Retouching:
Much of our experience and work is in making people, whether real or not (a.k.a. models), look better. From editorial portraits to cool advertising, a little "twist" or alot.
Here's a small list of things we can do to create that ultimate image.
(Some may find this information useful, others will find it reduntant.)
Clean up skin (from face to body), soften lines, lighten eyes, erase stray hairs, smaller nose, smaller ears, bigger eyes, fuller lips, smaller waist, alter lighting intensities, add selective density, lighten selected areas, change selected areas of color, enhance overall color and mood. The list goes on, but you get the idea.
Compositing:
Compositing is retouching on steroids. This is when we become more like illustrators, taking elements from other images and combining them into one final composite. We follow your exact specifications so the end result is the idea you had while taking the pictures. Some compositing is easier than others. Adding a nice pretty sky or replacing someone's head is relatively easy compared to making a geisha girl look like she's in a fish aquarium. Take a look at our portfolio samples and you'll see what we are able to do for you.
RGB to CMYK conversion:
Another critical service we offer is RGB to CMYK color conversion. What's the point of retouching a great picture just to have it printed too flat or dark in the magazine? Most printers will not try to interpret what your final image should look like. They just do the standard conversions and go with it. This is a reflection of your work even if it's not directly photography. It's about the end results and if it doesn't look good you didn't do your job... that's the way the clients sees it anyway.
For any image that's going to a CMYK printer for a magazine ad, business cards, promotional cards, posters, etc... you will need to convert from your working RGB space to the end printers CMYK space using an ICC profile. Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black will never print like what you see on your Red, Green and Blue color monitor. Even when viewed on a calibrated monitor the CMYK values will need to be adjusted in order to get accurate results. There is no easy way to do this, every image is different and needs to be handled individually. No matter what anyone says, there is no way to batch process RGB to CMYK correctly.
For best results, ask your printer to provide an ICC profile. If one can not be provided we use US SWOP standards.
One-on-one Photoshop instruction:
Twisted Pix offers intensive, one-on-one Photoshop lessons at your studio or office. These services are offered mostly to serious amateurs and professionals in the NYC area. Many photographers and studios have their own in-house digital tech or retoucher but may need some instructional help on certain problem areas. Now more then ever, many photographers are doing their own retouching and are also looking to learn new tricks.
Email us for special arrangements outside the NYC area.