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I've worked with this girl several times already.. I think this was our 4th if not our 5th shoot..

in any case , a pleasure to work with , but .. skin tones are always a struggle with her.

I suppose it due to her being albino?
maybe ,, but it usually takes several tries before I can get it , usually she starts off looking purple.. which she does in my first post of her of this series of pictures..

I think I got it better now..

any CC would be welcome

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2ghT​AEb

Her skin looks pretty good so you could probably use a harder light to create shape while keeping the power a little lower so you allow her natural skin colour to not get brightened out. If you get what I mean. Or grid up the light to darken your background a little so she stands out more. So many ways to do these, so much fun.

The photo looks nice to my eyes though so perhaps you are already bang on.

Would love to see her against a red, purple or green velvet.

And/or a series with a male model with very dark skin. That could be fantastic!

FarmerTed1971 wrote in post #18881692
And/or a series with a male model with very dark skin. That could be fantastic!

I tired to arrange that one already.. And unfortunately the male model cancelled at the last minute ,..

I'm sure ill try again

rantercsr wrote in post #18881560
I've worked with this girl several times already.. I think this was our 4th if not our 5th shoot..

in any case , a pleasure to work with , but .. skin tones are always a struggle with her.

I suppose it due to her being albino?
maybe ,, but it usually takes several tries before I can get it , usually she starts off looking purple.. which she does in my first post of her of this series of pictures..

I think I got it better now..

any CC would be welcome

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2ghT​AEb DSCF6830-Edit-6 by Randall Herrera, on Flickr

Have you tried using a white balance tool to get a "correct" starting point? Even if you have to adjust, it's easier to go from neutral to creative than to struggle. At least for me. Ymmv.

Anyone played with the infinite color plugin for PS? I know it was created by a Houston native that is a professional retoucher, I’m thinking of playing around with it tomorrow.

Osa713 wrote in post #18881768
Anyone played with the infinite color plugin for PS? I know it was created by a Houston native that is a professional retoucher, I’m thinking of playing around with it tomorrow.

I have it, don’t use it as it just randomly applies a look in photoshop that I never bothered to see it it could be saved. Just felt like click click click…

learn to better use selective RGB curves adjustments and blend modes and the colour adjustments layer.

Having said that it fun to play with, that’s just my feelings on it.

Two Hot Shoes wrote in post #18881772
I have it, don’t use it as it just randomly applies a look in photoshop that I never bothered to see it it could be saved. Just felt like click click click…

learn to better use selective RGB curves adjustments and blend modes and the colour adjustments layer.

Having said that it fun to play with, that’s just my feelings on it.

Thanks, I just need to stop being lazy lol.

We have a pair of swans on the lake and a little while ago they hatched a signet. I had a feeling they would be out this evening & anyway it was the first time I was free to get to go out and have a look with the camera. Really beautiful to see up close, the swans are use to me so quite friendly as long as I stay moving slow and keep the eyes down they let the signet swim within a few feet.

One a little later, having a little rest from the long swim...

X-T30

Osa713 wrote in post #18881768
Anyone played with the infinite color plugin for PS? I know it was created by a Houston native that is a professional retoucher, I’m thinking of playing around with it tomorrow.

A friend got this and let me play with it. I was able to get some interesting looks, but I spent a pretty long time generating a huge number of looks getting to very few I considered interesting.

These interesting looks still require work to make them usable.

I think you would get a better hit rate downloading all the free LUT sets you can find or buy a few, making a subset of those you find have potential and use them for inspiration.

The idea of the product (random looks) was inspired. The implementation was not as good as it might have been.

If I were after a bunch of options/inspiration, I think a product which is better implemented and gives you a visual array of categorized options to look at and supplies good tools to manipulate the image farther are much quicker to find inspiration and give you better tools to customize (and save) the look.

NIK (now DXO) was a pioneer in this space and today there are many with products like this: Topaz Labs, Alien Skin, etc. These will generally function as a PS plug in and many have stand alone options, too. The good ones tend to have free trials.

Ymmv.

My personal experience has been that these tools are fun and you can spend a lot of time playing with them and, perhaps, such play can be productive as a self-development tool. Or perhaps a better way to waste time .

But when it comes to what actually helps me get an image I want, I have always ended up using basic tools in Photoshop and Capture One.

The one tool I have found useful is TKActions, which makes it quick and easy to generate Luminosity Masks (and variants based on color, saturation, etc). And the current version (7) has been a step up as a tool for helping with color grading. It is also more broadly useful.

Ymmv.