Suggestions for good books on professional retouching?

[int0xicatedxluv]

Anyone have any suggestions for books on high end professional retouching? I really want to be a professional with retouching and airbrushing skin, hopefully, someday, magazine quality...I've done some tutorials online but I'm wondering if there are any great books out there that anyone has used and recommends to gain some new skills?

[jblaschke]

I recommend you start with "The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers" by Scott Kelby. That is, assuming you have Photoshop. Much of the information in that book is applicable to CS2 and CS4, although there are some differences. It's a great, clearly spelled-out book with processes for each type of touchup you may want to use on an image. Very easy to understand, and it gives alternate processes that produce slightly differing results so you can find your own comfort zone.

After that, I'd suggest "Skin: The Complete Guide to Digitally Lighting, Photographing, and Retouching Faces and Bodies" by Lee Varis. It's not as easy a read, and the instructions aren't so clearly understood, but it goes into more intricate and specialized touch-up problems that you might not use often, but will be glad to have when you do.

But definitely get the CS3 book by Kelby. If you're a newcomer to post-processing, you'll learn a tremendous amount from that book you'll be able to apply immediately.

[Mark_Cohran]

+1 on the Scott Kelby book. I haven't read the Lee Varis book, but since I recently received some Amazon bonus coupons, I'll look into ordering it.

[doidinho]

-1 on the Kelby book. Sorry guys, I just feel that Kelby gives you a bunch of random recipes and doesn't explain about what it is he's doing. Not quite as bad as using plug-in's, but not a whole lot better IMO. Kelby's stuff is neither high end nor professional either; he teaches the quick easy way to get 70% of the results for 20% of the time investment.

I would recommend Martin Evenings book (I read the CS3 one). He goes over most of the tools in PS and does a decent job of explaining exactly what it is they do. From there I would pick up Katrin Eismans Restoration and Retouching; arguable the best book on high end retouching.

[Mark_Cohran]

I can agree that Kelby's stuff is not high end or designed for the professional.

[FeXL]

From there I would pick up Katrin Eismans Restoration and Retouching; arguable the best book on high end retouching.

+1. The obvious followup would be her Masking & Compositing.