subject: Give Image Another Life: Enhance And Retouch With Photoshop [print this page] In this reign of Photoshop, almost all professional images have to have some experience of glamour enhancement or retouching before they are published. The purity of real reflection in camera is not always able to satisfy the demand. Images are not only ornamental now. They became essential and inmost part of a particular communication. The ongoing influence of images in advertisements and sales makes image-retouching very specialized job. Even professional photographers frequently go to the retouching-experts for their photos.
Image retouching is not about changing an image meaninglessly or playfully. Or, only good looking begets no good if it doesnt serve the purpose. Professionals ground never lets room to any nonsense or minds pleasure. I mentioned it, because I found many, specially amateurs, are biased with these.
My experiences in image industry want to say something about retouching and glamour enhancement here.
A short Prelude: Image retouching and glamour enhancement require Photoshop experts powered with deep understanding about photography and communication as well. First of all, you must investigate the given image to find out the drawbacks. Then you need to destine the changes in it; and finally work on it to serve the goal.
Story, Expression and Appeal: The first thing is to reveal the storyline that you are going to tell through the image. Your image must talk in favor of the goal. Again to say, be aware of futile beauty. It may be dumb before your viewer.
Observe the image thoroughly. Find out the ways to make it more expressive for a better story. Find out the key parts to put expression. Think about a human face. Where the key parts are? Eyes, lips and hair, bodyline. And What their expressions are? Look, smile, hair-dressing, gesture. Work on those and try to make photos good to better and better to best.
Coax up the appeal. It is a good technique to make the image stand out. Remember, the appeal should conform to the theme or it will distract the viewer. If there are approaching eyes or hands of model with a product, make sure that they are directed toward the viewer with detail, vivid look.
Retouch the dullness, wrinkles & spots: By thorough observation try to find out the dullness and spots. The better help you will get by enlarging the image. Then you can examine part by part, meticulously. Remove the spots; repair the wrinkles; but be careful with the dullness. Retouching of dullness is very intricate and involves experienced eye and arty mind. Dont blunder here with much color and brightness. Never sponge or dodge it unnecessarily. Experienced says, - little retouch does good. So, be restrained and do better. You can streamline an image with well-designed Photoshop retouching tools. Combined and artful use of color, contrast and brightness can enhance an image amazingly.
For professional image retouching service: You must ask clients about where they are going to use the image and what do they think about changing it. It will not help you to plagiarize images or ideas from other. Consider every single project special. Think for special service for special photos. Family, official/organizational, model, product, travel every particular kind has particular demand and approach. Try to interpret and translate them in your work for betterment.
With best care and intelligence an artist can enliven an image with another life. It will express more than its physical appearance and of course, soon you will get enthusiastic feedbacks from your clients and viewers. To be a professional, first make your eyes. Watch photos and the professional websites. They will tell you what to do with photos and what not. Try over and over again. From tradexcelgraphics.com and some other websites, I found lots of exciting photos and those inspired me to deal with photos and Photoshop.
Followings are some retouching and enhancement services that we can do with Adobe Photoshop tools:
