Car retouching, if it’s done for the manufacturer, usually involves many rounds of fixes done at the whim of a team of art directors or those who want to be art directors, and usually at obscenely high resolutions, so any screwup in the retouching will shrink to unnoticeable size at final output.
You’re right about the trees. Most car photos aren’t shot with tree reflections as they tend to fight the lines of the car.
What kind of art direction are you getting from your client? They are usually pretty specific about what they want. As far as accentuating the existing lines that weren’t drawn well in the initial photo, It’s just a matter of drawing the areas you want and shading to suit – always on separate layers so you can vary opacity, blending modes and masking.
The best way to make the car look good is to start with a good image and a great scan. And remember that the retouching is only the half of it. The final file needs to set up correctly for the proofing system that is being used, often with specific tweaks to the black plate and Selective Color to bring out the most of the printing process being used. A good custom profile for your proofing system will save on needless rounds of proofs in order to get it just right.
Can you elaborate on the tweaks to black plate and use of selective color? Are you talking about using selective color to tweak out of gamut colors when switching from RGB to CMYK? Could you maybe give an example of when you would need to tweak the black plate?
Often times a straight conversion to CMYK with a given profile, even if it’s a custom one, can benefit from post conversion adjustments. The black plate is one area that can have great affect on the output of the image. Sometimes a curve to boost the black plate contrast, other times one to open shadow detail – it all depends on the image. Fine tuning the black and white points in Curves is often needed, the white point being much more sensitive to minor changes. Selective Color can be used to enhance specific colors such as making sure a red is as pure as possible or pulling yellow from the cyan and magenta of a sky, and just as importantly, to fine tune the total ink levels to conform with output requirements. The main point is not to just do a simple conversion and leave it at that. Check the endpoints. Check the gray balance. See if there are any things that can be done to further enhance the image.
steve,
No requests for responses by email, please, as they defeat the very soul of these forums: online conversations where anyone can participate, contribute, and/or learn. And you’ll get more responses and better feedback here.
Also note: Some professionals who might otherwise participate in the public forum will avoid any personal, one-on-one email, as that is what they would normally be billing their hourly rates for.
Thanks for understanding!
Neil
Most car photo’s are made out of multiple "elements"; different exposures for different parts of the car, some parts are shot later in the day etc. etc.
Neil: Sorry about that, no problem.
What I am wondering is if there are some general guide lines when retouching cars. One being, that the logo has to be clearly visible and pop. I am also sure that they want to make sure that the metal look flawless, so you have to remove anything that would look like a dimple. I have tow shot of cars shot in trees. On one of them there are some striped reflections running down the side of the car. They are pretty uniform and straight except when you get around the intersection of the door, then they tend to swirl around. So when you are dealing with natural reflections, how much do you want to clean up? I have also heard someone mention something about rolldown ? Any idea what that means?
steve,
Retouching has to reinforce the ideal without any hint of retouching: Cars should be tack sharp front to back not look distorted. Logos, model numbers, and other details must be clear and separated from the painted surface. All painted surfaces must glisten like wet airbrushed paint with smooth or slightly undulating reflections that enhance rather than burn out the surface color. No dimples, spots, or odd surface irregularities. Reflections should show some curving around door edge surfaces to look real. Bright metal must look polished and yet hold detail. Tires and wheels must be clean and perfect. But tires shouldn’t look "Armoralled". Logos on wheelcovers or hubcaps must be upright (unless artistically blurred to show a car in motion). Window glass can have reflections of sky, etc., but must reveal a bit of what’s inside the car. Headlights should maintain detail, even if lit. Unless intentionally showing, say, a 4WD fording a stream or kicking up some mud, all surfaces of the car must be scrupulously clean. Windows should appear fully raised. Nothing in the setting should come between the camera and the car.
Visit some of the car sites to get more ideas on this.
Neil
