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When I was first learning CorelDRAW, my mentor showed me his technique for removing pimples, freckles, scars, etc. He is a past winner of the annual Corel World Design Contest. His name is Ron Richey, and you can view his amazing work at: http:\\ronrichey.com. He was generous with his time, and he let me borrow a 4-inch high stack of Corel User magazines. This was an amazing opportunity to learn about CorelDRAW and PHOTO-PAINT.
Most users will say: “To remove pimples, just use a clone tool with a soft, feathered edge”. This works OK in many instances, but sometimes I’ve come across a situation where it was difficult to pick a clone source. Perhaps you are in a tight area, or the the skin tones aren’t filling in the area right. Sometimes the final result with the Clone tool doesn’t seem to look as natural as it should. In any case, I find myself using Ron’s technique more and more often than cloning, because the end result looks the best in many cases.
When it comes to repairing blemishes, you will be scrutinized by the client and/or the person in the photo. Think about it—if you had to put your own picture into a publication, and the designer took the liberty to change your skin tone, straighten your nose, remove that mole on your cheek - you may be very well offended with this impromptu “treatment”.
When modifying the faces of others, be sensitive to their egos. Even though you might have the skills to make them look like a movie star, you may lose a friend or client if the changes are too different from how they naturally look. By making these changes in anything more than a subtle way, the message you are sending is: “You’re not very attractive. Let me change you. How can you possibly face the world without my dazzling artistry?”
How far do you go? It depends on your good judgment. I’ll also explain how I whiten teeth and the whites of the eyes, using some other uncommon techniques of my own.
Here is a photo of me taken with a digital camera. I’ve added a few blemishes here and there for this exercise. Just watch, I’ll have my 5 minutes of fame one day, and this will be the “file photo” they show on CNN and all the major networks! I’ll be yelling at the TV, “Noooooo!!!! That’s not really meeeeeee! That photo was for a graphics excerciiiiiiise!” See how sensitive people are?
Sometimes I’ve seen pictures come in to be printed that are in brutal condition. 72 DPI, at 2 inches across. Saved as a GIF image, with a 256 color palette. It’s better for the client (and your sanity) if they somehow acquire a usable photo. You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Most importantly, I won’t use any more cliches in this tutorial!
Load the file into PHOTO-PAINT. When cropping a portrait, I use a tip from my brother who works in the TV industry. They have something they call “The Nose Rule”. The tip of the nose should be in the center of the pic. Watch the news and you’ll see that the cameraman centers the screen around the nose of the reporters, the anchors, and all people in general. Give this idea a try when cropping past, present, and future portraits.
The technique is super simple, once you get the hang of it. And super effective!
Here are some methods you may not have seen before. I often use the following two-step process.
Another valuable tool is "fade last command" under the Edit menu. Allow me to demonstrate...
I often use the "Image | Adjust | Auto Equalize" command. This makes your whites "White" (like Tide laundry soap), and blacks "Black" (like Marilyn Manson). This forces the picture to use the full spectrum of color and the widest tonal density. I find that it solves many image problems automatically. However, if you have a twilight night scene with lots of blue and purple color casts, your image may turn out much worse. But it's not necessarily an "all or nothing" situation, as you'll see.
There are no adjustments for the Auto Equalize command, but you can fade it's "effect" by using "fade last command" to find a compromise. Give it a try! Process some pics that you have. On your next print run, you'll see the printing equipment being used to it's full specifications for color output. Important: if you run it once on an RGB image and like the results, then you'll need to run it again after converting to CMYK - notice the difference. It's a whole different color space, and the same is true if you work in LAB mode for special situations.
Summary: I hope you have enjoyed the tutorial, and that these techniques provide some insight for you. Best wishes!
Discuss tutorials with Jeff Harrison in Graphics Unleashed Forums
Learn How to Draw with CorelDRAW · How to Export PNG's with Transparency from CorelDRAW · Fitting a Blend to a Path · CorelDRAW Powertips III · Numbering Invoices and Raffle Tickets with Print Merge and Numbergen · How to Color a Cow and Remove the White Box Around It (Cow Included) · CorelDRAW Powertips II · Making Stuff with CorelDRAW · The CorelDRAW Files · CorelDRAW Gold Factory · CorelDRAW Vector Metal · Make a Key in CorelDRAW in 5 Minutes! · An Easy Way to Simulate Parallel Lines in CorelDRAW · CorelDRAW POWERTIPS I · Windows POWERTIPS · Gear We Go—Gear Creation in CorelDRAW, Corel PHOTO-PAINT, 3D Studio Max and more · Creating Glass Buttons with Refraction in CorelDRAW · How to Make a Hi-Tech Interface Using CorelDRAW · Blemish Be Gone -- Techniques for Facial Enhancement in Corel PHOTO-PAINT
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