Crushing Contrast: Understanding Tonal Adjustments and Creating Different Contrast Styles
with Viktor Fejes
In modern-day color photography, we tend to put more emphasis on our hues and neglect our tones; however, exposure and contrast are like the foundation of a building, so a good image relies more on tonal values than on color harmonies. The tools that can help us achieve tonal heaven are all grouped together at the top of Photoshop’s list of adjustment layers: Brightness/Contrast, Levels, Curves, and Exposure. In this article, we’re going to learn how to use these tools, and then we’ll apply our newfound understanding of them to create a couple popular looks through the application of stylis...
The Best Retouching Secrets Uncovered
with Viktor Fejes
Join Viktor Fejes and learn all of the Photoshop tips and tricks he wished he knew when he started out as a retoucher. Starting with the benefits of a tablet and proper monitor, Viktor dives into his favorite interface settings, how to get the most out of pen pressure on your tablet, key brush settings for retouching, how to easily tone down highlights on skin, brilliant tips for working with layer masks, alternative ways to cut out hair from a background, and so much more.
The Secrets to Properly Convert Your Images to Black & White
with Viktor Fejes
There are a lot of ways to convert a color photo to B&W, but have you ever considered what goes into doing it with the highest level of control by harnessing some of Photoshop’s most powerful tools? If not, then join Viktor Fejes for a deep dive into how to properly convert your photos to B&W. No matter what method you use to convert to B&W you are always concerned with removing color, controlling contrast and tonality, and enhancing detail. In this class Viktor steps you through his B&W workflow and demonstrates techniques for using adjustment layers, creating a LUT for re-use, dodging and burning, manipulating tonal values locally, bringing out detail, adding grain, and so much more to achieve that B&W mood you had in your minds eye from the start. You’ll come away with a new set of techniques and a greater understanding for the fundamentals of B&W conversions.
Eyes are incredibly important. They’re not only the instruments we use to see the world, but they’re also the first things we notice in photographs. We’re drawn to them, and we tend to judge people based on the appearance of their eyes. After all, “The eyes are the windows to the soul.” Hence, it’s incredibly vital to learn how to retouch eyes properly so the subjects in our images can look their best. The aim is to make them look compelling but natural, and bright, but not so bright they burn into our screens. It’s worth noting that when we’re talking about eyes, it involves more than j...
The Science of Color Correction
with Viktor Fejes
Color correction is as much science as it is art. A good color-corrected image can serve as the perfect base for further color grading, or it can be a pleasingly natural photograph at which to look. Unfortunately, it’s an often misunderstood aspect of digital imaging, and it can take a lot of time to master. In this article, I’m going to give you some tips and techniques that I use in my day-to-day image processing to edit colors. What Is Color Correction? In digital postproduction, color correction refers to the process of changing colors to reflect their neutral states. Generally, you c...
How To Easily Create Luminosity Masks
with Viktor Fejes
Luminosity masking is a technique used both in still photography and motion pictures for creating masks for different luminosity ranges. These resulting masks can help us manipulate parts of an image based on their brightness values. It’s especially useful for landscapes but can help us achieve amazing results in portraits, as well. Unfortunately, most techniques in Photoshop use steps that are cumbersome and make it difficult to predict their results precisely. Hence, many of us resort to using plug-ins and actions. There’s an easier, visual, and plug-in-free way, however, that we’re go...
Retouching Everyday People
with Viktor Fejes
Join professional retoucher, Viktor Fejes, as he demonstrates his system for developing a 15-minute retouch session. It all starts with the provided Photoshop action that you can download, install, and use to follow along with the class. Viktor breaks down every component of the action, which includes setting up the image for retouching, how to perform any destructive edits required, how to remove blemishes, how to remove distractions along the border, helpful techniques for fixing highlights, whitening teeth, and applying digital foundation makeup. Viktor closes out the class with lessons on giving the image a specific look, creating color LUTs that you can reuse, and advice for completing the project.
Pro Techniques for Retouching Clothing
with Viktor Fejes
Learn how to retouch clothing like a pro with Viktor Fejes! Retouching clothing requires its own set of tools, tricks, and techniques, and Viktor takes you through a series of exercises that demonstrates how to get the job done. In this class you’ll learn everything from removing wrinkles to toning down shiny surfaces, removing moire patterns to cleaning up dust, defining the shape of your subject to changing the color of the clothing, and so much more. All of the files used in the class are available for download so you can work along as you watch, or refer back to them later for practice. By the end of the class your digital ironing skills will be taken to a new level and you’ll have a whole new set of retouching solutions to whatever clothing problems you encounter.
Advanced Photoshop: The Psychology and Science Behind Color Grading
with Viktor Fejes
Join Viktor for an advanced look at essential elements of color theory. From understanding color models and the science of RGB, to how to apply this knowledge when performing practical tasks such as color correcting and color grading. Viktor starts with the fundamentals and works up to advanced techniques used in cinema. If you want to manipulate color at will, understand the reasons why, and make your images look fantastic while doing it, then this class is for you.
The Essential Elements of Retouching
with Viktor Fejes
Learn the essential elements of retouching. Join Viktor Fejes as he provides you with a solid a foundation for how to approach retouching. This is not a class on how to use the basic tools of retouching, but rather how to think about retouching in a logical and methodical fashion, so that you can develop a workflow to properly retouch a photo from start to finish. You’ll learn how to evaluate an image, how to start in Camera Raw, how to structure your layers in Photoshop, how to use techniques involving false colors to fine tune texture, tones, and color, and all the while gaining a firm understanding for why you would approach retouching in this way.