At first glance, I thought it was a pretty simple topic,  I mean, how much do you need to know about outsourcing a job? but as it turns out, it’s just not that simple.  It was a short form kind of thing so I think I only had about 30 minutes to talk.  Which I thought was plenty but ended up cutting it drastically too short.  by the end of the talk I could have filled a dictionary sized book with everything I wanted those young photographers to know but we were just out of time.

To my surprise, People are pretty confused about why, how and to what degree they should hire guys like myself to retouch their images.  So I thought I would clear some of that up on my blog.   Since this is a big topic, I’m just going to focus on the how for now.  I think the best place to start is with a typical high-end retouching workflow.

This is a “best case scenario” workflow given a typical image composite for an Ad geared with best possible image quality and a one week deadline.  Economies and shortcuts are obviously made for jobs with quick turn around times.

1.  Pre-production / Estimate -This stage is a phone call from the photographer or agency in which the concept of the shoot is discussed and finalized.  It’s important at this stage to be as descriptive as possible, provide visual references/FPO (for placement only), and supply output dimensions  so that your retoucher can provide you with an accurate estimate as well as guidance regarding the process, tools and materials needed to realize your vision.

2.  On-Set Retoucher - During your shoot a retoucher may be needed on set.  It’s always better to have your retoucher on-set than not, even if it’s only to have them for a few hours just to check in.  While on set they can, Composite images for pre-visualization, aid in lighting to achieve a specific look, capture background plates or other elements needed for composting, make prints of selects after each shot and in general ensure that all raw material will flow seamlessly through the final output.  TIP - A good way to get a retoucher on-set without the budget for one is to hire a retoucher as your digital tech.  But clearly the best scenario is to have both a Tech and retoucher on-set.

3.  Markups and editing - Final selects are made from the overall select based on technical concerns and compositing needs.  Maybe you loved the body in one shot but the product in another? Maybe the light changed in the background but you love the pose?  All retouching to be done is discussed and the images are marked up to be sure everybody is on the same page.

4.  Retouching - This is where the magic happens.  You go back to work on your next project and your retoucher see’s the job through.  At CYAN JACK we deliver online or physical proofs of each major retouching round.  We start with positioning, scale and heavy blemishes, moving from general to specific and continue to collaborate with photographer and client until everything is perfect.

5.  Final review and Delivery - When everybody is really exited about how things are looking we will messenger you a proof.  Specifically a G7 Master proof.  This print will very accurately simulate what the image will look like when output to CMYK press and give you another opportunity to make further mark ups.  That’s it! your done, now you have some options:  We’ll upload finals and give y0u a direct link to download right that moment or if you’ve got a big job we’ll Fedex you a disk with final proof.

I’d love to hear If you have any comments or questions. Please post them over on the CYAN JACK facebook page.

Availability:

wifi-only models: 60 days (late march)

3g models: 90 days (april)

tell me about the hole in my wallet:

looks like the basic model (16Gb non-3g model) starts at: $499

32Gb: $599, 64Gb, $699 and if you want that with 3g it’ll cost you an extra $130 (not including the service, of course!–silly) Service on a 3g model will cost you $14.99/month for a 250mb plan…and $29.99/month for an unlimited plan.  (ha..oh yeah…and that’s still with AT&T……fml)

Now, just like the device that inspired it, the iPad has apps: iWork apps to be specific.  And they’ll cost you $9.99/ea.  The jury is out on whether this puppy will load already existing iPhone apps.

more stats:

-0.5 inches thick
- weighs 1.5 pounds (0.7kilos)
- 9.7 inch multitouch display
- 1GHz Apple A4 chip (built in house)
- between 16GB and 64GB of flash memory

Apple has proven time-and-time-again that it can design, manufacture, and market a very sexy and successful product that, frequently, revolutionizes the market it’s aimed  at.  (For example, 4 years ago Apple had no presence in the mobile phone market–today, not only are there 33.75 million iPhones in the world but with it’s release Apple established a new paradigm in the design, interface, and cross-functionality of mobile phones.)

So the real question is: Will the iPad be a game-changer as well?  lets think about it.  The iPad is aimed, intentionally or not, at competing in the publishing industry and with light-weight/low-cost netbooks.

First, publishing.  Think about how you get your news, or send email, or read books on the go.  The iPad is hoping to serve as the new preferred platform for reading digital media, whether that be websites, newspapers, magazines, or books with something called iBooks–putting it directly into competition with ebook readers like Amazon’s Kindle and all similar products.  Here’s the thing though–anyone with wifi or 3g service on their mobile phones can get very similar content which fits in their pocket or on their laptop.  And without the electronic paper display that the Kindle uses to reduce the strain on a reader’s eyes–will the iPad really gain traction as a e-book platform?

second, netbooks.  The only way the iPad was ever going to compete in the mobile computer industry was if it was cheap enough.  Well, it is.  At $499 that places it well within the sector of netbooks and with its super-user-friendly interface this can only mean bad things for its competitors.

It seems that technology companies today are not getting things right on version 1…. Their first product being mediocre, they can milk a product through 3 or more versions which should have stayed in the lab. (I see it now…iPad 4.0 “the one that finally makes sense”)  The endless upgrade cycles are getting exhausting.  The iPad has no multitasking capabilities…can’t listen to Pandora while reading twitter.  Fail.  No camera…I mean, both your basic macbook and your iPhone have that.  Fail.  No Flash plugin…so forget beautifully fluid and exciting websites, and don’t even think about streaming videos.  Fail.  No HDMI output…so much for those great HD movies you downloaded via iTunes.  Fail.  No USB?? …apparently you need an adapter.  Fail.

Apple has given us hope for a platform through which to channel and possibly revolutionize media…like the iPod or the iPhone before it, but ultimately it will be up to the publishing industry–giants like Conde Nast, Hearst, News Corp, The New York Times, Random House, and of course…The Onion to innovate; breathing new life into their content rather than just providing us digital copies of their print publications.  We are all thinking about new ways to deliver content both motion and still to the world–and while the iPad has it’s flaws, it has allowed our minds to run wild with possibility.

To see the iPad in action go Here.

Again–my opinions here are based on hearsay and product specs so I’m reserving final judgment for such a time that I can get my hands on one.  If anyone does try one please post your thoughts/opinions about your experience with it.  And what do you think: is it a game-changer?

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Another fun interview shoot with photographer Stephen Rose for the August 2009 issue of INTERVIEW mag.  I was on the streets slinging hard drives and laptops (aka. digital capture) and back in the retouching suite before you can say pesto gnocchi.  Stephen stopped by the studio to go over some color idea’s and the rest is history.

Styling  by MIGUEL ENAMORADO

featuring musical genious by MIRROR MIRROR, MATTEAH BAIM, SUCKERS, CAUSE CO-MOTION! and the NAKED HEARTS

]]> http://cyanjack.com/blog/retouch/340/interview-magazine-august-2009-issue/feed/ http://cyanjack.com/blog/retouch/351/secrets-of-a-top-retoucher-by-popphoto/ http://cyanjack.com/blog/retouch/351/secrets-of-a-top-retoucher-by-popphoto/#comments Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:20:30 +0000 Cyan Jack http://cyanjack.com/blog/?p=351

This Popphoto magazine article recently ran, a rather candid interview that I did a few months back and I thought it would be fun to post it here for those of you who don’t know me personally.  It says a little about how I got evolved in retouching / digital capture and wee bit about how i work.  The whole article is long-ish so I included a few of the more major excerpts.

-written by Aimee Baldridge

Sagmiller remains a great believer in being guided by core artistic concepts in his digital work.  “I know the inside walls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as I know the controls on a camera,” he notes.  Sagmiller describes this balance between technical ability and artistic understanding as a requirement for high-quality post production work.  ”Photographers come to you not just for your technical know-how,” he explains.  ”they’re really after you because of the specific decisions that you make. “You’re only as good as what you decide to retouch and decide to not retouch.”

Like his general arts eduction, the technical training Sagmiller received acquainted him with basic principles and tools, instead of focusing on particular software brands or products.  Although the training process could be tough at times, he insists that it gave him an ability to pick up new software easily, which has always paid off in his professional life.  ”We were expected to know a piece of software within a few days. They just threw it at us, ” Sagmiller recounts.  ”You had a project you had to finish, so it was kind of trail by fire.”

While Sagmiller began his studies with a strong interest in 3D graphics and computer animation, and feels that he has benefitted from his experience with the complex software used in those media, he found that spending all of his creative hours in front of a computer monitor didn’t suit his outdoorsy nature.  ” There was this moment when I just sort of cracked,” he recalls.  ”I took a film and video class that had digital photography components, and I was so excited to touch a piece of steel.  I took one of those C stands and tweaked a knob.  I got to move it and see the light actually change, as opposed to moving a light in my three-dimensionally rendered computer image.  That was just it for me.”  Combining on-set digital capture work with postproduction work allows him to balance his interest in digital tools with his need to interact with the physical world.

But working on location doesn’t just suit Sagmiller’s personality.  He feels that being on location not only enhances his value to the photographers he is working with, but also improves the quality of his retouching..  ”There are all kinds of problems that I can solve being on set that were very difficult to solve with post effects alone,” he explains.  Understanding postproduction techniques and printing allows him to make stronger recommendations about lighting, processing, and exposure during the shoot.  He also notes that just being on set and hearing the comments of art directors and stylists gives him information that helps him meet client’s retouching needs.  ”All those little comments don’t always make it into the notes for the retoucher,” he remarks.  And by being on the spot, Sagmiller can answer questions that the photographer or other techs can’t necessarily address about what can and can’t be fixed in post how much it will cost, and how making changes to the set can reduce the postproduction costs.  That not only makes him more valuable ot the photographer bust also makes the photographer more valuable to the client.

]]> http://cyanjack.com/blog/retouch/351/secrets-of-a-top-retoucher-by-popphoto/feed/ http://cyanjack.com/blog/print/464/color-printing-bigger-and-better/ http://cyanjack.com/blog/print/464/color-printing-bigger-and-better/#comments Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:59:22 +0000 Cyan Jack http://cyanjack.com/blog/?p=464

palmaire by Tema Stauffer

Artist and master printer Tema Stauffer is teaching a color printing course at ICP (International Center of Photography) this fall.  A short look at Tema’s work either in person at the Daniel Cooney gallery, or on her website will tip off her uncanny sense of color and her firm grasp on american photography.

Tema also writes a wonderfully personal blog which accounts her work in progress and a bit of critical dialog and news about the photo community.  She is the assistant curator at culturehall, which is a hot bed of all kinds of interesting contemporary art, which is worth checking out.

I’ve spoken with Tema about the class and it sounds like it will be a healthy mix of printing practice, critique, history of color photography, and dialog about contemporary artists.

Tema comments, “I want to make the course more interesting that just printing, printing, printing … though the emphasis will be on producing work.”

If you’re intrested in more info about Tema’s course head over to ICP,  you can download their course catalog here.  The course name is COLOR PRINTING: BIGGER AND BETTER.

It starts mid-October, sign up quick this one will fill fast!

We spent a day on the beach working with the talented Stephen Rose, for this awesome swim story in Interview Magazine. (see above.)  Stephen had us join the team to help carry over and refine his film based style  using digital capture.  We set up a great location tether and download station on location for digital capture and delivered final retouched art direct to Interview.   It’s was a blast working with an all star team.. can’t wait for the next one!

Photography STEPHEN ROSE

Styling LAETITIA DE L’ESCAILLE  ( she is clearly a genious.  Look at those knit combos! )

Art Direction M/M (Paris)

Funny Caption: “That loincloth-and-fur look works. Conan knew it, Pocahontas too. Skin on Skin is definitely in”

The 24 Patch Classic ColorChecker has been in use in photography since 1976 and sometimes I would swear it just came out yesterday because very few professional photographers and retouchers have a clue how to use it and read it. I’ll go over the most popular uses of the ColorChecker in detail below.

The Classic ColorChecker has 4 main uses, White balancing (neutralizing/color correcting) images, Judging exposure, setting highlight and shadow points, and confirming correct monitor profiles. It can also be used to create camera profiles and to set key and fill light ratios. However the 24 patch target is best used as a reference color check. We recommend the ColorChecker SG for building critical digital camera profiles.

Save yourself the headache! Color Tips that will serve you well:

White Balance: click on the 3rd grey square from the left, Patch #21
To further neutralize color shifts: color correct (not using the temperature and tint sliders) the white and black patches to read Equal RGB values 243, 243, 243 and 52,52,52 respectively.

Note: Perfectly neutral images can be great for color reproduction and still life imagery but I’ve found that with portraits and landscapes I prefer images with color shifts. Our split-toning tutorial Covers creative shifting of highlights and shadows in ACR.

Signs of color balance issues, from X-rite: ( formerly Gretagmacbeth )

- Check patch numbers 6 and 11.  If there is a problem in the blues or the yellows, these two patches will reverse.

- Check the blue patch number 13.  This patch will turn purple very easily if there is too much red (warmth) in the lighting.

- If the greys remain neutral but the above patches have changed, then you have either a blue, yellow or red problem.

Checking exposure/ highlight and shadow points:

This is done simply by comparing the color checker numbers with the readout numbers in photoshop or your digital capture software. Examine the photographed ColorChecker’s white and black patches to see if your exposure is close to their values 243 and 52, if not adjust the exposure on the camera to get closer to those values. Again these are only guidelines and you may aesthetically prefer the image darker or lighter than these “correct” values.

Note: That i listed RGB numbers for ease of use in digital capture software. Whenever possible I recommend using LAB. This is the data pulled from the GretagMacbeth L*a*b* D50 data instead of the sRGB values they put on their pamphlets.

RGB/LAB numbers and Reference images

For a full list of ColorChecker numbers check out these handy digitally rendered ColorCheckers in RGB and LAB from Bruce Lindbloom. ( click on info, then RGB reference images)

Babelcolor Also has corrected LAB values for 16bit Profoto color space for all you high-end retouchers out there. download here

Note: all colorchecker values are relative to D65 illumination. So if your chart is lit heavily with another color temperature, like tungsten, your numbers may stray from the target values. This is why using spectral data is important. Because spectral information gives you the ability target the numerical color values more presisely no matter which type of light you’ve lit your ColorChecker with. Warning, this can be a little confusing if you’re not familiar with color management. You can download the spectral data here

Happy color checking !!