Forums > Digital Art and Retouching > How to achieve this look/tones?

May 28 16 12:09 pm Link

Retoucher

3869283

Posts: 1464

Sofia, Sofija grad, Bulgaria

All questions "How to achieve this look" lead to the question "What IS this look", i.e. what do you see on this look.

1. See the skin tone - what does it look like? How is it different from natural tone?
2. Same for grass
3. Whites
4. Blacks
5. All other colors

Once you determine what you are actually seeing - the rest is just applying the proper tools to the relevant channel.

May 28 16 01:31 pm Link

Photographer

TMA Photo and Training

Posts: 1009

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, US

Making pictures look like other pictures... is sometimes a challenge... because the originals you listed... may have been  shot different than the pictures you have in your hand.

What you do is look at the original images and ask yourself... "What characteristics do I like?... and... what specific look or colors am I after?  You might like the lightness values, or the different than normal colors, or the extra contrast, or the color casts on an image for example.

In your case here... the original sample pictures have good white and black balance...meaning that the blacks are true black and the whites are pure white.  What I see in your samples is a skin color that is a bit light... and maybe a bit yellow-brown or maybe a very slight bit magenta.

You can make your skin tones change brightness or color using "curve adjustment layers" in Photoshop.  Go to Layers> Adjustment Layers>  Curves... and then pull up the center of the curve just a small amount.  That would change your flesh tones to go lighter.  How much lighter to make it is a matter of your subject, your exposures and lighting.  Just pull up till you are happy with the way the lightening looks and then stop there.  Its highly artistic and subjective.

To get the skin color to shift in brightness or color cast like in your samples... is very much a matter of Your Own Original Images that you yourself have to work with. 

To change the skin colors:  You could make another curves layer and take the top right hand corner of the blue channel curve and pull it down the right side just slightly... this will make the lighter tones in your skin become a bit yellowish.  Do the same with the green channel curve...and it will get a bit browner.

This is all up to your taste...and depends a lot on the condition of the images you are working with and their characteristics. 

Curve adjustment layers are used many times because they are clean, clear, transparent...and can be adjusted time after time and again... without hurting anything... till you get just the look you like the best through visual experimentation... real time...  on your screen. 

Dont forget that curves layers have masks to them.  Just hit Command or Control I to change the mask to a black mask.  This will temporarily hide your curve corrections from view... then use a low opacity white soft brush to paint your corrections selectivity onto your image just where you want them and how strong you want them!!!!  This allows you amazing visual control and ability to customize looks by blocking out...or adding in... just the visual effects you like the best...where ever you want them to appear.


Best of Luck

May 28 16 01:53 pm Link