Contents of This Book

Contents of This Book

This book is divided into nine chapters, each covering a general category of client requests . If you have a client who wants you to fix the color of an image, create something that doesn't currently exist in an image, or prepare an image for use in a special medium, you should be able to find a chapter that helps you do the job. After a brief orientation to the studio of a professional retoucher in the first chapter, the next five chapters cover general types of image manipulation. The last three chapters give special advice on how to prepare images for "unusual" mediums such as billboards, newspapers, and product packaging. Here's a basic run-down of what the chapters are about:


Note: If you need to get up to speed with Photoshop, try Deke McClelland's Adobe Photoshop CS2: One on One (O'Reilly). You really only need a general familiarity with Photoshop to get started with this book, but if you don't even have that, Deke's book is a great place to start.


Chapter 1, The Professional Retoucher's Studio

Tries to give you a sense of what a day in the retoucher's professional life might entail. In this chapter, I've sketched out the basic physical environment in which I work, the workflow of a typical retouching job, and some thoughts about becoming a professional retoucher. If you want to go straight to retouching images, start with Chapter 2.



Chapter 2, Shadows and Light

Discusses the basic category of projects that require manipulation of light. I'll give you some techniques for understanding "imaginary" light sources, creating realistic shadows, and avoiding common shadow mistakes.



Chapter 3, Corrections: Improvements on Reality

Covers how to make corrections that really improve the power of an image. We'll go over some basic correction techniques, discuss adding texture and shape to flat images, and cover some overall color corrections.



Chapter 4, Something from Nothing

Helps you understand how to approach those jobs in which you or your client wants to put something in the image that isn't currently there. This might mean adding steam to a cup of coffee, adding motion to a sports car, or adding shine to a previously dull object.



Chapter 5, Special Color Requests

Discusses how to use special colors and manipulate colors to get the output you or your client are seeking. Here, we'll go over creating touch plates, converting files in and out of CMYK color profiles, and changing the overall color of an image entirely.



Chapter 6, Merging Images

Goes over how to create realistic, if sometimes fantastic, compositions. We'll discuss the basic techniques of properly selecting the components of your composition, how to prepare your "canvas," and how to put the pieces together so that the "seams" don't show.



Chapter 7, Low Resolution on a Grand Scale

Covers the typical commercial retouching request of taking an image intended for a magazine or brochure and making it usable at poster or even billboard size . I'll go over how to interpret a spec sheet for this kind of job, how to assess potential problem areas, and how to improve the file so that it survives magnification.



Chapter 8, Preparing Images for Newsprint

Discusses the particular problems and techniques for avoiding those problems when your image's final destination is the local newspaper. We'll start by getting an overall understanding of the particular needs of images heading for newsprint, then follow with specific instructions for preparing color and black and white images.



Chapter 9, Preparing Images for Use on Packaging Materials

Considers the particular retouching challenges and Photoshop tools that can help you prepare an image intended for industrial packaging. Here, we'll go over spec sheets for flexographic presses, how to prepare the file for best results, and the particular solutions for avoiding pitfalls in this medium.


Note: There are also plenty of notes and sidebars full of my observations from years of working in my retouching studio.


Commercial Photoshop Retouching(c) In the Studio
Commercial Photoshop Retouching(c) In the Studio
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2006
Pages: 83

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