Photoshop eye retouching

[Besisika]

Hey guys,
Anyone knows a good technique for eye retouching in PS? My technique based on high-pass/hue saturation looks too artificial. I have an event to shoot next week where I most probably will have a lot of shoulder up or closer portrait shots. There are so many techniques in YouTube and don't know anymore what to use.
Thanks,

 

[Logan]

retouching what though? whats the problem you are trying to fix? i've never really had to retouch eyes except for redeye or increasing vibrance with LAB.

 

[Besisika]

retouching what though? whats the problem you are trying to fix? i've never really had to retouch eyes except for redeye or increasing vibrance with LAB.

No problem really, just want it to "pop up" better.

 

[LarryC]

I probably use the same high-pass/hue sat approach as you, but I will also add a gradient masked levels adjustment layer and usually dial the whole set back to no more than 10-25%. That's usually just enough to add a little clarity, brightness and attention to the eyes but no so much as to make them look fake or, worse, "Photoshopped" - ugh! Even then, I don't do it for all portraits.

 

[unfocused]

Not sure what high-pass technique you use, but mine is to: wait until I've done everything else I want to the photo. Make a copy of the final merged layer. Select high-pass filter for that layer (usually set somewhere between 2-5 pixels) and use the "hard light" blending mode.

I'll then add an all-black layer mask and then use the brush tool to reveal only the eyes, hair and sometimes lips and teeth. If it looks too intense, I'll reduce the opacity of the high pass layer until it looks natural but sharp. I've found the high-pass filter can often save a photo where a slight error in focusing has left the eyes less than perfectly sharp.

 

[climber]

On the blog (linked below) you can find a lot of tutorials, especially for portrait and beauty retouching. And there is also 5 part tutorial only about the eyes. (link is actually for this tutorial)

http://www.vibrantshot.com/complete-guide-to-eye-retouching/

 

[Besisika]

On the blog (linked below) you can find a lot of tutorials, especially for portrait and beauty retouching. And there is also 5 part tutorial only about the eyes. (link is actually for this tutorial)

http://www.vibrantshot.com/complete-guide-to-eye-retouching/

Thanks for the link, I will try this tomorrow.

I have used the same technique as Unfocused, using a soft light. This link sounds promissing.

 

[Skirball]

There's a couple of Phlearn episodes that discuss a different techniques. One in particular, which uses a bit of color to enhance what is already there, then essentially a dodge/burn that is scribbled on the iris and then gausian blurred to blend in. The effects can be very striking, and always, if it's too much for your liking then you can dial it back. Search on YouTube or Phlearn.com.

 

[mackguyver]

Check out Gry Garness' eBooks and videos. She is considered one of the top retouchers in the industry. I have one of her older eBooks and the quality of her materials along with the results of techniques are amazing.

 

[Besisika]

Check out Gry Garness' eBooks and videos. She is considered one of the top retouchers in the industry. I have one of her older eBooks and the quality of her materials along with the results of techniques are amazing.

Will do!
I will give you some feedback sometime next week.

 

[mackguyver]

Check out Gry Garness' eBooks and videos. She is considered one of the top retouchers in the industry. I have one of her older eBooks and the quality of her materials along with the results of techniques are amazing.

Will do!
I will give you some feedback sometime next week.

Good luck and be forewarned, her stuff isn't cheap, but like I said, it's very high quality and very easy to learn from whether you read the whole thing or just the pages you're interested in at the time.

 

[mustafaakarsu]

Does anyone have an idea how they catch that much details in model's eyes?
That photo taken by Phase One and professionally edited, but still I'm wondering if I can catch that much details with 5D III and 100mm L macro.

 

[privatebydesign]

Does anyone have an idea how they catch that much details in model's eyes?
That photo taken by Phase One and professionally edited, but still I'm wondering if I can catch that much details with 5D III and 100mm L macro.

Of course you can. The key is not the camera or lens, it is the lighting. Use a good studio light with a medium to large softbox in quite close, use a tripod and optimal aperture f8-f10, and you can do that easily.

There is a core issue that is missed by so many people here, for many types of shooting the important bit is not the camera or lens, it is the lighting.

 

[kfreels]

Does anyone have an idea how they catch that much details in model's eyes?
That photo taken by Phase One and professionally edited, but still I'm wondering if I can catch that much details with 5D III and 100mm L macro.

Of course you can. The key is not the camera or lens, it is the lighting. Use a good studio light with a medium to large softbox in quite close, use a tripod and optimal aperture f8-f10, and you can do that easily.

There is a core issue that is missed by so many people here, for many types of shooting the important bit is not the camera or lens, it is the lighting.

Yep. That's how you do it. It's not that tough. Once your lighting is good, you can get there with a Rebel and most lenses. Even the $100 nifty 50 will do it at f5.6. You just need to make sure your lighting is good, that you're aperture is in the sweet spot for the lens, that you aren't inducing flare with specular highlights or a cheap "protective filter" on the lens, and nail your focus at a reasonable ISO and a fast enough shutter speed to prevent camera or subject blur.

 

[Harry Muff]

Add a curves layer above the background layer and mask everything but the irises. Now set the curves layer to Linear Dodge (Add). Tweak the points horizontally at the bottom of the curve starting with the black level.




Use that as a starting point along with adjusting the layer opacity and you should get a nice effect with some practise.

 

[unfocused]

Looks like a high pass filter to me.

Make a duplicate layer and add a high-pass filter. Select the "hard light" blending mode. Use a black layer mask to mask off everything in the layer and then paint the eyes with a white brush so only they show through.

I'll usually paint in some of the hair as well and maybe the lips or teeth if they need a bit of a punch.

In this case, it looks like they had the filter set to fairly high pixels (usually you only want to set it to about 2-4 pixel range.) You can reduce the opacity of the layer if the hard light looks too unnatural.

 

[jannatul18]

Does anyone have an idea how they catch that much details in model's eyes?
That photo taken by Phase One and professionally edited, but still I'm wondering if I can catch that much details with 5D III and 100mm L macro.

Wow amazing work!