Elinchrom users only- whatcha got? (Mark II)

TMR Design wrote in post #11692521
You have to analyze the shot before you begin doing work in post. Figure out what needs to be done. Figure out what you want to do that doesn't necessarily need to be done. Determine if you have the skills for the techniques involved.

One trick (not really so much of a trick.. perhaps just a tip) is to work at high magnification and smaller, soft brushes. Many times people go in with big brushes, and big brushes can really make a mess by either adding a whole lot of mush or showing a defined edge on the cloned sample. Work very slowly and zoom out often.

Always work with copies of layers and with adjustment layers, taking snapshots often to maintain the highest degree of nondestructive editing possible.... and don't forget about your history brush.

i'm not very good at the processing part at all, i know what i like i, just can't get there

luckily, i have a good friend who can process images just the way i like them to look

TMR Design wrote in post #11692521
You have to analyze the shot before you begin doing work in post. Figure out what needs to be done. Figure out what you want to do that doesn't necessarily need to be done. Determine if you have the skills for the techniques involved.

One trick (not really so much of a trick.. perhaps just a tip) is to work at high magnification and smaller, soft brushes. Many times people go in with big brushes, and big brushes can really make a mess by either adding a whole lot of mush or showing a defined edge on the cloned sample. Work very slowly and zoom out often.

Always work with copies of layers and with adjustment layers, taking snapshots often to maintain the highest degree of nondestructive editing possible.... and don't forget about your history brush.

Thanks for the tip! I was using a big brush. I do the zoom in zoom out though
I am very familiar with the history haha It only saves a few things though so I often revert back. I am just barely getting to layers. I use to just go from the original layer

SuperHuman21 wrote in post #11692575
Good advice Rob. Sounds like too much work!

Yeah that is how you get up to 3 hours a photo on the ones you really like

TMR Design wrote in post #11692597
At times it is too much work. That's why having a hair stylist and getting it right in camera are so important.

I actually do enjoy post processing but I never want to create more of it for myself than is absolutely necessary.

Even more important than hair is makeup. UGH! If you have terrible makeup then you're in trouble and you're going to spend huge amounts of time post processing.

I havent even bothered with makup yet

FJ LOVE wrote in post #11692644
i'm not very good at the processing part at all, i know what i like i, just can't get there

luckily, i have a good friend who can process images just the way i like them to look

+1 I get it like 1/3 of the way there. Then they fix my 1/3

sigma pi wrote in post #11692684
Thanks for the tip! I was using a big brush. I do the zoom in zoom out though
I am very familiar with the history haha It only saves a few things though so I often revert back. I am just barely getting to layers. I use to just go from the original layer

Yeah that is how you get up to 3 hours a photo on the ones you really like

I havent even bothered with makup yet

I think Rob's talking about the history tab and not the "undo" button, haha.

SuperHuman21 wrote in post #11692698
I think Rob's talking about the history tab and not the "undo" button, haha.

Ahhhhh hahaha

I am very familiar with the undo history thing

sigma pi wrote in post #11692719
Ahhhhh hahaha

I am very familiar with the undo history thing

lol. Yeah, me too. I don't have a need so far to really need much more but I will soon as I want to make some nice portfolio/marketing shots.

It's funny how things progress.

I can vividly recall sitting here about 3 years ago and having my clients ask for retouching. I was so adamant about being a photographer and not a digital or graphic artist. That lasted for a few weeks and then I realized that if I was going to be a portrait photographer and I liked shooting females that I was going to have to step things up a bit and find techniques and a style that worked for me to get the ball rolling.

TMR Design wrote in post #11692831
It's funny how things progress.

I can vividly recall sitting here about 3 years ago and having my clients ask for retouching. I was so adamant about being a photographer and not a digital or graphic artist. That lasted for a few weeks and then I realized that if I was going to be a portrait photographer and I liked shooting females that I was going to have to step things up a bit and find techniques and a style that worked for me to get the ball rolling.

yeah I was talking to some one and they said they never want to be known as a photoshop guy, but they are domn good at it. They want to be known as a photographer, I guess it comes with the territory.

I just need to get better/experience/prac​tice more.

That's unfortunately part of our game here. I have a friend who was a graphic designer for almost a decade and is now a portrait photographer. Man, I wish I was in his shoes with that experience. He can make anything out of nothing (not literally, simmer down boys). It really helps you get ahead in this field if you're good at editing and it's time for me to buck up and learn.

sigma pi wrote in post #11692691
+1 I get it like 1/3 of the way there. Then they fix my 1/3

don't worry it makes us better photographers because we know we can't fix anything later

TMR Design wrote in post #11692831
It's funny how things progress.

I can vividly recall sitting here about 3 years ago and having my clients ask for retouching. I was so adamant about being a photographer and not a digital or graphic artist. That lasted for a few weeks and then I realized that if I was going to be a portrait photographer and I liked shooting females that I was going to have to step things up a bit and find techniques and a style that worked for me to get the ball rolling.

Were you forced to learn a good skin smoothing technique, or can you get by without that? If so, which one?

That is one area of PP that I have never been comfortable with.

not all elinchrom but nonetheless. Just ordered...

- 7" elinchrom reflector
- rosco gels
- chrome avenger d600 mini boom (no black available )
- b+w step up ring

hopefully my kacey bd and grid don't get here too much longer than these arrive.

NaKiD EyE wrote in post #11695244
not all elinchrom but nonetheless. Just ordered...

- 7" elinchrom reflector
- rosco gels
- chrome avenger d600 mini boom (no black available )
- b+w step up ring

hopefully my kacey bd and grid don't get here too much longer than these arrive.

That's great, Tyler. You're probably going to want a counterweight or sandbag of some kind for the boom.

NaKiD EyE wrote in post #11695244
not all elinchrom but nonetheless. Just ordered...

- 7" elinchrom reflector
- rosco gels
- chrome avenger d600 mini boom (no black available )
- b+w step up ring

hopefully my kacey bd and grid don't get here too much longer than these arrive.

some nice gear you picked up

TMR Design wrote in post #11695259
That's great, Tyler. You're probably going to want a counterweight or sandbag of some kind for the boom.

Rob there is a sandbag provided with the boom that hangs off the back

Dave Jr wrote in post #11693754
Were you forced to learn a good skin smoothing technique, or can you get by without that? If so, which one?

That is one area of PP that I have never been comfortable with.

Hi Dave,

Like most people, I started retouching by using skin softening techniques. I learned about 5 or 6 and found that I didn't like them. I used them because I didn't know any other techniques but the more I looked at the effect of smoothing the more I hated it.

Now, about 95% of the skin work I do is Dodge and Burn and never do skin smoothing with the exception of a very low opacity layer created with the Portraiture plugin that I use on occasion.