tag:www.sugarsock.com,2010-02-15:/portfolio/retouching//17 2010-02-22T08:08:58Z Seemingly everyone is a “Photoshop Master,” but quality photo retouching remains a craft few have mastered. My digital retouching career began in 1996, when image retouching was just being handed over to Photoshop technicians from artists who painted on photos. My favorite work is skin retouching and posterization. Movable Type Pro 5.01 tag:www.sugarsock.com,2010:/portfolio/retouching//17.460 2010-02-21T08:39:08Z 2010-02-22T08:08:58Z

I could've done a better just with the hair on the the right photo, but these are good examples of subjects removed from fairly complicated backgrounds.

April http://www.sugarsock.com/

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These images are pretty small, but the pictured machines have tons of notches, curved and straight edges, and very thin segments. Because they are mechanical, there is little leeway--all of the angles and parallels must immediately technically make visual sense.

April http://www.sugarsock.com/

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Outlining white and light-colored objects can be challenging if they fall against a darker background. Care must be taken not to create a halo effect or hard edge.

April http://www.sugarsock.com/

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Round-edged objects can be tricky, since the curve must look natural.

April http://www.sugarsock.com/

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An array of products is outlined.

April http://www.sugarsock.com/

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Points of complexity: Fishnet stockings on legs, hair, high-contrast areas.

April http://www.sugarsock.com/

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The original photo (left) was made more interesting by removing undereye bags, adding makeup and "plucking" the brows, slightly plumping the upper lip, increasing contrast, and adding subtle tint to the irises.

April http://www.sugarsock.com/

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Quick fixes to the original image (left) included removing blemishes, adding makeup, and warming up tones.

April http://www.sugarsock.com/

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The well-lighted left image was aged by adding noise, skewing colors, and reducing saturation.

April http://www.sugarsock.com/

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To make up for mediocre photography (left), I adjusted the image to more accurately portray the true colors of the piece. I then outlined the piece, added a glow, and dropped in a more interesting background.

April http://www.sugarsock.com/

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I refashioned the headshot (left) to a sketchy "painted" poster--using digital watercolor and charcoal before adding text--that quietly nods to J. Montgomery Flagg.

April http://www.sugarsock.com/

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This model needed a virtual dyejob to match a current look. I added summery makeup, changed her top, and added earrings--look closely at the right one to see room for improvement.

April http://www.sugarsock.com/

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The original headshot is slightly out of focus, and the part is messy. I sharpened the image, warmed the tones, cleaned her part, and created hair where the original photo was cropped before dropping the background.

April http://www.sugarsock.com/

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The main issue with this photo was the ugly wires obscuring the statue. I removed them, then adjusted the contrast for a cleaner overall image.

April http://www.sugarsock.com/

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For a photographer's website, I aged the clean, modern image on the left by adding burn spots, scratches, faded color, and fold lines to make it seem vintage.

April http://www.sugarsock.com/

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