Skin colour

[Erik Heyninck]

I found a great way to improve skin colours. IT IS NOT MY IDEA, but based on a trick by Deke McLelland (see "the practice side")

I have some portrait photo's that are almost colourless. This is an incredible way to enhance them. It might well be known to all you "pro's and experienced users", but I dare post it (stop me, stop me!!!):


1/make a copy of the backgr layer and work on this copy.
2/increase the saturation a lot (up to 90) this gives really overheated skin colours. And if it's a JPEG, your subject'd better visit a hospital asap.
3/give this a median of some 6 (made me think of Pink Floyd's The Wall)
4/and a Gaussian Blur of some 3 (too much wine)
5/apply mode>color
6/use the transparancy slider from the copy layer to set your perfect skin colour, somewhere between the too paleface and the badly sunburnt.

Let them say what they want:
Photoshop is great, and fun. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

by the way why are there no images here?

[Erik Heyninck]

Michael,

I am a painter, and am used to work with middle aged techniques liuke egg tempera.
My enthusiasm made me forget that there are also people who use PS for their nerve-wrecking job (working with printers etc.)
I saw and see it as a tool to create art, and, yes, err, you remember perhaps from long ago, the wow-effect...

As for the other colours, of course you have to mask and make selections.

It won't happen again, this was my last post. I leave the stage to you, professionals.

[Erik Heyninck]

4:4:4. See the difference at the edge of the two objects.

[Erik Heyninck]

Thanks for the support.

BUT before I continue, I want to make it clear that I do really appreciate Michael's remark. I like it when people put the finger on a weak spot in my reasoning or work because I can learn from them. And Michael is right, absolutely right.

Perhaps I chose my words a little too black and white. Lets say I need(ed) a short retreat to delve into the matter and to get a deeper knowledge. Enthusiasm is necessary, but as kerosene simply burns up in the air when there is no engine to explode in (and make that work), so enthusiasm needs form. And form means limitation, structure. Michael added structure and showed how my engine was leaking. (if you can follow my example).

So you won't get rid of me that easy, but before posting out of sheer enthusiasm, I'll take a look at as much sides as I can, and if someone finds a weak spot, I'll be grateful. Teachers have to be severe AND encouraging.

So friendship to everyone. Let's make this forum like Xara's!

And now a question:

When you save in PS6 as JPEG, do you have the possibility to choose for 4:4:4, or are you limited to 4:2:2?
To me this is rather important because 4:2:2 is quite ok for photographs, but not for real shart transitions like complex fills and fractals. In these cases, 4:4:4 is visibly much better.

PS5LE doesn't offer this posibility. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif[/img]

[mikeius]

Thanks Eric. We are in the same train, at the same time. I appreciate it.

I forgot to tell you that I like the effects you created in those images. Thanks for the tips.

Best regards

[Erik Heyninck]

I never had the impression of being offended because, like I stated earlier, you pointed out something I hadn't thought of.

Of course Prepress is important but where I live, DTP and printers only agree about two things: Mac and Illustrator. Words like Freehand or CorelDRAW are considered blasphemy, and then I do not even dare to utter the word PC...
In my opinion there is only one thing important: how can I "materialise" as exact as possible my inspiration. And there we meet, because you think the same.

But there is also the web where everything stays in RGB, and where there are millions of people watching images with monitors that are too dark, too red,...etc. Where Microsoft and Netscape wage a browser war, etc. Here too you need lay-out and composition, but the problems cannot be solved as exactly as in the printing process.

I come from a background of Typo, cilinder-press and leaden fonts. Things did change fast-too fast. After several centuries of craftmanship, you now have computer controlled presses that require more of an engineer that a printer. Things di change a lot since Apple released the Mac with the words: 1984 will never be the same anymore. And boy: were they right!

So please: I am grateful that you read the topics so attentively that you can ask intelligent questions and point out the weak spots. How else can we learn from each other? "Wow, that's great", "you're the best" etc. never helped anyone, except perhaps with his superficial ego-problems.
I would find it a bad thing if you stopped asking questions and making remarks, ok?

Friends, ERIK [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif[/img]

If you don't work against time, time often works for you.

[mikeius]

Sorry if in some way I offended you. It is not my intention.

I don't tell people that they are or aren't wrong. I just ask, because asking I learn as well. It push all of us to think, and thinking we improve our knowladge, at the same time we learn from each other.

There is a big problem with digital art. What is the value of it if we can't print what we create, or if it print differently. In today world, prepress has become artist responsability, so we should learn prepress techniques.

Again. If in someway I offended you, I sincerelly appologize.

Best regards

[Mark (theKeeper)]

Hi Erik,

I've been using that same procedure for a long time myself. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

I also use a few others to produce various types of "lens effects" on photos. I'm working on a tute for this, but haven't had the time lately to complete it. Hopefully real soon though. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[Erik Heyninck]

I don't know what SNAFU means (I'm Flemish).

The Jpeg you made is MUCH better than the 4:2:2 "normal" quality. Good. The file is some 12% bigger than the 4:4:4, but the quality is at least of the same quality.

4:4:4 means that there is as much data of each colour channel as there is of brightness. Sorry if my explanation is unclear. Technical English isn't easy for me, and I have to write it online, without time to construct my argument.

I like this. I'll make a tiff, and test that out in all the JPEG exporting software I can, with the same quality setting.

If you don't work against time, time often works for you.

[Beth]

Hi guys

I did jpeg of your example for comparision. I saved as a jpeg with 80 quality. I could go higher to 100% quality, but might as well keep the tests similar.

So what does the 4,4,4 stand for. or does it mean SNAFU