Page 62 - Photoshop User March 2017

BY BRITTANY SMITH
One of the key differences between retouching men and women is texture. When photographing men, it seems the more texture the better. Men’s skin doesn’t have to be perfected by any means. In fact, it’s perfectly acceptable to leave a few blemishes as well as scars in the retouch to maintain a certain level of authenticity. Less is more. Lines in the forehead, between the brows from furrowing, and smile lines under the eyes are encouraged. Since men are like a glass of fine wine and are viewed to be better with age, it goes without saying that the more texture they have, the more attractive they seem in today’s society.
Retouching is one of the necessary job requirements in today’s definition of what it means to be a working photographer. Thanks to our mainstream media, the general public has a keen understanding of not only what this means, but what a prop- erly retouched image should look like.
On the other hand, we often lean toward perfection with a more heavy-handed approach when retouching women. Today’s standards require women to have definitive texture in their skin without excess lines and wrinkles. The more youthful and flaw- less a woman’s skin is, the more beautiful she’s thought to be. Thankfully, the days of plastic-looking skin are gone and texture is encouraged. Due to the demand for normalcy in our world today, women are now allowed to age with a little grace and showcase the details of their subtly imperfect skin with a badge of honor.