Real World Practices Archives

05 Jan

Business & Clients, Commercial Retouching, Fundamentals

Retouching Guidelines & Considerations

September 17, 2024
Posted by Brock McFadzean
beauty retouching, quality retouching, retouching guidelines
14 comments

The general term “Retouching” can be categorized under the following subject-specific areas of Portrait, Editorial, Commercial, Beauty and Creative Retouching. Each of these areas possesses its own assembly of considerations...

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,...

25 Nov

Fundamentals, Software for Retouching, Video Tutorial

Practical Use Of Clipping Masks in Adobe Photoshop

In this tutorial we will cover what Clipping Masks are and how to create them in Photoshop. We will also touch on some retouching scenarios when they can be...

18 Nov

Fundamentals, Software for Retouching

Everything You Need To Know To Love The Pen Tool

In this video we will talk about the Pen Tool and how you can make and adjust precise and complex selections using this tool. The Pen Tool is one of...

30 Oct

Fundamentals, Working With Colors

Introduction To Color Management

July 29, 2021
Posted by Julia McKim
color management, color theory, working with colors
2 comments

COLOR SPACES Color Management is the process of coordinating colors from nature to camera, then to monitor, then to print, so that the color that will be produced in your final...

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...

27 Oct

Fundamentals, Software for Retouching, Video Tutorial

The difference between Brush Opacity & Fill and Layer Opacity & Flow

BRUSH OPACITY vs. FLOW While most people starting out with Photoshop tend to utilize Opacity slider and leave Flow untouched, knowing the difference between the two will allow you to...

20 Oct

Fundamentals, Software for Retouching, Video Tutorial

Working with Layer Blend If Sliders in Adobe Photoshop

Learn how to work with this super useful and often overlooked function of Layers Blending Options - Blend If Sliders. In this video I will show you how the Blend...

18 Oct

Fundamentals, Software for Retouching, Video Tutorial

How to Work Smart With Quick Mask in Adobe Photoshop

November 3, 2018
Posted by Michael Woloszynowicz
quick mask, selections
2 comments

Quick mask is a Photoshop tool that can be used in a wide range of image editing situations. It will be quite handy for a retoucher working with Architectural...

11 Oct

High-End Beauty & Fashion

A Glimpse Into Practical Color Correction

Since I am a very intuitive photographer and retoucher, I might not always use the easiest way to achieve a certain result. For me the key to color correcting...

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, Software for Retouching

Working With The Healing Brush Tool

September 4, 2020
Posted by Lulie Talmor
basics, beauty retouching, Healing Brush
3 comments

As a Beauty & Fashion retoucher, one of the tools I most often go to is the Healing Brush tool. It works similarly to the Clone Stamp tool in...

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....

18 Jun

Fundamentals, Working With Colors

Bit Depth: 8-bit Vs. 16-bit

February 5, 2018
Posted by Julia McKim
Bit Depth, fundamentals, working with color
18 comments

Bit Depth is a metric of how many unique colors are in the color palette of an image that are used to represent each of the colors. This is...

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Retouching Guidelines & Considerations

History, Caches & Good Work Habits For Better Photoshop Performance

Practical Use Of Clipping Masks in Adobe Photoshop

Everything You Need To Know To Love The Pen Tool

Introduction To Color Management

Fundamentals Of Color Theory

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

The difference between Brush Opacity & Fill and Layer Opacity & Flow

Working with Layer Blend If Sliders in Adobe Photoshop

How to Work Smart With Quick Mask in Adobe Photoshop

A Glimpse Into Practical Color Correction

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

Light & Shadow Basics

Working With The Healing Brush Tool

Camera Settings For Better Images

What is ISO?

Understanding Image Noise

Dynamic Range in Digital Photography

Sharpness Vs. Focus in Digital Photography

Bit Depth: 8-bit Vs. 16-bit

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