You Retouch Pictures, Which have been Shot Underwater?

Underwater photography is an exciting hobby for some. And for some diving down and taking pictures is a professional job. And how does one retouch underwater shots?

Obviously if a professional photographer dives down into ocean bed to shoot he would have invested in the most elaborate and high-end camera. Shooting photographs underwater is no mean feat. And moreover it is a specialized and well-established work for some photographers. When they work on land they can still take a chance and ‘catch the mood and lighting’ of a landscape. But when they dive down to the ocean bed, the same feeling is tricky. They are naturally dependent on the skills of the photo editor to bail them out if they have made some mistakes while shooting under water. And the good news is that there is software that can help in improvising the underwater shots.

What are the problems that can occur while shooting underwater? Taking close up of the ocean life in motion like fishes can be tricky. And most of the snaps that come out have a strong tinge of blue or grey shades. But the ocean itself has beautiful and natural colors. But while diving it is difficult to take pictures. Now Photoshop has a filter that has the ability to restore the same shades in the snaps. This is a boon as photo editors can now match the same natural shades. This filter is used as a retoucher. To retouch pictures which have been shot in a marine environment this is an excellent technique. Duplicate layers are made to make the color scheme. Many such images can be cleaned up with the retouch method.

The marine environment also poses challenges of light surges or air going off and diver having to swim up! A photographer can use a grey card to offset the dull colors that may appear. But retouching in Photoshop is a better method.  Now even underwater fashion photography is popular. This has helped editors to brush up their skills in yet another retouching job. The retouch method is used as an artistic skill to make the picture look fluid. It can have a fantastic visual frame when it is done.

Retouching is an incredible technique. What is valuable about it is that it manages to retain the actual essence of the picture. There is no need to ‘enhance’ it with artificial means. Dramatic transformations have also taken place with celebrities who have been models for underwater photography. Wrinkles and creases are taken care of with simple retouching with the help of brushes. The wet skin looks more natural when it is corrected. Photo editors use many tricks to retain the essence of the frame. It is here that their skills can be seen. Retouching is not just correcting the color and the skin tones. It also means improving other areas that can mar the visual content of the picture. When it comes to human portraits the skin retouching is most vital. For instance a glowing skin reflection adds to the retouch job. But such effects are used only when dramatic effect needs to be created in the design.