In this video I show a simply but VERY EFFECTIVE way to Fix Skin Tone in Lightroom.
The video comes in 2 parts with Part 1 being available for everyone to watch where I go through the main technique.
Part 2 is for my Newsletter Subscribers Only and in that I go through things in more detail showing how many of the step srequired can be automated using technology within Lightroom PLUS some additional learning on masking and details of a a Preset Download I have made available.
Watch the recording of this LIVE Broadcast as i chat with Photoshop Legend and Artist Bert Monroy discussing how he creates incredibly detailed Masterpeices of Art using Photoshop. Bert also give us a look into how he uses traditional Photoshop techniques ( no A.I.) to create life-like realism and effects.
Recently I was back with friends in the studio taking portraits, and this time getting Steve in front of my camera to try out some ideas I’d stumbled across when browsing Pinterest that I thought would be another good excuse to get my L60-B constant light out for.
I’ve used Pinterest for years as a great place for not only finding inspiration by looking at the work of photographers I admire like Annie Leibovitz and Mark Seliger, but also a great tool for looking how other photographers pose their subjects, which lets face it can be awkward at times.
Finding a balance between what you want but also making the pose look natural and the subject comfortable can be challenging to get right but I’ve always found it a massive help when you can guide your subject on what you’re looking for by showing them a picture.
Anyway, these here are some of the looks and poses I was really interested in …
Model for the day was my dear friend Steve Healy whom I’ve known for years.
There was a time when for quite a while we’d not met up because of Steve moving away to Devon but I’m glad to say that when we finally made the move to the South West , we’re now able to meet up fairly regularly to just hangout out and take photographs. This we will certainly be doing more and more of!
Anyway, Steve drove over to my house in the morning and then we both jumped into my car and headed to South Wales to catch up with the gang; some of my closest friends which to be honest are more like family … Ian Munro and Anthony Crothers.
This was the first time Steve had met up in person with Ian and Anthony even though I’m sure they felt like they knew each other anyway having messaged back and forth many times on social media and also in the chat room during my Sunday LIVE Broadcasts on YouTube. Needless to say … Steve instantly became ‘one of the gang’ 😃
So after a traditional meet up at Costa in Brynmawr, South Wales to fuel up on coffee, we then went to the studio and cracked on …
So the first portrait I really liked the look of doing was the one inspired by this portrait of Robert De Niro taken by Mark Seliger …
Steve had brought along a dark grey casual suit-type jacket which was ideal. He’d also bought a white shirt to wear underneath but when setting up we all felt that even though you’d only seen a small portion of it, it would be too distracting, so instead Steve kept with the black T-Shirt he was wearing.
For this I portrait as it was to be a fairly tight crop of Steve on one side and just a little bit of ‘dead space’ to the left, the 7’ x 5’ background would be plenty big enough and so this was set up with the rear supporting leg shortened so that the background took up less floor space and could be closer to the wall.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again … I absolutely LOVE this light!
I wouldn’t be exaggerating when I say that positioning the light (L60-B) to get the Rembrandt Lighting Pattern 100% BANG ON took just a few seconds; such is the convenience and ease of doing so when using because … What You See Is What You Get
Bottom Left: iPad Pro with Pinterest App open showin the ‘reference’ image
To achieve a quality of light that was neither hard or soft but somewhere in between, and also to minimise the amount of light that would spill onto the background, I opted to use the Westcott 24” Rapid Box Switch Beauty Dish and with the outer diffusion panel fitted.
Westcott 24” Rapid Box Switch Beauty Dish with Outer Diffusion Panel
Sony A7RIV
Sony 85mm f/4.0 G Master
Aperture: F/4.0
Shutter Speed: 1/60sec
ISO 1250
Once set up and with any light in the studio that wasn’t contributing to the portrait turned off, I could then start taking portraits of Steve but what was really useful here was that everyone could see EXACTLY what the shots would be like without having to look at the back of my camera each time or look at my iPad Pro that I was tethering to; again because What You See Is What You Get
Studio lights and ‘any’ lights not contributing to the portrait turned off.
This made it so easy for anyone who wanted to make a suggestion and move in to maybe get Steve to angle himself differently or change the position of a hand.
It just worked and worked so incredibly well, making EVERYONE feel involved.
Here’s the out of camera Raw file …
Original Raw file in Adobe Lightroom Classic
Here’s the final retouched image which was worked on using both Lightroom and Photoshop …
Final Retocuhed Portrait
Here’s a summary of the retouching steps carried out in both Lightroom Classic and Photoshop …
Straighten & Crop
Colour Correction*
Denoise
Masking (Enhance eyes - Iris and Pupil only)
*Had to do this manually as ‘somehow’ I forgot to use my Colour Checker Passport … Doh!
Clean Up
Dodge & Burn
2010
Dreamy Glow (20%)
Colour (CN16)
Color Mixer (Reduce Orange & Red Saturation on Steve’s face)
Masking (Radial Gradient to Shape Light)
Masking Exposure on Face
Add Grain
For the 2nd portrait of Steve, this was the photograph I used as the initial inspiration / idea …
For this we went with the exact same set up albeit positioning the light camera left this time as opposed to camera right as it was for the first portrait.
Below is what the set up looked like before turning off the lights in the studio that weren’t contributing to the portrait …
Using the single L60-B coming in from high up and angled down produced exactly the lighting that was wanted (below) however I felt that the shadow side of Steve’s head was a touch too dark …
To add a touch more light onto the shadow side of Steve’s head, rather than use a 2nd L60-B we just used a Silver Reflector which also had a white side to it, however between the two surfaces, the silver side gave the best result …
Here’s the ‘out of camera’ Raw file …
Out of Camera Raw file in Lightroom Classic
Here’s the final retouched image which was worked on using both Lightroom Classic and Photoshop …
Final Retouched Portrait
Retouching steps in both Lightroom Classic and Photoshop were pretty much the same as in the first portrait, however there was one very definite difference.
When taking the 2nd portrait, we all felt that although Steve sitting on a stool worked, it did make him look a little squashed because of the height of the stool he was sitting on and also how his jacket sat, so we also tried a few shots with Steve standing …
With Steve standing it definitely stopped him looked squashed, however when looking at the images later in Lightroom Classic I was torn because I liked the pose and expression on Steve’s face from the seated shots.
So now in the retouching I was thinking I could either (a) do a head swap or (b) do the opposite of a technique I used to do when photographing physiques … and that’s what I chose to do.
Here’s a short video showing exactly what I did in Photoshop to reduce / remove the ‘squashed’ look …
Following the photo shoot we all the headed over to Abergavenny for what was a delicious bite to eat at The Angel … THANK YOU Steve!
So there you go, all of the steps that I went through from the initial idea, the kit, the set up and the final edit.
As always if you have any questions / comments, please do make use of the section below and I’ll be sure to reply.
Oh and don’t forget, if you’re interested in getting ANY of the Westcott kit including lighting, modifers, backgrounds etc then drop me a line as I’ll be able to give you a Discount Code for 10% OFF
Cheers
Glyn
Using Lightroom , Photoshop and A.I. to create Movie-Style Portraits covering techniques for Lighting , Selections , Cut Outs and Special Effects.
Here’s a YouTube LIVE Broadcast which aired on Sunday 13th August 2023 , where I go through the lighting and editing involvedin Photoshop to create this portrait of my friend Dai O’Toole …
Really excited to let you know that I have a NEW course NOW AVAILABLE …
Just as with my other courses, you can stream / download all of the included video tutorials, download work files to follow along step by step, download a PDF of Class Notes ans have Life Time Access. Plus there’s a knowledge check and certificate of completion.
For more information check out the button link below
See you in class 😃
Despite temperatures going down to -8, I couldn’t resist heading down to Portland Bill Lighthouse again to catch the incoming tide and hopefully some better light at sunrise.
My GoPro Hero 10 wasn’t having any of it with the batteries immediately losing all power but thankfully my Insta 360 X3 was having no problems, so I did manage to get some Behind the Scenes footage (below)
Here though is my favourite shot from the morning; captured using my iPhone 14 Pro Max and the Lightroom Mobile App camera, and then edited in Lightroom Mobile and Photoshop on my iPad …
I’m absolutely LOVING the mobile workflow.
Being able to take a photograph with my iPhone and then moments later be sat in a nearby café editing the photographs I’ve just taken on my iPad because they’ve automatically synced across, just blows me away.
BUT to then edit in Lightroom and jump back and forth to Photoshop on my iPad too is just so much fun.
It doesn’t stop there though, because when I get home and sit in front of main computer, the images and all of the edits I’ve done are there waiting for me to tweak and finish off if needed.
Incredible!
To add to this, IF I was using my main camera I could have an equally easy and joyful editing experience by simply loading the images off the memory card onto my iPad Pro and into Lightroom Mobile whilst sat in the café … or wherever 😃
Seeing how this has progressed since Lightroom Mobile and Photoshop on the iPad were introduced, genuinely excites the heck out of me! Sure, Lightroom Mobile and especially Photoshop on the iPad don’t have the exact same functionality as the desktop version (yet) … but it’s coming and to be honest, the workarounds aren’t much to figure out anyway.
I’ll be putting a video together for my YouTube Channel showing this soon.
In the mean time though, here’s a 44 second YouTube Short I put together giving a look ‘Behind the Scenes’ of this Portland Bill Lighthouse Photo Shoot …
Did you see the dog portrait I did a couple of weeks back?
If not, this is the one.
The dog belongs to my friend Trigga, and I I took it after I’d finished taking his portrait…
So here’s a video showing all the editing / retouching I did in both Lightroom and Photoshop …
Hope you like it, but as always, if you have any questions, just post them in the comments section below and I’ll make sure to reply.
Cheers,
Glyn
The Depth Blur Filter in Photoshop works great on landscape pictures BUT trying using it on a Portrait and WOW!
Totally brings it to life and gives the feel of the portrait coming forward of the screen / print! I've been experimenting with this lately and am loving the results! In this video I show you my 3 Step Process...
I'm genuinely thrilled to announce that I’ll be teaching at the Lightroom Virtual Summit 2022, on October 3rd thru 7th, 2022, and that registration is open so you can grab a FREE PASS now …
October 3 - 7, 2022
15 expert instructors teaching 45 classes - over 33 hours of content! … and you can watch it for free!
After the success of the first Lightroom Summit, I’m genuinely over the moon to be teaching alongside a great line-up of instructors: Anthony Morganti, Ben Willmore, Chris Orwig, Colin Smith, Daniel Gregory, Jared Platt, Jesús Ramirez, Kristina Sherk, Lisa Carney, Matt Kloskowski, Nicole Young, Rob Sylvan, Sean McCormack, and Tim Grey.
The change this year too is that we’re all doing 3 classes each!
All classes are free to watch for a 48 period once they go live, and there's an optional VIP Pass available for purchase that gives you lifetime access to the recordings of all classes, along with audio recordings, instructor-provided class notes and exclusive bonuses.
You can get all the details and see the descriptions of all the classes right here: LINK
If the first Lightroom Summit is anything to go by, this is going to be an amazing week!
Hope to see you there … virtually of course 😃
© Glyn Dewis 2024
