Am I close? Client wants "Hollywood glamour" look

[amber1]

My client saw some pictures of a bride in a magazine that was taken with the

old movie star glamour type lighting and asked if I could do this to any of

her pictures (this was all after the shoot so all will be PS work) I was

wondering if anyone had any pointers and if I was even close to this with the

one I tried. Thanks<div></div>

[edgar_njari]

Could you be more specific? Post some examples of what you are trying to emulate.

 

Also, this could work without the blown out highlights.

[amber1]

Unfortunately all I have is her description. She emailed me about the picture she saw but she doesn't even have the magazine to show me. I am assuming that she is wanting something in the George Hurrell style. I was looking at this site to get some ideas: http://www.hurrellphotos.com/hurrell_home.asp?ID=2

I used the channel mixer to darken the shadows and brighten/blowout the highlights and a duplicate layer with gaussian blur and vivid light blending mode. Here is the original...<div></div>

[don_e]

Amber,

 

Browse thru these: www.doctormacro.com/

 

--

Don E

[mike_earussi1]

You're close, but Hurrell photos tend to be more dramatic and higher contrast in the sense of less of the entire body illumuinated.

[amber1]

Don, those are great examples of what I have in mind! Mike, I see what you mean about the Hurrell photos. I guess I can play with the lighting effects filter and see what I come up with...

[don_e]

Amber,

 

If there is a hard deadline, google: glamour photoshop actions

 

I've seen some for free download. You can analyse the actions to see the workflow, then modify to your needs.

 

--

Don

[jeffrey_blake_adams]

quick fix, try diffuse glow. Jeff

[roger_kallet]

For future reference: this book would be useful if you want to get this "look" in a studio setting.

 

 

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/BookSearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&isbn=0817440208&itm=2

[will_perlis]

"Hurrell photos tend to be more dramatic and higher contrast..."

 

And very often with some obvious shadows across faces, etc. I wonder how some shots of the edge of a gray card would work if superimposed as semi-transparent layers on the original. (Or the "shadows" could be constructed totally in PS and then layered on.)

 

I don't know what will work but I'm thinking it would be fun to try.

[bruce levy]

Go to a stage supply shop and try to purchase some old fresnel spots of various size, maybe some gobos and cookies. Back then the photographers used pretty directional light, and utilized the skills of neg retouchers, and sometimes air brush artists. Otherwise study the shots and develop the skills to approximate the old technique. There's no magic pill.

[amber1]

Thank you all for your help. I think I am getting closer with the working on this in PS. The diffuse glow helped quite a bit and added a bit of grain which seems to fit the style well. I have ordered the book that Roger recomended--I would like to be able to create this look for my clients in the future so I guess I'll be buying more equipment before long. Thanks again!

[derek_stanton2]

Alien Skin "Exposure" > Polysulfide or GoldToning Split.

Selective/feathered selection of head, inverted :: gaussian blur to simulate shallow DOF.

Melancholytron :: for additional softness and vignette.

 

Difficult to work with the low(low)-res JPG you posted, but is this close?

 

If you're looking to emulate vintage/hollywood glam, think about the cameras they used. Large format. You have long focal length lenses, but with 'normal' perspective = shallow depth of field. Try split toning. Selective sharpening and selective diffusion. And, retouch skin with cloning, since the 'masters' were very likely to use airbrushing.<div></div>

[derek_stanton2]

Drat. Forgot to re-size it....<div></div>

[anthonyd]

Hi Amber, I'm know I'm a bit late on this but I love that "Hollywood" look, so I couldn't resist! You've got your work cut out for you with this photo. I'm no expert on the subject but from what I've seen of those type of shots, you're already starting off in a tough spot considering her pose. If I remember correctly, the Hollywood Glamour shot was a direct result of studios trying to achieve a few things. First, with the creation of "TALKIES" they wanted to keep the fans attention on the beauty of the actors/actresses as many of them had harsh acents and/or couldn't deliver a line to save thier own lives! Also the news papers back then couldn't wait to get dirt on Hollywood icons ( Nothing's Changed! ) so the studios needed to keep projecting a positive image of the Actor/Actresses to the public. Last, they wanted to keep ticket sales up by making the public feel that these people were much larger than life even when off the big screen! For all of these reasons, the photos were very dramatic and over the top. The photographers usually achieved thier goals by using high contrast and dramatically lit close ups and dramatic poses.(I.E. Laying back with one hand behind the head, a sultry look emphisized by a spot beaming across the eyes.) While this is a nice photo, it lacks a dramatic pose and look on the face that help produce the look that she would like. Someone with more talent than I may be able to help you more but I thought I'd throw in my two cents in case it helped! I lightened the shadows a bit, removed the color, added a spot light from the upper left and increased the contrast a bit. It came out OK but I think it still lacks impact. If she can live without the full body shot, I would suggest cropping the photo for more of a close up. That may help add some impact. I know you posted this some time ago, so I am wondering how you did with this project? With Respect, Anthony<div></div>