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Friday, 15 August 2008

Proof script online

What Kind of Background Do You Need?

I do feel that the best retouchers are people who have an artistic background. I say this because you have to be able to imagine the look of an image before you even retouch it, such as where a shadow falls and how it interacts with the rest of the image. Whether you model with clay or sketch cartoons, I don't think it really matters as long as you have the artistic sensibility. As long as you know what you want to achieve, the rest will fall into place. I think you should have good listening and communication skills as well. Being able to interpret what people tell you and convey your ideas and thoughts are important.

There are many retouching opportunities out there. The only downside I see is that many, many people want to get into it. It is like computer animation. It seems cool to do. When retouching started, it was limited to high-end proprietary systems that were very, very expensive. The time charged out for retouching was also very expensive because there was really nowhere else to get the retouching done. These days, anyone with a few hundred dollars can pick up a computer and Photoshop, and they are in business. Also, many people fresh out of school with few responsibilities can afford to work for less. Many ad agencies know this, and people starting out in ad agencies will work there just to build up a name for themselves, gain some work experience, and develop a portfolio. Not a bad idea if you can afford to do it.
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Becoming a Professional Retoucher

I enjoy doing retouching especially when the job is really challenging. Making the impossible possible. But most of my day is spent doing routine work, the bread and butter stuff, so at the end of the day it is actually a job. If you were having fun all the time, it would be called a holiday! The following sections cover some of my basic observations about the profession.

Getting Training Isn't as Easy as It Used to Be

It used to be common for companies to train people on the job. These days, it seems that companies want to hire someone who can hit the ground running. I guess that leaves the training up to you. I believe that anyone with an interest can learn retouching with Photoshop, as long as the desire is there. Many schools have Photoshop night courses, and those may be an inexpensive option. If you work well on your own, reading a book like this is a good option. You know yourself well enough to know how you best learn.
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Present the Final Image to the Client

Once an image has been retouched and the art director is happy with it, the image is then presented to the creative director or client. The creative director is the person who oversees the entire ad concept and makes sure it conveys the correct message.

At this point, the image may come back to me for further alterations. Otherwise, the image is then presented to the final client. Two obvious things can happen at that point: the client either loves it or hates it. I have had situations when there is a total change to the image and direction of the ad, and it must be recreated from scratch. In other cases, there are minor changes or none at all. It is typical to get an approval on the image within a couple of rounds.

If the image is approved, it will be passed on for further processing. This usually means mating the image(s) with the page layout file, and from there, it is either sent for final film or, most often, it is sent electronically to the correct publication house.

Regardless of the version of Photoshop or the computer platform you are using (unless it is really old!), the techniques described in this book rely on basic tools to complete the tasks described. I have found that with each update of Photoshop, I will typically try the new functions, but often I end up relying on the more basic tools to perform my corrections. In other words, the program version number isn't a big issue with me, it's what I do with the tools that matters.
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