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Re: [OM] What do you think of the Phototools plug-in?

Subject: Re: [OM] What do you think of the Phototools plug-in?
From: Chuck Norcutt <chucknorcutt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:35:32 -0500
Fortunately, F12 must not be a popular key since I haven't received any 
portraits for fixing.  :-)

I've tried a couple of those portrait fixup tools and found them all 
wanting unless you want featureless skin.  Touching up the skin on a 
typical portrait is generally pretty easy.  Normally I just create a 
duplicate layer, blur the layer slightly using gaussian blur until the 
skin achieves the proper amount of smoothing, add a mask to that layer, 
pour black paint from the paint bucket onto the mask to reveal the 
original layer underneath, then use white paint on the paint brush to 
reveal the smoothed skin under the mask.  If you used a heavy blur to 
begin with you can control the degree that's actually revealed as well 
as where by judicious use of flow and opacity of the brush.

Older women with prominent crow's feet around the eyes or very 
significant wrinkles may require a bit more work.  But care is required 
to avoid turning a 50 year old into a 20 year old.  :-)

I sometimes use a similar operation when sharpening a portrait.  I add a 
duplicate layer, sharpen the image on that layer, add a mask and cover 
with black paint again to reveal the unsharpened image below.  Then use 
white paint on the mask to reveal just the sharpened eyes, eyebrows, 
nostrils, lips, hair and perhaps jewelry or whatever else might benefit 
from emphasis.

Chuck Norcutt


On 1/31/2011 6:39 PM, usher99@xxxxxxx wrote:
> There is a limited free version 2.5 and the full 2.6  version has a 30
> day free trial.
> Perhaps it would speed up some portrait fixes? Nothing PS can't do but
> looks faster. The skin fixer looks OK but not sure how it performs.
> The flash sheen remover may be a glorified dodge tool in a layer. The
> modulation/location of an effect has an odd interface at least for
> some---reminds me of Viveza.
>    Recently tasked with touching up my sister-in-laws scanned Portra 160
> NC
> of her Mom. At least the skin tones are spot on. I have read that "F12"
> in Phototools sends the scans to Chuck. I would definitely buy the full
> version if that is true.
>
> A Sweating, Mike
-- 
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