Project 17: Retouching a Face
As you may have guessed from the name, in this project we turn our attention to portraits, and ways to retouch areas of a face. This is an area of editing that I think is perhaps scrutinized a bit more harshly than others. A person's face is a very intimate part of themselves. And because of it's critical role in the way we communicate, we are overly attuned to the analysis of the finest details, expressions, tones, shapes, shades, and textures.
When I look at someone's face, there are so many different elements that attract my attention, yet I don't see those elements as individual aspects. It forms a whole - something that makes sense and has meaning and emotion. So much emotion. Even when I look at a photography, there is an instinctive process that happens where I look at the balance of someone's feature, their expression, individual details, and the sum of all of that, makes them who they are.
Faces are so incredibly intimate, and interesting. I find it hard to imagine wanting to change details that add character. But then again, of course in terms of what the average person considers beautiful, there has to be a way to achieve that level of perfection. I'm thinking that this kind of exercise would be very useful for fashion and/ or model photography. I'm also thinking about the photo shoots I have done over the past 18 months. Even those with newborns . . . personally I wouldn't want to remove even the smallest little mark off skin. Because that's part of who we are. And that's one reason right there why I'd find it hard to be a paid portrait photographer. I like showing the world what I see and how it makes me feel. I'm not into showing someone else what they want to see. Unless it's the same as what I am seeing :- p Selfish, isn't it? But photography is mine, and if it pleases someone else in the process, how cool is that?
Any edits made to a person's face are a delicate matter, and need to be approached accordingly. It isn't so simple as using the dropper to choose a colour, and then painting it over a spot of acne - there are textures and tones that change subtly across features that have to be made continuous in order to avoid detection.
That's what makes the clone tool so perfect for this sort of editing. It can be used to pull detail from other areas of the image, and replicated in order to make a change that perfectly matches the surrounding areas. But when larger areas need to be addressed, there are other methods which can be used, that result in realistic modifications. I experimented with these techniques on a couple different images - though they were small, quick, easy edits. The image that I finally chose to use for this project, however, required a lot of attention, and was quite a challenge for me. But I have to say that I feel really good about having stuck with it, and am pleased with the end results. The first image is the original, the second is the edited version, and the last - while not full scale - is zoomed in a little bit in order to see more of the finer detail.
When I look at someone's face, there are so many different elements that attract my attention, yet I don't see those elements as individual aspects. It forms a whole - something that makes sense and has meaning and emotion. So much emotion. Even when I look at a photography, there is an instinctive process that happens where I look at the balance of someone's feature, their expression, individual details, and the sum of all of that, makes them who they are.
Faces are so incredibly intimate, and interesting. I find it hard to imagine wanting to change details that add character. But then again, of course in terms of what the average person considers beautiful, there has to be a way to achieve that level of perfection. I'm thinking that this kind of exercise would be very useful for fashion and/ or model photography. I'm also thinking about the photo shoots I have done over the past 18 months. Even those with newborns . . . personally I wouldn't want to remove even the smallest little mark off skin. Because that's part of who we are. And that's one reason right there why I'd find it hard to be a paid portrait photographer. I like showing the world what I see and how it makes me feel. I'm not into showing someone else what they want to see. Unless it's the same as what I am seeing :- p Selfish, isn't it? But photography is mine, and if it pleases someone else in the process, how cool is that?
Any edits made to a person's face are a delicate matter, and need to be approached accordingly. It isn't so simple as using the dropper to choose a colour, and then painting it over a spot of acne - there are textures and tones that change subtly across features that have to be made continuous in order to avoid detection.
That's what makes the clone tool so perfect for this sort of editing. It can be used to pull detail from other areas of the image, and replicated in order to make a change that perfectly matches the surrounding areas. But when larger areas need to be addressed, there are other methods which can be used, that result in realistic modifications. I experimented with these techniques on a couple different images - though they were small, quick, easy edits. The image that I finally chose to use for this project, however, required a lot of attention, and was quite a challenge for me. But I have to say that I feel really good about having stuck with it, and am pleased with the end results. The first image is the original, the second is the edited version, and the last - while not full scale - is zoomed in a little bit in order to see more of the finer detail.
