I use Irfanview which happens to be a freebie and even better more user friendly if you want to check it out. The Live Music pics under my url were done using this program. Good-luck.</p>

<p>Of course now looking at Patrick's work for the first time it is beautiful.</p>

<p>Looking for inspiration have little to do with the tool you use; photoshop, corel, gimp or else are all tools..they are not creating anything for you.</p>

<p>If you need inspiration, learning a new software to do the same thing as you want but differently will not help at all the concept.</p>

<p>And for what is worth, since a lot of pro retoucher use Photoshop as there main tool, you have way more chance of getting good tutorial and experienced user than searching for THE tutorial on gimp or infarview of course...even if in the end most user would acquire the same look as for color and mood with any kind of software.</p>

<p>___________</p>

<p>thanks for the good word on my work, im only as good as the rest of the team..the photographer, the make up artist, the stylist..and the model have a lot to do also ; )</p>

<p>Hi there<br>

Just thought I'd let you know about how the Gry Garness CS4 Digital Retouching book differs from CS3. There are 70 more new pages and none of them are fillers. In fact, I have tightened some 3-page tutorials to fit in more content. Most of the new tutorials fit right into the same structure as the CS3 book, but there is also a new chapter that looks at whole workflows, and the image as a whole, including a bit about backgrounds. Another thing I'd like to mention is that there were many functionality changes in CS4 and these are reflected all the way in the tutorials. All the step-by-step tutorials have been adapted for CS4 (apart from the Pen tool Paths and a couple of others). Having said this, I would not recommend that you buy the CS4 book until you are actually working in CS4. The CS3-CS4 changes might trip you up if you follow the tutorials using CS3.<br>

Also to say thank you for kind words about the ebooks. There's a discount for previous buyers (see your email). FYI Anna, I am working on a comprehensive colour book. Colour is my big passion – even more so than retouching. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) I am also very busy as a retoucher, so the priorities are always a bit tough. As you can see, the website suffers from lack of TLC but will be completely redesigned as soon as time allows.<br>

allthebest<br>

Gry</p>