Pixiq

 

These retouching guidelines are by no means written in stone. They are just things to consider while you are retouching different age groups. Look for these things and then decide what you should or should not do about them. It’s easy to overlook small things, like blemishes in the eyebrows or a hair sticking out of a nostril. This list is more of a reminder of what to look for and some information about what retouchers generally do. Thanks!

 Babies and Children:

  Remove:

                        Rashes

                        Bruises

                        Insect bites

                        Scratches and scrapes – check the body

                        Blotchy skin

                        Drool on clothing

                        Redness around eyes and noses (from crying)

                        Receded teeth

            Soften or reshape:

                        Extensive drool on the face

                        Hard edges of lighting

                        Puffy eyes 50% if the shadows are very dark

                        Bulges in blankets or clothing

            Do not remove:

                        Specular highlights created with the photographers lighting pattern

                        Creases under the eyes

                        Shadows under the eyes

                        Dimples

                        Birth marks – unless requested

                        Freckles

                        Moles

                        Stray hairs unless they are distracting

                        Chipped or broken teeth – unless requested

                        Do not add teeth – unless requested (additional charge)

 Teenagers:

  Remove:

                        Blemishes

                        Glares on glasses

                        Scratches and scrapes –check the body

                        Stray hairs if they are not part of the hair style

                        Stains or yellow from teeth

                        Receded teeth

            Soften or reshape:

                        Under eye shadows 50%

                        Hard edges of lighting

                        Blend skin tones 50%

                        Unflattering bulges in clothing

                        Crooked eye makeup

            Do not remove:

                        Specular highlights created with the photographers lighting pattern

                        Under eye shadows

                        Freckles – thin out clusters, remove any that distract from expression

                        Moles

                        Dimples

                        Braces – unless requested (additional charge)

                        Chipped or broken teeth – unless requested

                        Do not add teeth – unless requested (additional charge)

 

Adult Women

             Remove:

                        Stress and fatigue lines

                        Stress and fatigue shadows

                        Stray eyebrow hairs

                        Glares on glasses

                        Diagonal fatigue lines under the eyes

                        Blemishes

                        Vertical lines from around the lips

                        Stains or yellow on teeth

                        Receded teeth

                        Smeared make up

                        Stray hairs in nostrils

                        Small lines on the neck

                        Whispy “beard hair” on jaw

                        Stray hairs

                        Bulges in clothing

                        Veins on the hands and body

            Soften, shorten or reshape:

                        Sculpt and lift body as needed

                        Thick lines on the neck – reshape and tone down 75%

                        Shadows under the eyes 35-50%

                        Shorten vertical lines from corners of mouth to chin 50%

                        Crinkles around eyes 35-50%

                        Soften hard edges of lighting

                        Blend skin tones 50%

                        Soften oily skin 50%

                        Correct crooked make up

                        Tone down or reshape distracting highlights on jewelry

            Do not remove:

                        Specular highlights created with the photographers lighting pattern

                        Under eye shadows

                        Wrinkles – soften and shorten if needed after blending

                        Freckles - thin out clusters, remove any that distract from expression

                        Moles

                        Pore structure

                        Dimples

                        Double chins – minimize with Liquify up to 50%

 Adult Men:

   Remove:

       Stress and fatigue lines

                        Stress and fatigue shadows

                        Stray eyebrow hairs

                        Glares on glasses

                        Diagonal fatigue lines under the eyes

                        Blemishes

                        Vertical lines from around the lips

                        Stray whiskers

                        Shaving rash

                        Hairs in nostrils and ears

                        Stains or yellow on teeth

                        Receded teeth

                        Small lines on the neck

                        Stray hairs

                        Bulges in clothing

                        Veins on the hands and body

Soften, shorten or reshape:

Sculpt and lift body as needed

                        Thick lines on the neck – reshape and tone down 50%

                        Shadows under the eyes 35%

                        Shorten vertical lines from corners of mouth to chin 50%

                        Crinkles around eyes 35%

                        Soften hard edges of lighting

                        Blend skin tones 35%

                        Soften oily skin 35%

                        Heavy bluish beard stubble 35%

                        Tone down or reshape distracting highlights on jewelry

            Do not remove:

                        Specular highlights created with the photographers lighting pattern

                        Under eye shadows

                        Wrinkles – soften and shorten if needed after blending

                        Freckles - thin out clusters, remove any that distract from expression

                        Moles

                        Pore structure

                        Dimples

                        Double chins – minimize with Liquify up to 50%

In General:

  Remove temporary objects from the face and body.

Remove signs of stress, anxiety and fatigue.

Tone down, sculpt and shape permanent objects on the face and body.

Do not move bone structure or facial features.

Do not remove the photographers lighting pattern.

Do not remove the pore structure.

Do not remove all sign of a man’s beard.

Do not remove the bags under the eyes; soften only.

Do not remove all of the wrinkles on the face; shorten, shape, soften only.

Blend skin tones slightly more on women than on men.

There are a lot of things to look for on faces and every face is different so it's a good idea to evaluate the face before you start and make your plan of what you are going to remove, what you will soften or shorten and what you will leave alone. Look for things hiding in eyebrows or next to nostrils so you won't inadvertently leave a blemish in the middle of the face because it slipped by you.

The plan is to do what you need to do and not more than that - a little bit of good artwork is worth more than a lot of artwork that is meaningless. I do not have an adverse feeling about automated retouching software - but I use it as finishing up jobs that still need a bit of softening after retouching. Retouching, remember is not about smoothing skin tones, it's about shaping light, bringing each feature of the face out to it's best advantage and letting the best expression of the subject shine.

Happy Retouching!

Jane