Julia Kuzmenko McKim, RA Team, Author at Retouching Academy

05 Feb

Let’s Play! Fun Robocop Retouching Contest & Prizes

January 29, 2019
Posted by Julia Kuzmenko McKim, RA Team
contest, fun contest, retouching contest
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UPDATE: The finalists and the Winner are announced on Fstoppers: The Awesome Robocop Retouching Contest Winners Congratulations, Jeff Whitlock! My Fstoppers colleague, NYC based Commercial Photographer Douglas Sonders, is running a fun...

04 Feb

Industry & Community News

Retouching Academy Mentorship Program – January 2014 Winners Announced

January 29, 2019
Posted by Julia Kuzmenko McKim, RA Team
mentorship program, RAMP, retouching education
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We are super excited to announce that the first round of the Mentorship Program in our Retouching Academy Community group is finished and our winner Mentees are announced along...

18 Jan

Business & Clients, Commercial Retouching

Importance Of Self-Promotion For Artists and Practical Tips

July 22, 2020
Posted by Julia Kuzmenko McKim, RA Team
marketing, retouching business, retouching freelance
5 comments

In this post our Guest Artist Michael Herb, Commercial, Editorial and Conceptual Photographer from Las Vegas, NV talks about the importance of self-promotion for artists and shares his own methods....

16 Jan

Creative Retouching, Interviews & Making Of Stories

The Making Of The "Red Dress Twirl" Artwork by Shayne Gray

In this post our Guest Artist Shayne Gray from Toronto, Canada will walk us through the creation process of his "Red Dress Twirl" image. I am really enjoying reading through...

12 Dec

Efficiency & Productivity, Fundamentals

History, Caches & Good Work Habits For Better Photoshop Performance

January 20, 2019
Posted by Julia Kuzmenko McKim, RA Team
good retouching habits, performance, photoshop
4 comments

Please read How to Set Preferences & Memory Usage for Peak Performance before you continue reading this article. History & Caches Simply put, keep History States and Cache Levels at their default settings,...

30 Oct

Fundamentals, Working With Colors

Fundamentals Of Color Theory

July 29, 2021
Posted by Julia Kuzmenko McKim, RA Team
color theory, fundamentals, working with color
5 comments

These are the things every visual artist must know and understand. LIGHT & COLOR If you want to learn to manage color, it helps to first understand just what it is: Color...

28 Oct

Business & Clients, Commercial Retouching

You Have To Value Your Own Talent & Time And Educate Your Clients To Do So

November 23, 2020
Posted by Julia Kuzmenko McKim, RA Team
retouching business, retouching rates, working with clients
1 comment

This is a great video from Derek Halpern of Social Triggers talking about how to prevent new clients from haggling your rates. He also offers a great script of...

11 Sep

Fundamentals, Software for Retouching

How to Set Preferences & Memory Usage for Peak Performance – Photoshop CC, CS6

Here are a few ways to enhance Photoshop performance: Optimize your current hardware Customize Performance Preferences in Photoshop Tailor your Photoshop work habits (read more: History, Caches & Performance-Friendly Work...

27 Aug

Fundamentals

Light & Shadow Basics

It is important to understand the basics of the studio and ambient lighting for retouchers just as it is for painters, photographers and any visual artists for that matter....

23 Aug

Fundamentals

Camera Settings For Better Images

Beginner photographers will often jump to studying retouching before they have their photography and lighting skills fine-tuned. However, it is smarter to start with a solid photographic foundation before refining...

05 Aug

Fundamentals

What is ISO?

November 3, 2018
Posted by Julia Kuzmenko McKim, RA Team
image noise, iso, Qualities of Digital Images
1 comment

WHAT IS ISO? ISO stands for International Organization for Standardization, and in terms of photography, designates an exposure index system devised by that organization. In essence, ISO is an exposure...

31 Jul

Fundamentals

Understanding Image Noise

November 3, 2018
Posted by Julia Kuzmenko McKim, RA Team
image noise, iso, Qualities of Digital Images
6 comments

What is Image Noise In digital photography, image noise can be compared to film grain for analogue cameras. Image noise usually manifests itself as random speckles on a smooth surface...

24 Jul

Fundamentals

Dynamic Range in Digital Photography

October 16, 2018
Posted by Julia Kuzmenko McKim, RA Team
dynamic range, fundamentals, Qualities of Digital Images
12 comments

In photography, dynamic range is the ratio between the least and the highest measurable intensity of light. Simply put, it is the range of light and tonal detail from...

23 Jun

Fundamentals

Sharpness Vs. Focus in Digital Photography

January 19, 2019
Posted by Julia Kuzmenko McKim, RA Team
focus, Qualities of Digital Images, sharpness
2 comments

Sharpness: Acutance + Resolution Sharpness is the level of the clarity of detail in a photo and is a valuable tool for emphasizing textures of subjects and subjects' details in an image....

15 Jun

Fundamentals, Software for Retouching

Image File Formats, Resolution & Size

Image File Formats One of the main criteria that distinguish different file formats is image compression. Compressed files' size is significantly smaller and allows us to send or upload them...

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About Julia Kuzmenko McKim, RA Team

Let’s Play! Fun Robocop Retouching Contest & Prizes

Retouching Academy Mentorship Program – January 2014 Winners Announced

Importance Of Self-Promotion For Artists and Practical Tips

The Making Of The "Red Dress Twirl" Artwork by Shayne Gray

History, Caches & Good Work Habits For Better Photoshop Performance

Fundamentals Of Color Theory

You Have To Value Your Own Talent & Time And Educate Your Clients To Do So

How to Set Preferences & Memory Usage for Peak Performance – Photoshop CC, CS6

Light & Shadow Basics

Camera Settings For Better Images

What is ISO?

Understanding Image Noise

Dynamic Range in Digital Photography

Sharpness Vs. Focus in Digital Photography

Image File Formats, Resolution & Size

TIMES OF CHANGE

How to Avoid Excessive Revisions in Retouching By Galina Trush

Important Update: Legacy RA Panels and the New UXP Upgrade

Skin Work & Frequency Separation Section on the latest Beauty Retouch Panel

AI in Vogue: The Pushback

Reinventing Your Creative Career: Evolve Your Skills Without Starting Over

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About Julia Kuzmenko McKim, RA Team

TIMES OF CHANGE