Afro-Caribbean complexions lie on the graph almost alongside the Caucasian values, the only difference is in the lightness value (the dark brown ellipse). The average for Caucasian skin (Lab 14;17) is shown by the skin-coloured star. The averages for newborn infants (1,500 measurements) are located below and left of average Caucasian ie more pink – babies are pink! The Chinese races are rotated towards yellow (Emily is a Chinese girl), the Asians are normally located slightly more yellow and more saturated than Caucasians and may or may not be darker in Lightness value, the variations overlap. The black star shows the values that Aled (and previously Martin Sellars) place their Caucasian female models in photographs, ie more saturated and very slightly more yellow ('tanned' in common parlance). The pink circles are the 'skin' values taken from the GretagMacbeth Color Checker SG. Your editor, red-haired of Irish descent is quite red and pale and only just makes it onto the graph!
The values are measured using the Photoshop HSB values in Adobe RGB, the
actual skin tones were measured (on real people) using a spectrophotometer.
The average Caucasian value is that normally assumed for the GretagMacbeth
Color Checker.
For the second series of shots (right) Aled applied the same initial
adjustments. We found by measuring a number of his graded RAW files,
including those from different studio and wedding shoots, that he
consistently arrives at roughly the same skin tone values, that is 40 to 50%
saturation and a hue angle of 27°, ie the area shown in the graph. Readers
analysing their own work should remember that these values are in context
with the rest of the image and that they apply only to Caucasians. Printing
for the Asian market would demand a slightly redder, less saturated skin
tone, close in fact to average Caucasian (nominally 24° hue angle and 28%
saturation). The context of the image is important because this creates a
bias in the way we view the colour. If, for example a bride is photographed
against a green hedge, the dress and facial features will pick up a green
cast. If you neutralise this the image will look too magenta (ie the
complementary of green) – the eye expects the green cast because of the
context of the image and this needs to be respected; this is a difference
between colour correcting just on the numerical values and correcting by
looking at the print!
Once the file had been prepared and graded. The skin was
then softened selectively using Dynamic Skin Softener before it was
converted to monochrome using Nik Silver Efex Pro. Aled used a number of
layer blending modes to enhance the contrast to give the very modern look to
the image before cropping and colouring it with both sepia and blue. The
three variants were presented as proofs to the client before a wall
enlargement was made.
Some of the variants available with Nik software. Top is the graded image,
then Bleach Bypass, Glamour Glow and finally a Silver Efex conversion.
Bleach Bypass, a short history
Bleach Bypass, Skip Bleach, Bleach Reduction, ENR, ACE and Silver Tint are
all basically the same process that result in a distinctive high-contrast,
harsh, faded look. The technique was first used in Kon Ichikawa's 1960 film
Her Brother and it is not recorded whether it was discovered by accident,
although it would seem a safe bet to assume so, much in the way that Man Ray
discovered solarisation. All it needed was for somebody to forget to dunk
the film in the bleach or for there to be an equipment malfunction during
processing. Having got the effect it was a short leap to use it on stills
film when making the posters for the films' advertising. The films Evita and
Saving Private Ryan both exploited the effect. In the days of film it was
considered risky and the insurance companies would not cover the risk if the
film-makers were dunking their precious celluloid in some magic brew or
other! Digital has changed all that and there are a number of ways of
accomplishing the effect in Photoshop or by using plug-ins such as Nik
ColorEfex Pro or onOne software.
The single defining characteristic of the effect is desaturation, allied to
a lifted contrast and perhaps some form of edge enhancement akin to
oversharpening. The variations are endless as the effects are almost always
blended into the original image using either the opacity slider or a
blending mode.
Use of the effect comes and goes; by definition, if somebody uses it to make
their image stand out and then everybody jumps onto the idea then it no
longer stands out! However, once you learn to recognise the effect you see
that it crops up in fashion magazines and the weekend supplements on a
regular basis in both editorial and advertising. There are some hideous
examples kicking around; like all tools that have a powerful effect on an
image there are those who have no idea that they have gone way over the top.
Taylor James (www.taylorjames.com)
are particularly good (and subtle) users of the effect and their website
should be compulsory reading for anybody interested in following retouching
trends. They work for the prominent names in the UK so their work is likely
to advertise television programmes and the like.
Bug Fix
One of the things we noticed about installing Nik Color Efex into 32-bit
Photoshop (it is not yet available in a 64-bit version) was that the
Photoshop Tool Bar was compromised. Specifically, the 'Arrange Documents'
icons were missing. This is a glitch but the solution is to go to
File>Automate and click Nik Selective Tool; your missing icons then
reappear.
