07/13 Retouch & Chill Retouch, Rants & Real Game: A Full Breakdown from the Club to the Clone Stamp 😂✍🏾

What’s Good, Y’all!

• Second time doing the live on Patreon and I’m lowkey feeling it more than IG—just smoother having everything in one place.

• Still getting this setup right, but we vibin’.

Weekend Recap

• Friends came into town. I hate club culture, but I’m not about to be a party pooper.

• Did my little pre-game trick (gas station cup, half liquor, half mixer), took two drinks in the club, grabbed wings (because club wings do hit), and chilled.

• Brunch the next day? Took me out.

🔦 Gear Talk + Giveaways

Nanlite Came Thru!

• Got blessed with the FC120B, FS300B, and a projection attachment (aka mega snoot vibes).

• Also using the Nanlite Rapid 90 parabolic softbox—this setup had that last reel looking buttery with the lighting/color grade 🔥

Giveaways Incoming:

• Newer 600w outdoor strobe + anamorphic lens (only Sony trigger though—Canon folks gotta buy their own).

• Working on content for the Newer piece before it drops.

LUT Pack is Almost Ready

• Got 6–8 of my go-to LUTs packaged up. Just need to film the “how to use” vid. Hopefully dropping this week.

🎩 Hat Updates

Production Update:

• Black hats are done ✅

• Creams are almost finished.

• Brown hats being remade (just paid fabric cost).

• But I’m done with this manufacturer. 2 months wait is wild. Might as well have stitched ‘em myself at this point.

📷 Lens Talk – That 70-200mm Love

Posted Some Old Heat:

• Y’all guessed 85mm but nah—I shot those bangers with the 70-200mm f/2.8 three years ago. Still my go-to if I had to submit work to a mag.

• Honestly? I’d choose it over the 105mm 1.4 any day.

• 2.0 aperture growing on me—blurry backgrounds cool but I’m craving more detail lately.

💬 Real Talk: Courses, Patreon, & Pricing

Thinking About Packaging This All Into a Course

• Been giving game out consistently—might as well bundle it into something clean and organized.

• Don’t worry though, y’all already getting the content here.

• Course might run ~$250–$300 (not $1K+ like some folks out here), and it’s for the people—not just folks who already got money.

• Not tryna become some big faceless school. I mess with y’all too much for that.

  🎯 Retouching Breakdown (Photoshop Flow, Start to Finish)

  Here’s the full sauce on how I approached the retouch for this live session — same formula I use most of the time. If you’re trying to clean up your workflow, this is it right here:

  🛠 Tools I Use:

  • Photoshop (obviously)

  • Wacom Tablet – mid-size joint from Best Buy ($60–70)

  • Remove Tool – first step for cleaning up strays

  • Frequency Separation – for smooth, detailed skin work

  • Mixer Brush – key for blending tones and evening skin

  • Clone Stamp Tool – for blemish removal on the high layer

  • My Color Boost Action – to make the photo pop

  • Eyes & Teeth Whitening Action – quick polish move

  🔄 General Retouch Flow:

  • Start with the Remove Tool

    • Get rid of flyaway hairs first.

    • Use light, deliberate strokes so you don’t mess with the hairline or textures.

  • Frequency Separation (FS)

    • I always run a FS action to separate texture (high) and color (low).

    • High Layer: Use Clone Stamp (option + click) to knock out blemishes — clean, quick, one tap at a time.

    • Low Layer: Mixer Brush (wet 80 / load 30 / mix 100 / flow 20) to smooth out skin tones. Keep your flow controlled and avoid over-smoothing.

    • Use a larger brush for broad areas (forehead, cheeks) and smaller one for precision.

  • Even Out Makeup

    • If blush is patchy or highlight is too hot, I tone it down on the low layer.

    • Helps even the look and make the MUA’s work shine.

  • Teeth & Eye Whitening

    • Run my whitening action → switch brush to white → low flow (50%) → lightly paint on eyes and teeth.

    • Before/after hits every time. Makes the subject pop without looking OD.

  • Tattoo Removal (if needed)

    • I used the Remove Tool for this too, worked flawlessly. Might need to refine with Clone Stamp or Healing if it’s detailed.

  • Color Boost

    • Run my SLV Color Boost action → drop the opacity to 50%.

    • Mask out the skin with 25% flow so it doesn’t oversaturate the tones.

    • Adds nice punch to the background, clothes, props, etc.

  • Final Check

    • Zoom out, do a quick before/after.

    • Make sure nothing looks overcooked.

    • Double check client notes: this one wanted smoother legs, matching oranges on the corset, cart cleaned up, glare removed, etc.

  🧠 Bonus Tips from the Session:

  • Always turn your monitor brightness all the way up when retouching so you’re not under-editing.

  • Use Auto on Raw Import in Photoshop as a base — it’s better than it used to be.

  • If the shadows are too lifted, tweak 'em yourself. I used to boost shadows way too much — not every photo needs that flat look.

  • Use subject/background masks to control color and light selectively (especially for outdoor shots).