As part of my development on the MIP pathway I attended a Photoshop workshop where I was taught the basics of image retouching. The main focus was to use basic tools on portrait images to remove unwanted blemishes or errors to produce a professional quality image.
It was also the first opportunity I have had to use a Wacom drawing tablet, which provided extra precision for intricate and close-up edits.
Original
Edit
The image above shows the final outcome of the session. Whilst at first glance may not look significantly different, a number of changes have been made to subtly improve the portrait.
Firstly, the blemish tool (as mentioned in previous posts) has been used to remove blemishes on the subjects face. Combined with the use of the Wacom tablet which gave me pinpoint precision on each blemish, this tool was incredibly useful in removing marks and covering up the edits.
The second tool used was the stamp tool which, when selecting a sample area for the tool to use, was particularly useful in removing stray hairs and larger blemishes that the blemish tool would otherwise struggle to hide. This was mainly used on the chin hairs, as well as a few hairs found against the background which can be seen in the original image at the top of the page.
In addition to the intricate edits, I utilised the practice of a non-destructive workflow to make highlight edits. By using a manual methods, I created various layers that each affected a different aspect of the image; lightening, darkening and saturation. By doing this I am able to adjust each individual layer with more control, compared to applying a filter over the image as one whole adjustment.
This edit allowed me to reduce the highlights of specific areas on the subjects face whilst darkening others. This was followed by the addition of an S-curve which made the highlights and shadows deeper and more defined for a dynamic result.
Skills used:
- Photoshop
- Non-destructive workflow
- Layering
- Masking
- Blemish removal tool
- Stamp tool
- Saturation adjustments
- Highlight adjustments
- Shadow adjustments
Putera, I.M (2018) boy's face close-up photography photo [Royalty Free Imagery] At: https://unsplash.com/photos/n4KewLKFOZw (Accessed 28/04/21)
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