Instagramer II

Our latest Pro Tutorial is a close partner tutorial to Instagramer I. Which is also quite rewarding, since it involves one or two of the same techniques, but overall it is a complete different retouch. Therefor a new challenge with once again different tasks.

Not only does the tutorial provide a free lesson on photography and light setup, the lessons that follow provide a wide focus on retouching techniques. Techniques such as Creating a New Background, Compositing & Merging, Color Grading, Building Light, as well as creating a realistic feel & light look.

This Pro Tutorial provides the user with the understanding of how to work in light and how to restore the sense of realism to composites. At +/-120 minutes, the Instagramer II Pro Tutorial focuses on retouching & compositing an image, to give it the quality definition we so often see in advertising photography.

The idea behind the tutorial is not only to familiarize people with the techniques, but also to help them understand the reason for using certain methods and not using others.

Included in your Pro Tutorial – 2 Hours Step by Step guide

• Lesson 1 – Behind The Scene – Photography “Free”
• Lesson 2 – Light Setup “Free”
• Lesson 3 – Preparations & Raw Conversions
• Lesson 4 – Help Layers & Notes
• Lesson 5 – Building The Background
• Lesson 6 – Light Control & Merging Subject In
• Lesson 7 – Finish Base Plate & Light Control II
• Lesson 8 – Dodge & Burn
• Lesson 9 – Retouching Model & Light Control
• Lesson 10 – First Color Grading
• Lesson 11 – Merging In Iphone
• Lesson 12 – Building Iphone Screen
• Lesson 13 – Final Color & Adjustments

Included working files

• Raw Files
• PSD File

DESCRIPTION:

Behind The Scene – Photography “Free”

In our first lesson, (Which is also for free – Watch here) we’re going to discuss the complete photography setup and all thoughts behind this project. We will also go through a complete before and after series, presenting both the original and updated image, and how we adjust the exposure.

Preparations & Raw Conversions

In our first retouching lesson, we will concentrate on our basic adjustments in camera raw and import our raw images into Photoshop. This process helps us to sort & collect the right files out of our complete photo shooting batch.

 Help Layers & Notes

In this lesson we will then put the techniques on hold and create a new help layer in order to point out all the retouching steps. This helps us to stay focused during the retouching process.

Building The Background

Now that we have a rough understanding of what we want to retouch, we will concentrated on build our fist main background plate. To simplify this process either spend more time searching for the right location or shoot similar background plates like we did!

 Light Control & Merging Subject In

In our last section we finished up with the basic background plate. I this section we will start merging out our subject. We will be using the pen tool for this process (We have an excellent Free Tutorial on this technique – Find it here). Once we are done we will create a better light feeling  & control through out the complete background and the foreground!

 Finish Base Plate & Light Control II

Now that we have merged in the subject / model. We will concentrate on our second light adjustments. This means controlling the light between the background and the subject. Melting both images better together and giving it a real look again. This process is very important for a real end look and should be done very carefully.

 Dodge & Burn

In this section, we will be working with our famous Dodge & Burn technique (We have an excellent Free Tutorial on this technique – Find it here). This means creating two new unique layers, one for dodging the highlights and one for burning the shadows. This would effectively emphasise the light in the image.

 Retouching Model & Light Control

Now that we have set our base plate, we can fix all forgotten areas and start with the basic retouching process. Basically meaning cleaning up skin, controlling contrast, liquifying and getting our image ready for the first color grade!  These processes involves a small amount of different techniques and a little patience.

First Color Grading

Now that we have slightly shaped the light, we will concentrate on our fist color adjustments. This is a small part in the complete color process. This will give us an idea of the direction we want to take with the complete color grade and the general appearance of the image!

Light Talk –  Light Setup “Free”

In our next section, (Which is also for free – Watch here) we’re going to discuss the complete light setup into depth. We will also go through a complete before and after series, presenting both the original and updated image, and how we adjust the exposure.

 Merging In Iphone

Now it’s time to advance to the next level. We will take our second image (Raw Image iPhone) into camera raw and start off by creating the same color sense and balance via the temperature sliders. We will also do several pre-adjustments to the overall exposure!

Building Iphone Screen

The following lesson shouldn’t be too complex. We will concentrate on placing the first retouched image into the iPhone screen. This process will involve working with Guidelines, the Pen Tool, Selections and Transform Mode. We will also bring a sense of authenticity to the image by building and replicating the actual iPhone screen graphics. This process involves a simple trick as well as using Photoshop’s awesome blending mode options.

Final Color & Adjustments

We will be concentrating on the remaining 20% of our image in our final lesson – color grading, sharpness, fixes, size, as well as the overall look and feel of the image. Once we have finished with this process we are ready to save and finish up.