Forums > Digital Art and Retouching > Achieve this kind of contrast and saturation

Photographer

ryandjagustin

Posts: 33

Manila, National Capital Region, Philippines

Does anyone knows how to achieve this kind of editing? The contrast plus the saturation of the image, I mean the look like its flat and not that 3d kind of photos. Like it's not too 3d. Hope someone can understand me.

https://i60.tinypic.com/2v1nlar.png
https://i59.tinypic.com/2cgbkj.png
https://i60.tinypic.com/230hsk.png
https://i62.tinypic.com/2vb55ph.png
https://i60.tinypic.com/33u7d3d.png

Aug 23 15 09:05 am Link

Retoucher

Kami Fore

Posts: 150

Los Angeles, California, US

No problem.

It looks like basic post work to me - but ofc it also works if you have a great image to start with (great lighting, make up, etc).

You have your original, work your magic with local/global d&b (which gets you even texture and pretty global emphasis of highlights and contrast), and adjust your colors accordingly with selective color / hue+saturation and putting a curve or two (boosting highlights and contrast - making it crisp but not TOO crisp so its over done) ever so slightly - and you're done.

You can also fit doing an Image > Apply Image > Blue/Red/Green channel to a duplicate of the original in one of your stacks to add a sense of depth in the midst of all of this too. Just make sure you adjust its fill/opacity to taste and put it under overlay/softlight/multiply, whatever works to get the look you want.

Color wise you're just using selective color by going to the Red and Yellow sections in the sliders and adjusting them accordingly. Contrast can be boosted this way by boosting the Black part of the Black section.

Also again for contrast, just remembered this - If you want to add detail in your blacks and shadows in your image go to Image > Adjustments > Shadows/Highlights to a duplicate of one of your images in your stack and play around with it to get a balance where it doesn't have too much contrast and has some detail in your shadows.

Aug 23 15 09:34 am Link

Retoucher

Pall Kris Design

Posts: 103

Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania

Me think the first step should be to figure out the lighting that was used in the sample photos. The highlights are very well positioned etc etc
If you don't get the lights right spend many hours to retouch one photo smile

Aug 23 15 05:38 pm Link

Photographer

TMA Photo and Training

Posts: 1009

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, US

There is a nice range of underlying tonality to the images.  Good strong blacks...nice strong prominent highlights... gives the image visual range and pop...even if the contrast seems a bit flat.  The underlying luminance tonalities give the skin colors a nice range.

I think any image is a combination of good original content, story or model... backed up by good craftsmanship and artistry  in lighting and camera work...and then post processed just a bit... to strengthen the original concept and intent...till the image is almost perfect and pops off the page with cohesion and purpose. 

Images that are well conceived and thoughtfully produced, well crafted, and post produced to near artistic perfection are the kind of images we all admire.   I find myself trying to develop and work on all 3 fronts as much as I can.

If you miss... or are weak... on any of the 3 main elements of :    1.) Mastering what is happening in front of the camera  2.) Being a craftsman / technician and artist with your camera and lighting   3). Making post production fill in the blanks on anything that isnt technically, creatively or artistically perfect  ...  ...  Then  ...   ...  Your image and visual storytelling strength may be less than optimum.

If you want a solid Home Run image... you have to be at least good enough to get onto all 3 bases usually...  Or... sometimes people just get lucky... and all the elements just gel together magically somehow.  Yea, thats it !   Mystical and magic... skills we find hard to define or acquire predictably.  Sometimes I just get lucky...love when that happens.  Happens more often when I have been working at it!

Aug 23 15 08:08 pm Link