Synopses & Reviews
A practical guide to working with and creating digital photography of the human face and form, Skin, 2nd Edition: The Complete Guide leads the reader through step-by-step tutorials that illustrate various photography and software techniques for creating enhancing images of all kinds of people in all kinds of different settings.
This updated edition follows the same successful roadmap as the previous edition, with the latest trends in photographing and editing a variety of skin types, as well as new projects and images to inspire readers to improve and enhance their own photos. It also incorporates the latest information on working with Photoshop and Lightroom.
The book examines a professional digital photography workflow with regards to human subjects. Material covered includes calibrating digital capture systems, lighting subjects with natural and artificial light, shooting and processing digital images, enhancing color, retouching, sharpening and other creative darkroom techniques that apply to people photography of all types. A wide variety of ethnicities ages and genders is represented with information pertinent to the differences and similarities between peoples.
Intended primarily as a practical guide, the book also serves as inspiration by showcasing exceptional work by a variety of photographers and artists. Skin, 2nd Edition goes in depth on skin in ways no other book has done: Unlike other books on photographing people, it includes men and women, in a wide range of ethnicities, skin tones, ages, and body types Beyond the standard solo-model-in-studio situations found in portrait photography books, Skin also includes unique compositions such as groups and promotional headshots. It teaches how to handle body parts and features beyond just the face--even tattoos
Synopsis
Revised and thoroughly updated, this practical guide to photographing people is better than ever!What is the color of skin? You may think you know, until you enter the world of digital photography and try to reproduce what you see. Differences in software, lighting, computer calibration—everything has an impact on color. And that’s all before you get into differences between people in terms of skin types, ethnicities, age, gender, and more! Hollywood-based photo-illustrator Lee Varis guides you step-by-step through the maze.
This new edition covers the very newest trends and techniques in photographing, lighting, and editing skin—and offers plenty of tips, examples, and valuable advice from the author’s own professional experience in the field.
- Shows you how to digitally capture all skin types: male, female, young, old, different skin tones and ethnicities, with makeup or without, wrinkled, tattooed, and more
- Covers a wealth of topics in addition to photo editing, such as how to obtain model releases and compose shots, how to shoot groups, and how to create promotional headshots
- Incorporates the latest on working with Photoshop and Lightroom
- Showcases exceptional work from a variety of photographers and artists
If you're photographing people, you’ll want this valuable and unique guide on your shelf.
Synopsis
What is the color of skin?You may think you know, until you try to reproduce what you see. Differences in software, hardware, lighting, calibration—everything has an impact on color. And that's all before you confront the differences between people: young, old, male, female, different ethnicities, wearing makeup or not, wrinkled or tattooed—even their notions about what looks good!
In this new edition of his hot-selling guide, top Hollywood photo-illustrator Lee Varis guides you step by step through the maze. Find out how he lights, captures, color-corrects, and retouches images of people in all their variety—using the very latest Photoshop and Lightroom tools—and discover his secrets to making people look compelling in their own skin.
topics include:
Understanding the basics of digital capture and workflow
Starting with the right hardware and software settings
Developing your digital color "chops"
Mastering Rembrandt lighting, natural lighting, and other lighting techniques
Overcoming common digital skin problems, such as too much red
Composing shots, posing models, and taking formal portraits or candid shots
Trimming the fat, lighting up the eyes, and filling in wrinkles
Using new blur filters, creating a grunge look, and adding dazzling effects
Sharpening, soft proofing, and simulating, so you can print with success
Discovering what can and what can't be done in post-process
Learn new camera calibration techniques
Understand lighting for many different effects
Discover color-correction techniques for every type of skin
Learn new special effects like HDR Toning in Photoshop CS5
About the Author
Lee Varis is a photo-illustrator working in Hollywood. He has been involved in commercial photography for three decades. His images have been featured in National Geographic, Newsweek, and Fortune magazines, and both his writing and photography have been featured in trade journals such as PDN, PEI, Design Graphics, and others. His work has appeared on movie posters, video box and CD covers, and in numerous brochures and catalogs. Varis conducts seminars and workshops for APA, PPA, ASMP Maine Media Workshops, Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, and LIGHT Photographic Workshops. He is the president of LADIG (Los Angeles Digital Imaging Group).
Table of Contents
Foreword.Introduction.
Chapter 1 Digital Imaging Basics, Workflow, and Calibration.
Chips and Pixels.
Your Monitor and Calibrator.
Basic Digital Capture Workflow.
Setting Up a Lightroom Catalog.
Calibrating for Digital Capture.
Building a Camera Calibration.
Using Camera Profiles.
Editing Camera Profiles for Better Skin Color.
Working with Your Calibration.
Calibration Review.
Testing Procedure Overview.
Putting Color Management in Context.
Chapter 2 Lighting and Photographing People.
Lighting Technology.
Basic Portrait Lighting.
Rembrandt Lighting.
Natural Light.
On-Camera Flash.
Breaking the Rules.
Advanced Lighting Techniques.
Ring Light.
Combination Lighting: Daylight Plus Flash.
Controlling Natural Light.
Action Stopping Lighting.
Experimenting with Light.
Chapter 3 The Color of Skin.
White Points, Black Points, and Places In-Between.
Zone System: Contrast and Tone.
Neutral Color: Using Balanced Numbers.
Curves: The Basic Color and Tone Tool.
Contrast Control: The Basic Curve Shapes.
Info Panel: Reading Basic Numbers.
White/Black Point Correction.
Adjusting the Numbers for the Color of Skin.
The Family of Man: Cultural and Psychological Issues.
Cultural and Personal Color Bias.
Chapter 4 Tone and Contrast: Color and B+W.
Converting to B+W.
The Channel Mixer.
Split Channels: Layer Blending.
Luminosity Blending.
Instant Tan.
When Color Overwhelms: Look for the Good Channel.
Hue/Saturation Toning Effects.
Split-Toning.
Gradient Map Colorizing.
The Power of B+W.
Chapter 5 Retouching.
Basic Image Repair.
Hue/Saturation Color Repair.
Skin Smoothing.
Beauty Retouching.
Subtle Retouching.
Figure Thinning Techniques.
Chapter 6 Special Effects.
Soft Focus.
Basic Diffusion Effect.
Screen Diffusion.
Multiply Diffusion.
Overlay Diffusion.
Depth of Field Effects.
Lens Tilt Effect.
Film Grain and Noise.
Cross-Processing.
Grunge.
Tattoos.
Enhancing Existing Tattoos.
Faking Tattoos.
Final Notes.
Chapter 7 Preparing for Print.
Sharpening.
Unsharp Mask.
Smart Sharpen.
Multiple Sharpening Layers.
Octave Sharpening.
Overlay Sharpening and High-Radius Effects.
Color Management for Print.
Translating from RGB to CMYK.
Profiles and Look-Up Tables.
Soft Proofing.
Desktop Printing.
Print Options.
Output Simulations.
Creative Print Finishing.
Background and Canvas Options.
Edge Treatments.
Last Minute Fixes.
Chapter 8 Parting Shots.
The Creative Workflow.
Future Developments.
Index.