Retoucher

unleahsed

Posts: 3

Kharkiv, Kharkivs'ka, Ukraine

examples:
https://pp.vk.me/c626321/v626321058/295 … g2MILA.jpg
https://pp.vk.me/c626321/v626321058/295 … RLci4c.jpg
https://pp.vk.me/c636716/v636716058/181 … drRD8k.jpg

Is it just post production or special technique of shooting?
How it can be achieved? any ideas?

Thanks smile

Sep 07 16 03:35 am Link

Photographer

Bernard Wolf

Posts: 62

Santa Monica, California, US

Looks like it was slightly overcast sky so soft, diffused light and color is slightly desaturated in post.

Sep 07 16 09:31 am Link

Photographer

TMA Photo and Training

Posts: 1009

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, US

Im not totally certain WHAT particular aspects you are liking about the 3 images that you would like to duplicate.

The overriding thing I sense from these images is the great soft boheh backgrounds and the extra sharp subjects.  This look is created by using a lens noted for creating such sharp foreground and an ultra soft background...like the 85mm
f 1.8 or 1.2 or the cannon 70-200 f2.8  These two lenses are especially noted for creating such a nice visual separation between the foreground and background.  This is one aspect of what I see in the images that is notable.  This is achieved in shooting...but can also be achieved in post by using the Lens Blur within Photoshop...and using a black mask on that blured layer to selectively pain in the blurry background where you want it to be...and however strong you want it to be blurred.  This is a post processing function.

From a color correction aspect in the images... There is a bit of magenta in their skin tones which can be added with a curves adjustment layer with the green channel pulled down slightly.  The greens are also prominent in these images and so another adjustment curves layer with the greens pulled up.  If you want to paint in the effect of these adjustments selectively in only certain places...and with total control over the depth of the effect...then use the white mask on that layer...hit control or command I to invert the mask to become a black mask...then paint selectively on that black layer mask with a soft 5% opacity white brush.  You can now add in the color correction effect anywhere you want it to be... and you can use the black brush on the mask to remove or reduce the effect where ever you want.

There is some nice selective sharpening applied to these images too... which makes the images really pop with sharpness.

These are just three things I noticed.

Maybe you can share more specifically on what you are after for yourself in these looks.  What specific elements stand out to you?

Remember:  The original image may or may not be able to be enhanced exactly as you see someone else do it sometimes...because the original images are not suitable for the effect that worked so well on someone elses originals.  The original images you want to retouch are sometimes very different.

Sep 07 16 10:12 am Link

Photographer

Guss W

Posts: 10964

Clearwater, Florida, US

Are you familiar with depth-of-field and how to control it?  It can be simulated in editing, but it is better to do it in-camera.

Sep 08 16 12:51 am Link

Photographer

Account Dead dead dead

Posts: 243

London, England, United Kingdom

You are a retoucher so I guess you're not talking about camera settings.

If I was going to try this effect I would be fiddling around with this combo:

1) reduce blue and black in curves
2) increase/decrease saturation depending on original
3) Lighten exposure depending on original
4) Color fill with a light blue and reduce opacity in soft light.

oh, and gaussian blur for the background

.... but what do I know?

Good luck!

PS. Have you mis-spelled your username? Should it be 'unleashed' as in 'set free'? Just askin'

Sep 08 16 05:36 am Link

Photographer

Looknsee Photography

Posts: 26342

Portland, Oregon, US

Also, take a close look at the 3rd image, where the woman is looking into the lens.  Note the highlights in her eyes.  I believe that there is a subtle fill-flash at play here.

Sep 08 16 07:02 am Link

Photographer

Maverick Reyes

Posts: 114

Crowthorne, England, United Kingdom

Mastin Labs smile

Apr 26 17 03:03 pm Link

Photographer

PhillipM

Posts: 8049

Nashville, Tennessee, US

Lighting - overcast
DOF - WIDE FREAK'n Open
Color - PS

btw, is her wring on the wrong hand?

Apr 27 17 11:22 am Link

Retoucher

3869283

Posts: 1464

Sofia, Sofija grad, Bulgaria

The most important steps in post-processing:

1. Look
2. Work

Did anyone look? This thread is 7 months old and the OP hasn't logged in after opening it.

Apr 27 17 11:32 am Link

Photographer

DespayreFX

Posts: 1481

Delta, British Columbia, Canada

anchev wrote:
The most important steps in post-processing:

1. Look
2. Work

Did anyone look? This thread is 7 months old and the OP hasn't logged in after opening it.

Unlike some other zombie threads though, it was still an interesting question ((although more detail would have been nice), and an easy self-check as a skills test to see how one would accomplish it. The images provided weren't horrible for once either. smile

Apr 27 17 02:01 pm Link