Brass Edge Photography Retouching Images
Kacey with Notes

Retouching Images

Some photographs require minimal retouching and others require more. Retouching can include softening smile lines, whitening eyes and teeth, removing minor flyaway hairs, removing blemishes, lightening shadows, reducing glare, and converting from colour to black and white or sepia tones.

More advanced retouching includes changing backgrounds or clothing, altering colours of objects in the photo, and certain body slimming to name a few.

When we get together to review your images after the session you can select the images that you would like retouched and to what extent of retouching you would like applied. I will have included a small amount of time for re-touching in the original quote and if this time is not used then it will be refunded. Or if you want more images retouched I will provide you with a price for the work you want completed. I don’t want any surprises for you when it comes to price. I want you to know exactly what you will be receiving and the price well before hand.

The Lacie monitor for the main work station is professionally colour calibrated to render accurate colour matching with our pro lab Technicare, this will ensure proper flesh tones and hues when the prints are processed.

I have included my work flow below and an image blow of Kacey that has been retouched.

Roll your mouse over image below to view the retouched image of Kacey.

Kacey Portrait retouched

My Work Flow for Portrait Enhancement

Assess Image

  1. assess image use – fashion, family, corporate
  2. evaluate the image – detailed notes on adjustments needed or required
  3. reduce and simplify
  4. details matter – remove or intensify
  5. checks and balances – objective considerations
  6. to create impact, engage the viewer – what is the result required

Adjust the Light, Colour, and Tone

  1. colour correction (colour casts) - white balance
  2. tone modification (defines shape) – subtle darken or lighten
    – curves and/or S-curve
  3. skin tone and colour - colour correct skin tones  by the numbers
  4. evaluate

Background

  1. remove defects
  2. remove unwanted items
  3. reduce and simplify background elements
  4. blur – if required
  5. evaluate

Skin

  1. remove blemishes
  2. reduce wrinkle lines – eyes, brow, cheek, neck, arm pit
  3. scar removal
  4. eye shadow - reduce shadow under the eyes - lighten
  5. shadows - nose, cheek, hairline along the face - reduce, soften
    or enhance
  6. highlights (hotspots) - nose, cheek, forehead reduce or enhance
  7. skin smoothing if required - rebuild skin texture
  8. adjust and or touch up makeup as needed
  9. evaluate

Eyes

  1. remove the red/veins from white
  2. tear duct highlights - reduce
  3. lighten the whites
  4. darken pupil
  5. lighten iris
  6. darken iris edge
  7. catch lights - remove/add extra, lighten
  8. shape eyes
  9. enlarge eyes 4-5% (transform with mask)
  10. evaluate

Teeth

  1. subtle whitening
  2. subtle straightening
  3. evaluate

Hair

  1. improve hairline along the edge of the face
  2. nose hair removal
  3. facial hair removal
  4. flyaway hairs
  5. gaps in hair – fill in
  6. eye brows - add to, remove hairs, darken/lighten, shape
  7. eye lashes - add to (eyeliner), darken, remove clumping of mascara
  8. shape of hair - adjust if needed
  9. highlights - if needed to the hair
  10. evaluate

Ears

  1. hair removal
  2. piercing
  3. shape
  4. evaluate

Nose

  1. shape
  2. evaluate

Cheeks

  1. shape
  2. evaluate

Neck

  1. remove blemishes
  2. reduce wrinkle lines
  3. evaluate

Hands

  1. knuckles – reduce, lighten, soften lines
  2. remove hair pores
  3. scares finger nails – extend nail polish, clean up nail beds, nail banding, lighten nail beds, shape finger nails
  4. evaluate

Clothing

  1. remove foreign objects that take away from the image such as clothing tags, zippers
  2. wrinkles
  3. shape
  4. evaluate

Jewelry

  1. increase contrast
  2. reduce highlights if required
  3. evaluate

Light and Tone

  1. refine adjustments
  2. evaluate

Sharpen accordingly to the web or size of the print - eyes, eye brows, lips, jewelry

Evaluate image in it's entirety.

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