R E T O U C H I N G
Cloning
To be a retoucher is to be a master magician. Cloning is a tool that every retoucher needs to have under their belt. From cloning patches of skin over trouble areas, or removing troubling distracting wrinkles from clothes, to adding more lights on a tree, or completely creating the ledge of a fence, it's all part of the creating the illusion for the on-looker that it was never there/or always there!
Short Arm Problems
For this image to really sing, the lights needed to go all the way up the tree. But, alas, the ladder available was too short, and so was the PA! I was tasked with adding more lights to both trunks, compositing in another bokeh'd starburst light, and removing the cars and other distractions from the final image. I want to picnic under this tree!
When Vision Doesn't Match What's Available..
It's always impressive to me when an art director can see past a destroyed background element and create a tableau that, with a little help in post, really sings. And a good background is one that is nice, but doesn't take attention away from the product! I was able to remove the water stain and fix the wood on the door with a combination of creative cloning and recoloring to bring the scene back to life. The drain on the floor was functional, but distracting, so I removed that as well.
A Beautiful Patio; A Dirty Garden Wall
Edges of objects are of great importance, as even the untrained eye can catch when the border between one object and another doesn't look quite right. Enter the ledge of this garden wall, which had nearly no clean spots to pull from for cloning. Thankfully for everyone, this was not my first rodeo! I was able to save the wall and the couch cushions to make this backyard an idyllic spot to entertain guests or get comfy on with a good summer read.
The Only Prescription.. is More Background!
Not all photo studios have unlimited budgets or time to set up backgrounds large enough for the products they need to shoot.. sometimes you have to get creative and use what you have, and hope that you have a skilled retoucher to fill in the missing pieces! I have used cloning to extend many a background piece into a product photo. It's always satisfying to paint the seams away and let the product stand out, as intended!