Retouchers are commonly found behind the metaphorical curtain of the photography process. They operate as the hidden muscle behind a large quantity of the high-end imagery we see these days. They can play an integral role in refining a successful image and taking it to the next level.
This experiment uses AI to expose photoshopped celebrities on magazine covers
In a world where social media constantly reminds us of beauty standards, it’s getting more and difficult to fully embrace ourselves and the way we look. We are constantly bombarded with flawless images of celebrities, models, and influencers. All of them are seemingly blessed with perfect skin and body, and a perfectly symmetrical face.
Sadly, all of this affects people’s self-image, especially the young, leaving them feeling inadequate and unworthy. This is why Within Health performed a little experiment. This digital service helps people combat with eating disorders and they recently used AI technology to detect photoshopped areas in celebrities’ faces in magazine covers.
Do we even need Photoshop anymore? This is how powerful the new masks are in Lightroom
Adobe Lightroom seems to get more and more useful every year. The most recent updates have made this a formidable piece of software. It used to be that I did a few small global adjustments in Lightroom or Adobe Camera Raw and then headed straight for Photoshop to do the majority of the retouching work.
These days, I feel that there is less demand for perfection in terms of skin and more demand for a realistic look. At least in the work that I’m doing here in Europe anyway. Less is definitely more. Of course, I will absolutely go in and dodge and burn to my heart’s content if the image needs it. However, as this excellent video by Anthony Morganti shows, the masks are now so powerful in Lightroom that you can do much of your editing without ever having to open up Photoshop. Let’s take a closer look.
Serif has released Affinity Photo 2 with a slew of non-destructive features for editing your photos
Serif has launched a new major version of Affinity Photo – its first since initially launching in 2016. Affinity Photo 2 introduces not only a massive amount of new features to the application but is also part of a whole Affinity Creative Suite, similar to Adobe’s Creative Cloud, incorporating multiple applications. Probably the biggest difference between Affinity and Creative Cloud, though, is that this is still a one-off purchase with no subscription.
The first hint that something new was coming was five days ago when a teaser video hosted by Serif Managing Director, Ashley Hewson was posted to the Affinity YouTube channel. This was followed up today by the announcement video below. Affinity Photo 2 finally brings much-demanded features like non-destructive raw development, live and compound masks, and saved layer states.
Topaz Photo AI launches today with all its auto image tools in one program
Topaz Labs has launched its new program Photo AI which combines all of its most popular image tools under one umbrella. The image editing tools automatically detect and fix image quality issues using Artificial Intelligence.
According to the company, Topaz Photo AI will help photographers maximize image quality faster and more accurately than ever before. It does this by pairing its extensively trained AI models and deep learning capabilities with what it calls its Autopilot inspector resulting in improved RAW workflow options.
Retouch4Me is a suite of Plugins that use AI to retouch your photos in the blink of an eye
It seems like you can’t go a day without hearing about AI lately. It’s well and truly becoming a regular part of our lives, and of course, features in several Photoshop and Lightroom features and plug-ins now. So of course, it wasn’t going to be long before other companies started developing AI to help with the retouching workload.
Retouch4Me is the latest software that uses the power of AI to help you with your image retouching. It’s primarily touting itself as great for portraits and weddings, but ultimately could be used for a range of photography genres.
Infinite Tools releases powerful update for Infinite Unify Panel
Infinite Tools have just released a powerful update to one of their most versatile Photoshop plugins. Infinite Unify 2.0 is the latest update from the innovative company that provides creative solutions for photographers and retouchers looking to streamline and speed up their Photoshop workflow.
Infinite Unify gives photographers the power to tackle variations in skin tone, colour casts from mixed lighting, or other distracting elements in a fast and easy way.
Watch: A complete 90-minute video crash course on retouching portraits
When you look at all those beautiful portraits, you may want to start shooting and editing them yourself. But then you realize that it may be more challenging than it seems. Thankfully, portrait retouching is a skill you can learn, and photographer Sean Tucker is on a mission to help you on this creative journey.
Sean has just published a series of six videos that guide you through portrait retouching techniques, tips, and tricks. There is nearly an hour and a half of video material for you to watch, learn, and follow along.
My perfect portable setup for the traveling retoucher or photographer
Technology has really evolved in a way that has made it possible for people to work more efficiently on the go. I used to remember when laptops were barely able to keep up with Photoshop and working on the road was a huge pain. Now it’s changed drastically!
I am a working and traveling retoucher, photographer, and co-founder of Infinite Tools. This year alone I’ve had the pleasure of traveling and working in places like Cape Town, Iceland, and Namibia! Whether it’s going abroad or locally, I always need to be able to retouch client work and I wanted a setup that could adapt to home and travel life. After all, sometimes I am only home for a bit and even when I’m home, I like to work in different locations to change things up.
The Xencelabs Medium Tablet with QuickKeys is actually better than a Wacom Intuos Pro and cheaper
For quite a long time if you wanted a drawing tablet, Wacom was pretty much the only show in town. I’ve owned an Intuos Pro for several years now, and at first, I was thrilled with it. However, driver issues and constant lack of connectivity made me fall out of love very quickly.
These days there are a lot more choices of brands and types of tablets. Do you want one with a screen that you draw on directly? Do you want to use an Ipad? Or do you want something pretty simple that just does what it’s meant to do? The Xencelabs medium tablet and pen have been tipped as a direct, yet more affordable rival to the Wacom Intuos Pro. I was keen to find out if this was true, and whether it could actually be better.
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