Ultra-high-key portrait

AndreyT · Aug 19, 2013

I would appreciate a few pointers for creating ultra-high-key portraits on white background as shown in the Mylene Farmer promotional picture below. I presume it involves a considerable amount of post-processing, yet at the same time I suspect that the studio technique (lighting in particular) plays a large role here. My attempts to reproduce such portraits typically result in significantly worse definition of the hair. I'm not sure whether it is cause by my lack of Photoshop skills or by a suboptimal lighting setup (or maybe both).

Basically, the very first question I have is what in your opinion is the primary area of expertise I should focus on in order to reproduce this look as closely as possible: lighting or digital post-processing? I would appreciate any advice on the former subject, since it is the topic of this forum. What would be the good lighting setup to produce a good source shot for further processing? A better-resolution shot here

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/90499843/Timeless+2013+Timeless2013Photo_TIMELESS_201.jpg

shows a catchlight in the lower right corner of the pupil, suggesting a key light placed relatively low, which appears to be consistent with the rest of the portrait. What else is important here?

24Peter · Aug 19, 2013

AndreyT said:
AndreyT wrote:

I would appreciate a few pointers for creating ultra-high-key portraits on white background as shown in the Mylene Farmer promotional picture below. I presume it involves a considerable amount of post-processing, yet at the same time I suspect that the studio technique (lighting in particular) plays a large role here. My attempts to reproduce such portraits typically result in significantly worse definition of the hair. I'm not sure whether it is cause by my lack of Photoshop skills or by a suboptimal lighting setup (or maybe both).

Basically, the very first question I have is what in your opinion is the primary area of expertise I should focus on in order to reproduce this look as closely as possible: lighting or digital post-processing? I would appreciate any advice on the former subject, since it is the topic of this forum. What would be the good lighting setup to produce a good source shot for further processing? A better-resolution shot here

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/90499843/Timeless+2013+Timeless2013Photo_TIMELESS_201.jpg

shows a catchlight in the lower right corner of the pupil, suggesting a key light placed relatively low, which appears to be consistent with the rest of the portrait. What else is important here?

My take is it's more post processing and less lighting. I think overall the lighting is pretty flat (for instance I don't see any rim or hair lighting). What I do see is a lot of desaturation and reduced contrast. The lack of color anywhere other than her eye is tell-tale post processing, so I am pretty sure these were done in post.

Also, I guessing but it looks like the background has been knocked out in Photoshop. Selecting hair is a PITA (I am still underwhelmed with the Refine Edge tool even in CS6 for this purpose), but you can shoot on almost any color background you like and then remove it in Photoshop.

Overall, I don't find this particular image all that compelling (nothing against Mylene of course.) High key is more than low contrast or lack of color saturation. But if this is the look you're after, try broad flat lighting and then desaturate /reduce contrast in post.

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kb2zuz · Aug 19, 2013

You're probably seeing a lot of the selective desaturation. Generally it's a large soft light (large soft box mostly in front of the subject, slightly to the side) and more light on the background plus maybe some other fill (reflectors/cards). The rest is photoshop.

ilta · Aug 19, 2013

Peter has the right of it. This is just straight up desaturation on a pretty standard high-key (or cut out, if you want to make more work for yourself) backdrop.

Probably at least two lights: a big softbox up and SLIGHTLY to the camera's right (note the area on the hair that is best lit. and the slight shadow on the left side of the neck and collarbone), and another one either immediately behind the model, pointed at the backdrop, or two going across it from opposite sides. Backdrop is well away from the model or you'd be getting wrap-around burn on her shoulders.

Knock down the saturation in Photoshop or Lightroom on everything except the eyes, probably boost the highlights a bit and lower the white clipping slightly, then spot-check the background for pixels that haven't gotten blown out.

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ilta · Aug 19, 2013

Also the eyes are almost certainly touched up, almost nobody has eyes THAT blue but it's an easy adjustment brush fix to boost the exposure and saturation on the eyes, and boost the exposure and DECREASE saturation on the eye whites, to make them pop like that. I do it to basically all my headshots and the effect is most striking with blue or green eyes but works on all colors.

AndreyT · Aug 19, 2013

No argument, the eye was painted in post-processing. Mylene's eyes are not blue at all.

Also, her hair are red. And this is another point to consider. If I wanted to simulate that look on a model what color hair would work best during studio shooting: a color significantly different from white (to be desaturated and turned into white in post-processing) or actual white? I suspect that non-white hair might produce a better definition and detail level after post-processing.

AndreyT · Aug 19, 2013

Yes, separating hair is definitely a major PITA. However, in this case the task is simplified by the fact that the whole picture is essentially grayscale. It helps to hide any imperfections in the separation, e.g. color bleed from the background into the hair (assuming a non-white chroma-key background was used).

ilta · Aug 19, 2013

I mean, I don't know the person at all, but my first guess based on the range was blonde hair, possibly a wig. But if the hair is light enough with some careful adjustment work you could get just about any shade to end up this color if that's what you're going for.

I WOULDN'T recommend a white wig because you'd be likely to end up blowing it out.

Sailor Blue · Aug 19, 2013

The image could be out of camera if the lighting was done so that the white hair came out light gray, not white, which appears to be the case. It is hard to be certain because there has been enough post processing to get rid of any single hairs sticking out.

Extracting single hairs is very difficult and time consuming so it is usually not done. Seeing single hairs sticking out usually tells you that the image is out of camera. Of course a lot of photographers will remove stray hairs as part of their standard post processing.

The real definition of a high key image is, "having a predominance of light grey tones or light colours". For a high-key portrait the subject is in light colored clothing against a light colored background but the skin should be properly exposed.

This image has been manipulated in post to desaturate it, reduce the contrast, possible raise the exposure, and then selective coloring was applied to the eyes.

This image is a special effects image, not a true high key portrait. That is fine if the final image is what is wanted, but calling it a high-key image it is a misapplication of the term.

WFulton · Aug 20, 2013

I'm old fashioned I guess, but I always wonder why anyone with the ability to take a great picture, such as this, would then want to intentionally screw it up so badly.

FrankyM · Aug 23, 2013

I shot the image below lighting the background at f8.5 and the model with a beauty dish at f11, reflector below and the camera set at f8. The rest is PP.

Fargonz · Aug 25, 2013

white bg at about 1.5 stops over the main light. 2 black reflectors either side if she has white clothes or blonde hair no phtoshop required.

Luke Kaven · Aug 27, 2013

I'd strongly recommend going to retouchpro.com in the retouching forum with this question. People have explored this same question in several threads. One common technique is to use profile reassignment to remap the tones, and as I recall, it works very well.

AndreyT · Aug 27, 2013

It is not perfect, but it is much better than what I was getting before. Yes, increasing the distance between the subject and the background helped a lot.

I used green background, hoping to change it later in PS. In CS2 it was indeed very difficult to make Magic Wand selection of the background while adequately separating the hair. In the end I gave up and resorted to 'Hue/Saturation' command instead, asking it to increase 'Lightness' of green colors. This left me with an obvious gradient in the background (the top darker than the bottom), but it is better than I was getting through selection tools and filling.

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