first time retouch!

[david rivera]

first of all, i want to thank nick for creating such an awesome video! it was really easy to follow! before watching the dvds i really didnt know how to retouch, now i feel like i can take my photos to a whole other level as long as i keep practicing.

here are a few images i retouched after watching the full dvd set, i used natural light because i dont have lights, they are in the order that i retouched them.

also, what is the best format to save images after retouching? i noticed when i attached these photos that they lost quality and color, is there any way to avoid that?

thanks for taking a look! let me know what you guys think

[david rivera]

here are more photos

[Nick Saglimbeni]

Hi David,

Thanks for the kind words, and for posting your work. The shots look great, especially given that you're so new to retouching. The #2 and #3 photos are fantastic, I wouldn't change much.

For #1 the body looks great, but it's inconsistent with the face, which looks a bit oily or sharp compared with the body. A better blend would help here.

for #4 I actually think the face is a bit too smooth, though if your intention was to get rid of the cheek lines, then I'm impressed with how smoothly you covered them. I think a bit of contour would help keep the photo more realistic, but all in all I think you've really begun the master smoothing around sharp edges like eyebrows and lashes.

Great work!