I always hear the question: how should I retouch portraits? and most of the time it is refeard to the exact process of using the clone tool, the healing brush, the smudge tool and warming plus enlighten of the skin tones. But, behind the technique its self, I almost never hear someone asking: when should I apply changes?
The question is a bit tricky because must of the digital fellows forget that NATURAL is an important quality of a speak-less portrait.
Take a look at the pictures in the link below. Go with the mouse over them and notice how the mouth and eyes are considerably “photoshoped” - it’s like there are two different persons.
digitalphotoshopretouching
I believe it’s OK to get rid of spots, dirty teeth, eye wrinkles, enlighten the skin (and this is the most difficult task), but I’m not OK with the modification of a persons genetically forms. We are not perfect, are we?
Tags: photo retouching, photo manipulation, photoshoped portraits, retouched portraits
September 27th, 2007 at 3:33 am
Nope. We’re not - that’s why I think airbrushing is a cardinal photography sin
September 27th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
Personally I like to do a bit of retouching on my portrait photos, but I like to keep it all ‘natural’ looking - stuff along the lines of removing stray hairs and bits of smudged mascara.
I tend to steer clear of more extreme forms of retouching such as changing someone’s body shape or skin tone because I like my portraits to be an accurate representation of how that person looks.