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The best portrait editing softwares
PhotographyBeginners
Registered Users Posts: 16 Big grins
I have a question if you can people suggest very good photo editing programs especially for portrait softwares for me please?
Also it should have chroma key effect please.
Thanks
Also it should have chroma key effect please.
Thanks
For more information about my photography, please visit my blog at: http://amromahsoon.blogspot.nl/
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For portraiture I prefer to shoot to RAW files, then:
Process the RAW files using Adobe Camera Raw, or RawTherapee.
Photoshop, to give best control over subject and surroundings in the scene. I tend to use a lot of layers, otherwise Lightroom is a possibility.
Neat Image, both the add-in and stand-alone, to control noise.
iCorrect Portrait, to help with skin tone correction, as well as shadow tones.
Custom sharpening actions, as well as custom Curves actions, to automate some of my most-used techniques. Custom actions for tone and Saturation round out the list.
Photoshop will do some key effects, including chroma key, but it's far from ideal. Perhaps someone else can help with those suggestions.
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And do you mean skin retouching, or just editing software?
If I could only choose ONE all-purpose editing program, I'd have to reluctantly (because I would miss my other software a lot!) say Photoshop CS6 - I adore Lightroom and it would pain me not to have it to use, but I can't do all my photo retouching in there, so if I had to choose just ONE program, it would have to be Photoshop. I just upgraded to CS6 (from CS3) and the improvements are tremendous - I absolutely love what I can do with it now. THe "content aware" functions were worth the upgrade alone.
There are quite a few actions you can get to use in PS - both purchased and free - for portrait retouching. I use Coffeshop blog's Glamour Glow a lot (that's a freebie), and also have the Florabella retouch set (I use it as well, but more sparingly - it's a little strong for my style). I also like the little retouch action included with Totally Rad Actions, set 1.
Totally Rad just added a retouch set - haven't used it, but it looks ok, if a little strong for my taste.
If you want standalone software (or plugins), Portrait Professional is the cheapest of the available options. I hated previous versions of it - looked WAY too fake no matter how much I turned it down - but the current one is really quite good. I have it as the plugin and use it on a separate layer so I can dial it down further if I choose.
There's also Portraiture which I know a lot of folks like; I did the trial and wasn't crazy about the interface. Since it's a LOT more expensive, too, it just wasn't of interest to me.
Frankly, I typically use a mix of things to get the results I want, and always wind up doing some of the retouching by hand. Even the best portrait software can't substitute for what I saw "in real life", see in the image, and know what I can do to it. It's a lot slower, but I do get better results than if I only use actions/dedicated software.
Here's one recent example which is "mostly finished" (if the client selects it from her proofs, I'll probably do some more to it). It needed quite a lot of work IMO, including cloning hair, and cleaning up the eyes. I think I did some "manual" clone work on the hair and eyes first, then ran it through Portrait Pro for some more eye work, then came back and did some more on the skin and eyes using my actions on layers and tweaking to taste. My goal is to make it look as natural as possible; I hate the "plastic" look. Probably took me about half an hour; I would consider this a "difficult" image that I spent a lot more time on than I often do, because it took me a while to figure out exactly how to adjust the things I didn't like (eg where her lashes covered the white of her eyes too much).
If it were me, and I had to have chroma keying AND I wanted to do easy and decent color correction. I'd do it in two steps. I'd find a great stand alone program for keying, then I'd buy Lightroom 4 and go with that for the color correction.
There are plug-ins for photoshop, but photo shop is not the easiest to use for simple everyday color correction.
And Diva, LR does have layer plug-ins if you so desire.
I did look at that layers plugin for LR - just didn't like it. I think, really, Photoshop is IMO the way to go for detailed retouching - most of the dedicated retouching programs plug into it easily (and on a layer if you choose) which just saves a lot of time in the end. So much easier to adjust to taste. I'm sure there must be a super high-end program out there - the kind that fashion magazines use - but I haven't yet seen anything available to consumers that I prefer to the method(s) I outline above (and if anybody else has, I'll be interested in knowing about it!!!)
I had tried portrait professional"trail version", it was just awesome!!
As mentioned it has alot of amazing ready presets and very easy to use.
I'm also going to try photoshop cs6 but i think it needs time and efforts to understand and get used.
Exactly chroma key where you it keys out the background enables you to customize it.
Oh no doubt for detailed retouching I'd want PS or a variant too. Ps just has so very many plugins and tutorials as well. I don't do a lot of photo work, so when I think of many of you and photo work I most often think of time...as in needing to be quick about things, hence Lightroom.
I s'pect PS as it is would do as you suggest in removing a BG. However querying Google I find there are several plugins for GS. The reason a person might need a Stand-Alone, or plugin for GS is lighting. Many of us have a hard time getting lighting correct for applying a good Chroma-Key. Lighting needs to be even-even-even. Otherwise what you get is more than one color of green or blue. Also plugins or stand alones will give you lots of other commands to help the transition into pulling a good key.
In case anyone is wondering my take on Green Screen lighting it is this: Light the Screen first. Get it beautiful and even. then light the talent. If I were doing GS everyday or often. I'd just Do Background/Greenscreen shots to sample and get my lighting perfect prior to finding a client sitting.