Lifestyle shoots are one of the most dynamic shoots that any photographer can take part in. Any photographer executing lifestyle productions will need to have an eye to capture special moments. Photographer duties aside, it can definitely be one of the most fun! That said, it can also prove to be one of the hardest to finish during post-processing due to the sheer volume of photos.
In this article, we’ll tell you all about our retouching process for Getty Images’ Stone Collection where we covered a beach lifestyle shoot in Tel Aviv.
The Client
Getty Images is a media company that specializes in providing stock photo solutions to its clients. The company allows the market to use their photos in exchange for a fee. They also offer customized photography services for corporate clients.
Paper Boat Creative, led by Rebecca Van Ommen, was tasked to conduct a photoshoot for Getty Images and execute the retouching process. It was a photoshoot that required attention to detail and a certain amount of chemistry between the models, as you can see in the video below.
Behind the scenes video:
The Process
The first step in the bulk editing process is to choose the best-looking photos from the photoshoot that create a story whilst standing out from one another. Lifestyle photos are very hard to stitch together and it’s best to treat each photo with great care to make it fit seamlessly into the group.
For this production, we started with about 2,000 photos and we filtered them down to the top 50. Every photo we carefully chose and retouched was edited to be truly unique. Bulk editing is not a one-size-fits-all scenario, and so, each photo was retouched carefully to bring out the model’s best features, remove imperfections, and enhance colors. This required that each image’s feel matched its sister images in the larger set.
Enhance Colors
To amplify the environment’s colors and accentuate the model’s skin tones, we adjusted the color balance in photoshop. The levels curves, levels, and saturation were carefully modified to create a cohesive look among all the photos.
Remove Imperfections
We zoomed in on the models to remove any visible blemishes that can distract the viewer from the overall look. This task was accomplished using a clone stamp and healing brush tool to remove the imperfections on the model’s skin.
Improve Background
Once we’ve enhanced the colors of the photo and removed the blemishes on the subject, we then moved on to improving the background. We do this by editing out the people that may have come into the frame while we were shooting.
To do this, we used a lasso tool to trace around the object we wanted to remove and then used the content-aware fill tool to make the background seamless. When we weren’t too happy with the results, we would simply use a brush to paint over the parts we weren’t satisfied with.
Bulk Editing with Paper Boat Creative
At Paper Boat Creative, we handle all your bulk editing requests as if they were the final shot for someone’s portfolio. The volume may be big, but the finish is precise for every single photograph.
If this accuracy and care is something you’d like to have for your pictures, then contact us today and see how we can retouch your photos to elevate them to the next level.
