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Photo retouching begins with making a print of an original photo
and checking for its distinctive characteristics. Or, to put it another way, we first must spot the parts
of an unretouched photo that need improvement in order to make the entire photo look better.
To do this, begin by printing the original photo.
(See the Applications Section for details on printing techniques.) For now, note that you want a printer with at least
250 dpi resolution for printing photos.
Click on the link below for an explanation of resolution: |
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Once printed, some photos might appear not to need retouching.
Upon closer examination, however, you can find elements that would give the picture an even better effect
through color retouching. |
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In this section, we will explain what things to look for when
examining a photo print.
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If you are working with scanned photos,
check for dirt or dust that might have been on the original film or print.
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Note that looking at photo images in Photoshop
at 300% magnification will make it easy to spot such debris, even if it can't be seen in
your printed photos. |
In this photo, we can see a smudge in the sky at left. |
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| Color reflections from light sources or objects surrounding
the subject of a photo can change the coloration of that very subject. This condition is known
as "tint." |
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Generally speaking, shadow on clear, sunny
days causes blue tint, while fluorescent lighting causes green tint, and incandescent light causes
red tint.
In this photo, the right side of the building has a blue tint due to its shadow. |
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 Blue
Tint |
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Green
Tint |
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Red
Tint |
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Red tints are sometimes necessary, such
as when photographing sunsets. |
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Next, check to see whether the photo as
a whole is too bright or too dark.
Then, examine it bit by bit.
Are the sunny parts washed out? Are the parts in shadow indistinct?
Is the color modulated?
In this picture, the part of the building that is in the sun appears to be washed out.
It also seems that the divide between the white and dark portions of the clouds is not very good. |
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Check to see whether colors are distorted
in places, as well as whether the colors themselves are clear.
In this picture, the green of the grass isn't as clear as it could be. |
Check that the outlines of the subject
of the photo are sharp.
See whether fine details, such as grass or buildings in landscape shots, hair or clothing seams in portraits, or hair
or plumage in pictures of animals, are blurred.
In this picture, the lines of the building, the stone blocks that make it up, and the individual blades of grass all
look rather fuzzy. |
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| Retouching fixes whose aspects you may be concerned
about |
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