>>3283011Here's a gif of my raw conversion to my final edit so my adjustments are easier to see.
When I'm editing, I tend to make tons of small, local changes to the image that all lead towards one of the following intentions:
- improve the composition (help lead the viewers eye through the image in a smooth clean path which maximizes the time spent looking at the image). This is done many ways, for example making sure the focal point has the most detail/contrast, that the viewers eye isn't drawn to the edges of the photo, and any visual snags reduces or removed.
- simplify the forms of the image by reducing depth of unneeded or distracting shadows and highlights
- improve the depth and character by enhancing the forms of important or "character" form shadows and highlights
- if the form of something isn't reading clearly, I'll add in highlights or form/cast shadows by dodging and burning, using my knowledge of painting (for example in the original image the form of the guys belly is really flat, so I added form shadows so the roundness is more easily communicated. His plump body is part of what makes his character interesting. Another place I painted form shadows/highlights was his sclera)
- making the shapes of the shadows and highlights appealing
- improve the mood or narrative
If the change to the image I'm considering doesn't do on of those things, I resist doing it. "It looks better" is NOT one of my criteria. Making changes because they "look good" is a frequently a mistake (ESPECIALLY for newer retouchers who haven't had their work critiqued by the industry yet), often changes like that look good only to the person editing the image and not everyone else. Constraining my changes to the above list is a way to prevent myself from taking the image in a unintentional direction.
