retouching tutorial? - showroom lighting

[bluphoto]

<p>I'm looking for a basic tutorial on retouching the tones (eg dodging, burning, masking etc) across the body of a

car, like those seen in new car brochures. You know, the reflections of light banks on the roof and bonnet of the car,

for example.<br>

I want to be able to apply this technique to studio figure work, but whenever I try, the result looks awful.

Of course, cars tend to have flatter panels than people, so I guess that adds to the problem.<br>

That's why I thought I could try it out on cars first.</p>

<p>many thanks<br>

Guy</p>

[patricklavoie]

<p>so you want a tutorial for a car or for someone face?</p>

<p>In any case heres a quick how to, easy to follow if you know your way around Photoshop.</p>

<p>1_make a empty layer</p>

<p>2_fill it with a 50% gray using edit / fill / content / 50% gray, normal 100% OK</p>

<p>3_back in the layer section, change the blending mode from NORMAL to softlight.</p>

<p>4_using a brush with different opacity, paint your effect over the object; white paint mean highlight (dodge), black paint mean shadow (burn)</p>

<p>by playing with the brush opacity you will create different intensity across your image like what you could do before in the tradional darkroom.</p>

<p>see this thread for a more explain approched;<br>

http://www.photo.net/digital-darkroom-forum/00VOCq</p>

[Charles_Webster]

<p>Those nice smooth highlights and reflections in auto ads are created by the lighting, not in post processing. They use huge diffusers in front of the light banks to create that.</p>

<p><Chas><br /><br /></p>

[stephen_ray]

<p>You're looking for a method which is now popularly called "the slikforce technique" found here:</p>

<p>http://masteringretouching.com/proof1.php</p>

<p>By looking at the great artistic nudes in your port, I believe your existing work ideally lends itself to this method. (Oiled skin with the necessary gradations.)</p>

<p>Rest assured also, as you know automotive shoots use large light sources, virtually all commercials, both still and motion, utilize heavy retouching to perfect the image.</p>

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[kyleweems]

<p>I have to say I don't really like the before/afters from that page.. they destroy all skin detail and basically just paint on skin tones.. there a thin line between 'natural looking' and 'super fake' and it seems to cross it pretty quickly.</p>

<p>As for technique in retouching.. what Patrick suggested is your best bet. Lots of control, hugely flexible and effective.. it also creates a rather cool 'chalk drawing' effect if you work over the entire image and turn it back to normal mode :)</p>

<p>Kyle</p>

[stephen_ray]

<p>@ Kyle: Guy's original post says he wants to "try it out on cars first" and the method offered from Patrick doesn't lend itself to cars at all. </p>

<p>@ Patrick: Guy's original post doesn't ask about "someone's face." He wants to apply a technique to his studio figure work. Dodging and Burning can enhance the overall image greatly but it's not a practical method to handle edge transitions for full body shots. (For skin or cars.)</p>

<p>Again, the slickforce technique is ideal for both skin and cars. Besides being nondestructive, skin pores, hair, beads of spritzer, etc., are retained if desired. It depends on how heavy-handed the customer wants the shot to be.</p>

<p>Here's another link for Guy and it correctly mentions for flawless skin "you want to disturb texture and tone."<br>

http://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=101733&seqNum=3</p>

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[kyleweems]

<p>It might 'mention' it.. but if that image is your idea of reality, we have very different ideas of what reality looks like.</p>

<p>I'd also like to mention that you're starting to sound like an advertisement.. only pushing somebody to spend a fortune on some tutorial package instead of offering any other ideas. If you think something in that is so useful, by all means please share.</p>

<p>Most the stuff you see with cars is shot that way with elaborate lighting setups.. no way around that unfortunately.</p>

[stephen_ray]

<p>@ Kyle: Reality? Did Guy mention anything about "reality" in his request for a retouching tutorial? </p>

<p>I have now offered two sources of tutorials that fulfill the notions for studio figure work of skin AND cars. Exactly what he was looking for. Fortunately and coincidentally it was easy for me to provide the sources. One is free and the other is not. Guy's choice. Nick's work is the current "reality" as to what is selling for him today. The technique is VERY similar to Suzette's "realty" as to what was working for her about ten years ago. My photos above are from about 10 years before that and they were the "reality" I had to work with before Photoshop 1.0. Guess what? The technique was exactly the same as the two sources provided. That was before Adobe found "transparency" or "layers." (Neither were invented by Adobe.) </p>

<p>Elaborate lighting setups? Not really. Both are one light. The bottom shot has some white fome-cor for the body panels. A lighting setup not unlike studio figure setups.</p>

<p>What was elaborate for the bottom shot was retouched in: The car in motion, with a driver, spinning wheels with a different cover treatment, on a wet road, in a tunnel, at night, the Las Vegas strip at the exit, a license plaque, all edge transitions smoothed, illuminated tail lamps, flare from all the lights. If I find the shot I will post it. If I don't find the original, I will remake it as I did about 15 ~ 20 years ago. </p>

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[patricklavoie]

<p>Syephen, the method i describe work well when well done by someone who know what to do and where to apply it... heres another method that also work (because it is the method to do it) explain in this link;<br>

(go around mid page where you see a highlight add on a nose.. and replace nose by arm, legs, chin, feet..anything you need a highlight add bascially)<br>

http://www.photo.net/digital-darkroom-forum/00VmDI</p>

[bluphoto]

<p>Thanks so much for the multitude of options presented. I'll let you know how I get on...</p>