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It’s finally here, Editable Photos Retouch Contest.  Our members have been downloading the images without fail and have made the EP Free Collection a major success. Due to that success, we have decided to sweeten your experience by launching a Retouch contest with cash prizes. The  cash prize or Cash Pot as we like to call it, starts at a default prize but with each photo entered into the competiton, we raise the earnings. Cool Right! Yea we know.

The Cash Prizes

The First Prize Cash Pot starts at $40 and can go as high as $90 for January’s Contest

Second Prize Cash Pot starts at $25

Third Prize Cash Pot starts at $10.

Read more about how it works

How to Enter

To enter is simple!

• Become a member (if you’re not already)
• Download the unedited image for open contest and
• Submit your version.

All entries must be approved by us to ensure that the contest rules are being followed. 

Submission & Voting

Submissions are open for an entire month, hey creating masterpieces take time. Once all submissions have been received, it then goes into voting. We accept a maximum of 250 submissions per contest. In the future, we will accept more.  Voting is open for 4 weeks. The image with the highest votes, wins.

• Submission starts on Dec 1 Midnight EST and ends Dec 31st, Midnight EST
• Voting begins Jan 1 12:01 AM, EST and ends Jan 31st, 11:59PM EST
• Winners are generally announced 24 to 48 hours later.  Winners will be alerted by email and all cash proceeds are made into your PayPal account.

We are proud to annouce that within a few weeks, we will be launching our “be inspired” series. A collection of work that features some of the most skilled retouching talent using exclusively our images. Retouchers will take our unedited and quite frankly basic images to new levels by infusing creativity, complexity and style to the image.

Here is a first look of what you can expect!!!

Happy Editing!!!

Fixing the hair can be very tricky and it can sometimes take hours to get the perfect results. However, I am going to show you how to fix hair gaps using the patch tool in under 2 minutes. If used incorrectly, the patch tool can destroy the photo so it is essential that when it is used, extreme attention to detail is applied. Our primary goal is to ensure that the hair blends in NATURALLY instead of looking like “PATCHES” of hair applied randomly.

This quick demonstration shows how to apply the technique, you can take it further to fill in the gaps, make the hair appear thicker or using other tools such as healing, cloning, painting in white or black etc.

Here is a step by step instruction sheet

1. Duplicate your background layer
2. Apply quick mask by hitting Q on your PC or click the icon.
3. Select a soft edge brush, ensure that hardness is at 0%. The size of the brush should be big enough to paint over the area you are trying to correct, not larger.
4. Paint over the area. Hit Q again and the entire image is now selected. We need to invert the image so only the area that needs correcting is selected.
5. Invert the image by hitting CTRL+SHIFT+I or Select – Inverse
6. Finally Select the Patch tool (J) and grab an area that YOU think will blend in naturally with the image. You can repeat this process for small areas that need special attention to get the perfect look.

A mash up of before and after images from our Free Collection. Images retouched by talented artists. To view a complete credit list, click here

Tutorial instructed by Amy Nelson Blain.

In this video tutorial, talented digital retoucher Amy discusses the technique of Dodge and Burn and how it applies to beauty images. She goes into descriptive details on the best tools to use, a step by step instruction on how to carefully apply dodge and burn to the skin while preserving texture.

The three top factors that will determine whether or not editing can be done effectively are

1. The image format
2. The power of the software
3. Individual skill and technique

This particular entry is all about the image source and details, working with what I like to call the blank canvas. In my opinion, there is no debate on whether to use a RAW or JPEG file. The decision is clear, whether I am shooting or editing, the RAW file gives you more opportunity to create an amazing piece of work because it gives the best foundation. Editing in the RAW is not a technique or a work flow that is reserved for the professionals but is a core requirement for all levels.

The details retained by the RAW file can be overwhelming especially for a beginner. But complete understanding of what this could mean for the final results is nothing to look past. In basic terms, when editing with the RAW image, you have more editable control over textures, lighting and color. These are paramount elements that can make or break the final results.
To peddle back a bit, the RAW file is the digital negative for photographers who shoot with a DSLR. For each camera model, the format is different but the goal is similar. The RAW image captures and records exactly what the camera sees without alterations and compressions.

Editing with a RAW file gives you the following:

More Dynamic Range: is the difference between the lightest and darkest areas in the image. Other file formats will alter this key element by capturing only a variation. This is especially true if the image is poorly lit for example. The RAW file will give you more stops and therefore more flexibility to make the correct adjustments.
Higher Image Quality: RAW image does not compress the file; it retains all of the information. This produces a much higher quality image than a JPEG which has been compressed. It lends even more control on how you process and edit the image later.

Before I hit the shutter button I am a photographer, when I commence work in my digital darkroom, I am a retoucher. My decision to go RAW is personal and it came naturally.

As a photographer, shooting in the RAW helps me see how awful or good I was before I took that image. In theory, a lot of the preparation should be done prior to taking the image. Lighting, composition, color coordination etc. RAW is for the ultimate control freak. 100% manual, no decisions made by the machine (camera) to enhance and compensate for the lack of skill or technique. RAW does not sugar coat the truth. If my lighting was below the standard, I see it right away. I use it as a guide.

As a retoucher, the RAW file gives me the most room to edit, make changes and ultimately enhance the final product. Without being too technical, a RAW file gives more room to manipulate textures, colors and lighting. The higher image quality is prized as well especially when dealing with composition, cropping and printing to name a few.

I find myself even shooting candid family photos in RAW, but that’s just the photographer in me. Usually jpegs are just fine especially if the day is really sunny.

What about you guys, any preferences to file formats?!