From the perfect glossy pages of a magazine to the larger-than-life images floating on a billboard in the sky, image retouching has become a key component of today's digital photography world. So popular, in fact, that the sheer act of retouching has become its own verb as we often ask ourselves, "I wonder if this image was Photoshopped?" Sometimes controversial but widely accepted, and even expected, excellent retouching skills are crucial to finding success in the field of digital imaging. As you work through the clear step-by-step instructions in the book using the images provided on the bonus CD, you'll learn how to do real retouching jobs from start to finish, including each and every technical step along the way. You'll also get behind the scenes advice for talking to clients and establishing a workflow to ensure that your client gets the results they are looking for. If you're a student or aspiring professional just starting out in the world of retouching, the information found in this book can help you find work in the advertising/retouching industry. If you're already a working photographer, you'll be able to add retouching to your repertoire as an additional offering to your clients. Carrie Beene is a professional retoucher and educator who has worked with some of the world's most prestigious companies, including Revlon, MAC, and L'Oreal, and has contributed imagery to such renowned publications as the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and Vanity Fair. In this excellent new book, she'll share the techniques she has learned and developed over the years to help you navigate the often mysterious world of image retouching.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

Introduction: The goal behind retouching ad images
How the public views retouching
Following this step-by-step retoucher's guide
Chapter 1 The Client Relationship: Clarifying job details
How to read markups
What are rounds? And how to negotiate them
Chapter 2 Getting Started: The retoucher's palette
Retouching brushes
Quick basics
Chapter 3 The Editorial/Lifestyle: Checking your file and beginning your job
Warping (liquify, free transform, skew, etc)
Masking
Color correction
Creating shape and POP
Finish the first round and submit
Chapter 4 Beauty Retouching: Checking your file and beginning your job
Retouching skin and hair
Eyelashes and eyebrows
Lips
Skin tones and balancing
Color correction
Chapter 5 Hair Retouching
Refining edges and stray hairs
Replacing bad areas with new hair
Brushes for drawing hair
Creating shine
Changing the color
Finish the first round and submit
Chapter 6 Product Retouching: Paths and hard edges
Illustrator files for type
Simplifying reflections
Separating products into 'Normal' folders
Color correction/using the lightbox
Finish the first round and submit
Chapter 7 Addressing the markups: The Lifestyle
The Beauty
The Product
Chapter 8 Creating a New Background
Compositing to the FPO
Creating a blur layer
Creating glows, flares and sparkles
Chapter 9 Replacing the background: Complex silos
Using modes to create realistic hair edges
Color correcting hair onto a new background
Extensions and banding
Chapter 10 Composing the Image: Following the FPO
Putting the beauty and lifestyle together
Creating panels
Matching skin tones
Adding the product
Giving bleed (extensions)
Reducing banding with a 'seamless' brush
Finish the third round and submit
Chapter 11 Addressing final mark-ups: Lifestyle
Beauty
Product
Chapter 12 Submitting final files: Creating a "simple" file
Checking at 200%
Download and proof
Archiving
Index of industry terms

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Carrie graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1982 with a BFA in Painting. She moved to NY and began painting and showing her work there and in Europe and the Caribbean throughout the 80's and 90's before going digital, taking off a year to intensively study Photoshop and high-end retouching. Carrie began retouching professionally in 2000 and moved quickly into high-end ad retouching. In 2005 she formed her own retouching house, Otto Imaging, LLC and now retouches for fashion and beauty advertising through Otto and CarrieNYC (www.carrienyc.com). Carrie has retouched for MAC, Revlon, Maybelline, Elizabeth Arden, L'Oreal, Chantecaille, DEVA, Shape Magazine, Harpers Bazaar, New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, Glamour, Vogue, W, OK Magazine, Paper, V magazine, Vanity Fair, ID, Allure, Arena and more. Carrie teaches in the MPS Digital Photography Department at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. Her classes include Beauty Retouching and the Business of Professional Retouching. Her speaking and training engagements include PhotoPlus, RetouchPRO and PhotoshopPro webcasts, and frequent visiting artist lectures at the School of Visual Arts.