WORKSHOP NOTES

The Art & Business of

High-End Retouching
WITH PRATIK NAIK

Copyright 2014 by CreativeLive. All Rights Reserved

WORKSHOP NOTES

Before The Image

Before attacking any image, there are a few things to

keep in mind.

1. Dont Act, Think! - Before even touching the image, its important
to set a game plan of what you want to do. Circle the areas of
concern when you look at the image at about 40% out. Dont
zoom in all the way and start working, you will take longer than
necessary. Be sure you have a game plan. Remember, most of the
images you complete will not be viewed in billboard size, so use
your time wisely. Otherwise, you will be working for hours without
seeing much of a difference. Fix what is apparent first!
2. Execute the Gameplan - Now that youve made a gameplan, be
sure to fix the areas that stand out most, first. Once that is done,
start going in and fix only what you cant fix being zoomed out.

The formula that every perfectly retouched image has:

1. Cleaning the skin: removing blemishes and flaws but still keeping
the skin texture, which is the most important part of retouching.
2. Even out lighting: removing blotchy areas of the skin tone. If the
skin has dark or bright patches, trying to even it out to make it fit
in with the rest of the skin.
3. Color: If the skin has any change in color, making sure to make it
match with the rest of the skin.
4. Other details (optional): If parts of the image need to be liquified.
If you need to add a color tone to the image. If you need to
sharpen the image.

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WORKSHOP NOTES

Tablet settings:

I turn my brush pressure off in Photoshop so that the pen doesnt

keep changing in size. This allows for very clean lines and consistent
retouching. To do this, make sure the brush tool is selected and go
into window>Brush and uncheck shape dynamics. Select the clone
brush tool and do the same as well.

Flow and Opacity:

I prefer to use 100% opacity and change my flow. When dodging and
burning and other gentle techniques, I keep it around 2% flow. If you
would like to do faster changes such as the clone brush, I would use
20% flow.

Smart Object:

Hold shift to Open Object

Right click thumbnail and click Open Smart Object via Copy
On the second copy, increase exposure
Use a black mask on the second copy and use the brush to show
any of the higher exposure on any part of the image you would like
Note: It is important to stay zoomed out at around 50% to make sure
you do not get carried away by doing too much work at 200% zoom.

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WORKSHOP NOTES

Healing notes:

Brush setting: 0% hardness for better blending of skin

The size of the brush must be the size of the object you want to remove
You must source near the blemish to have correct texture
Only remove bumps other imperfections
Do not try and take care of color issues during healing
Zoom in when needed, not always
You can heal close to the edge if you sample the edge itself

Cloning:

I clone anytime where you cant heal:

1. Hair in background
2. Forehead
3. Ears
4. Edge of eyebrows

Dodge and Burn

Dodge brightens shadows and dark areas. It is up to you on which

parts of the skin you would like to brighten.
Burn adds shadows ad darkens any bright areas of the image.
Brush setting: 100% opacity and 1% flow
Use Curve adjustment layers with a black mask. The curve for the
dodge adjustment layer will go upward. The burn will be going
downward.

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WORKSHOP NOTES

Frequency Separation:

(Use the action, this is just the manual way to do it in case you want
to know how)

This allows you to split the texture and color on their own layers.
The purpose is to even out skin color without touching the texture.

1. Start with two copies of the image.

2. Select the bottom copy and run a Gaussian Blur at 3 pixels
3. Selecting the top copy, choose Image>Apply Image -
(Shift+Ctrl+A on PC; Cmd+Shift+A for Mac).
4. In the Layer dialog, select the bottom layer which you blurred in
step 2.
5. In the Blending dialog, choose Subtract. (If you are using 16 bit,
choose Add)
6. Enter 2 into the Scale box, and 128 for the Offset. (0 scale if 16 bit)
7. Preserve Transparency, Mask, and Invert should not be checked.
(check invert in 16 bit)
8. Choose OK.
9. On the top layer, change it to Linear Light
10. Place a blank layer in between the two copies.
11. On the blank, this is where you will use the brush tool. You will
sample with the alt/option color and even out skin. It will look like
you spent a very long time dodging and burning.

You can also use this technique to remove highlights if the skin is too
oily, even out background paper for dirty paper, soften under eyes,
change makeup by selecting any makeup color and painting with it, etc.

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WORKSHOP NOTES

Liquify

Make a Stamp Visible layer (Shift+Ctrl+A on PC; Cmd+Shift+A for Mac).

Go to Filter> Liquify - Check advanced mode | Brush Pressure: 5 |
Brush Density: 50
What you want to do with liquify is by seeing if any areas stand
out. If there are bumps in the skin that should be pushed in. If
there is hair that is standing out. If there are parts of the image
that look unbalanced. It will be up to you on what you would like
to liquify. If isnt necessary but optional.

Extras

Gradient Map - Use the gradient map adjustment layer. Pick a color
for the highlights of the image and pick a color for the shadows of
the image. Place these two colors in the gradient map adjustment
layer editor. The point on the left is where you add the highlight color.
The point on the right is where you add the shadow color. Use the
color blending mode - 25% opacity.

The purpose of this tool is to even out skin color in case there are
some parts of the skin tone that has slight changes in color.

Levels - Bring in highlights and shadows for more depth to the

image. It gives it more pop.

Eyes - Use a positive curve adjustment layer for contrast in eyes

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WORKSHOP NOTES

Color Work

Use selective color and curves for color work.

For selective color - Go down to the black channel to adjust the

colors in the shadows. Use the white channel to adjust colors in the
highlights. It allows you to add any color anywhere you like.

For curves - You can use any of the channels to change colors in the
highlights, shadows and mid tones.

For Gradient Map - input the colors you would like to use into the
Gradient Editor in the gradient map adjustment layer. Once inserted,
change the blend mode to color and adjust the opacity of the layer
to 20%-30%

For the Color Lookup - This is all experimental. Once you use the
adjustment layer, use any of the options and adjust the opacity and
blend mode to taste.

Fundamentals of shooting for the purpose of easier

retouching:

Always make sure to use good makeup stylists. If you cannot find
a good one, be sure and inspect the makeup application once they
are done with the model. Sit down and see if the eyeshadow is done
correctly, there is correct blending, and if the makeup is too light or
dark. It is better to fix the makeup before than to fix it in Photoshop.

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WORKSHOP NOTES

Always be sure the model has good skin before working with her. It
will save the most time for retouching. If the model doesnt have the
best skin, you can use softer light sources like soft boxes or window
light to make the appearance of blemishes less than they are. If the
model has good skin, using hard light like beauty dishes can be a
better choice.

Optimizing performance for Photoshop

To make Photoshop work fast, go to Photoshop tab, then

Preferences, then Performance. Make sure your Ram is set to 90%
and just keep Photoshop open and close all other programs. Use less
history states, I use around 10 to make sure it doesnt take up much
memory when working. Make sure you check your graphics card to
make Photoshop use the graphics processor.

If you want to upgrade your system, add more Ram first, then
upgrade your video card. It is also a good idea to add a SSD hard
drive and check that hard drive as your scratch disk under the same tab.

Black and White processing (the simple option):

For black and white work, I use a hue/saturation adjustment layer.

I drop the saturation slider to the left so it is black and white. Then,
I use a curve adjustment layer. Instead of moving the curve up or
down, I will add three points. One will be on the bottom left of the
curve, this controls the shadow region. I will add another point in the
middle, this will control the mid tones. I will then add another point
on the top right of the curve, this will control the highlights. Then, drag

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WORKSHOP NOTES

the points up or down to adjust the shadows, highlights, or mid tones.

You can also use the Channel Mixer adjustment layer. Use the black
and white presets as a base. Combine that with a curve adjustment
layer and it will give great control.

You can also use the Gradient Map adjustment layer. Plug in different
tones in each point within the gradient editor to get many different looks.

Luminosity Masks:

After running the luminosity mask action, head over to your channels
(Window>Channels) and then you will see all the options available
to you based on which are you want to target. To load one of the
masks, simply hold Ctrl (PC) or Command (Mac) and click on the
thumbnail. It will create marching ants over the image. With the
marching ants still active, create any new adjustment layer (such as
the curves adjustment layer), and the selection will load as a mask.
Now you adjust the area as you please. You can combine other
adjustment layers with this as well.

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WORKSHOP NOTES

Quick Tips

Calibration:

Most screens Ive come across have never been calibrated. Or if they
are calibrated, the screens arent great in quality. In a pinch, heres a
great charge that will show you if your screen is within acceptable
range. Its self explanatory. Most laptops will need adjusting, and mac
screens are typically on the bright end. Check it out to see if yours
falls in acceptable range! http://www.photofriday.com/calibrate.php .
A copy of this is included in the folder.

If your monitor is off, the best thing to do is adjust your contrast first,
and then your brightness.

Calibrators:

I recommend using calibrators from X-Rite, such as the Color Munki

or the i1 Display Pro. If you use an Eizo monitor or NEC Monitor, they
have their own proprietary calibrators which I recommend using.

Monitors:

When it comes to monitors, most people use Apple displays. In the

grand scheme, they do well. What I look for in a monitor are a few things

1. IPS Panel IPS panel monitors basically refer to the type of

viewing technology used. These monitors also are in all Apple
products as well. They allow for great color, good viewing angles

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WORKSHOP NOTES

(if you are off to the side, or look at the monitor from the top
down, it wont change colors), and overall quality. If youve ever
seen PC monitor screens, you know how most of them dont look
great and change in quality when you tilt the screen or look at it
from an angle. The reason is most of those displays at TN panel
displays.
2. AdobeRGB coverage When it comes to optimal quality, on
top of being an IPS panel (which it should tell you in the specs),
another key element is AdobeRGB coverage. You want to be able
to see as many colors as possible.
3. What I Use - For instance, I use NEC brand monitors. In specific,
the pa271w-bk (http://www.necdisplay.com/p/desktop-monitors/
pa271w-bk). It covers 97% of the AdobeRGB gamut. It also has a
matte screen so it is not reflective. It can work on Macs and PCs.
In comparison, the iMac screens are less and not listed by Apple.
The other great benefit of these monitors is that they can be
calibrated perfectly for printing. Sometimes I have noticed Apple
monitors are harder to calibrate for print as they are too bright.
You can also adjust the exact temperature on this monitor to
6500Kelvin (for example). They also calibrate very well and you
can set two profiles (one for screen and one for print). There are
also many other details to look at, such as brightness, resolution,
how many ports there are, contrast, but these two are my most
important points.
4. Other Options The best available option is currently the Eizo
ColorEdge line, which is double or triple the price of the NEC line
with comparable specs. Other brands like Dell have options out
that contain great IPS panel monitors too worth looking into for
entry level pricing.

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WORKSHOP NOTES

Other Keyboard Shortcuts

Aside from the ones we changed above, here are some others that I
use regularly that are just standard.

General Tip: For any shortcut or option you like, you can make
program in each button of your Wacom tablet to execute them for
the ones you used most often.

1. Zoom in (Z+Click), Zoom out (Z+Option+Click). Or Command

+ or - . You can also Z + Drag on a image.
2. Flow (Shift+Numbers),
3. Merge Visible (Shift+Command+Option+E).
4. Invert foreground/background colors (X).
5. Undo (Option + Command + Z), Redo (Shift + Command + Z)

My Photoshop Preferences

1. General settings - Turn off Animated Zoom, Flick Panning, Zoom

resizes window.
2. Enable Bicubic smoother under Imager Interpoloation
3. Interface - Change the color scheme to represent 50% gray.
4. File Handling - Save in Background every 5 minutes.
5. Performance - 80% Ram, History States (12), Cache (5), Tile Size
(1024). Scratch Disks (SSD)
6. On the top tool bar under Window go to Brushes and under
Shape Dynamics turn the Control to Off. Be sure your brush
is selected before accessing this menu. Also do the same after
switching to the clone brush.

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WORKSHOP NOTES

Photoshop Layout

The only pallets I keep open are mostly

Layers
Actions
Properties (Also called Adjustments for earlier Photoshop
versions)

History is not kept open due to our non-destructive workflow. I use

Undo and Redo instead if needed.

The Tools are also kept to the right and stacked neatly.

Everything else that is not mentioned is closed.

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