Max Field Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 Was re-watching Avril Lavgine's first music video and they had this portrait lens close up shot How exactly could a DoP go about getting the skin tones this plasticy? Almost doll-like. Obviously the lack of blemishes is just make-up but there's a certain polish to the skin overall. Thanks for any tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted October 16, 2019 Premium Member Share Posted October 16, 2019 Probably a luminance key of the skin, then defocusing, perhaps some DNR (noise reduction). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Tyler Purcell Posted October 16, 2019 Premium Member Share Posted October 16, 2019 I mean the entire shot looks soft, so it's probably just a softening filter over the entire luminance channel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Field Posted October 16, 2019 Author Share Posted October 16, 2019 Here's a link to it in motion if that helps at all. (At 1:30 if it doesn't timecode) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted October 16, 2019 Premium Member Share Posted October 16, 2019 Anyone who has played around in Photoshop or Lightroom will notice how plastic and overly smooth a shot will get if you crank up the noise reduction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted October 16, 2019 Premium Member Share Posted October 16, 2019 Here is an example of the skin texture when you increase the noise versus remove the noise: 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Field Posted October 16, 2019 Author Share Posted October 16, 2019 The David Mullen on the right would give Avril Lavigne a run for her money! That effect is coming back to me now, back when I would DNR with a Canon t2i. Thanks for the visualization. So would you say there was an intentional choosing of a higher ASA stock to intentionally get that look? Or a happy accident? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Satsuki Murashige Posted October 16, 2019 Premium Member Share Posted October 16, 2019 2 hours ago, Tyler Purcell said: I mean the entire shot looks soft, so it's probably just a softening filter over the entire luminance channel. Remember that you are also looking at a film image that was telecine'd to a standard def tape format some 17 years ago (that video was released in 2002), then further compressed for the web. So it probably looked sharper in the telecine bay at the time, and would look very different if re-scanned today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Phil Rhodes Posted October 16, 2019 Premium Member Share Posted October 16, 2019 Very much so. Bear in mind that effectively all lossy compression techniques will have some degree of noise-reducing effect. Also, Avril was about 18 when that was shot, and she still seems to have pretty good skin now, so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 They have still photo software that turns girls into porcelain dolls. You can see the results on the magazine covers. No pores. Maybe the same for movies. This is just one of them. https://www.anthropics.com/portraitpro/ I never use them. I do doc work...warts and all. Here are some before and after shots https://www.google.com/search?q=portrait+retouching+software&sxsrf=ACYBGNSRfR3qutdsaPecYIPtyXCUHzW2kw:1571232086072&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjf_eXS76DlAhVIQ6wKHXAoCW0Q_AUIEigC&biw=1600&bih=806#imgrc=dWMIM6Ywa1CxMM: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manu Delpech Posted October 18, 2019 Share Posted October 18, 2019 Let's not forget that we're basing this off a YouTube video where the compression is going to be ridiculous in the first place and wreak havoc on the grain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Brereton Posted October 19, 2019 Share Posted October 19, 2019 This still is from a video I shot a couple years ago for Maggie Lindemann. She was about 20 at the time, with flawless skin, and she had a great makeup artist The client still wanted a ton of beauty work done, and we ended up with this plastic doll effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alissa Alexina Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 In music videos, there is still a lot is digital post-processing, usually done in Resolve, Nuke or After Effects (even when not really needed). One of the most ridiculous recent examples is Till Lindemann's funny video Frau & Mann, in which all people look normal and only the lead actress has very obvious, plastic digital retouching: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Sagady Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 Resolve added a facial tool kit thing that for my money is creepy as hell if you do anything beyond very subtle touches. Partly because it’s an automated solution so it will never fit perfectly with your shot. Great if you need to push through a lot of facial retouching fast but lord it’s so easy to go wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Stiles Posted March 23, 2020 Share Posted March 23, 2020 Davinci Resolve has an adjustment in the Primaries toolbar (below the LGG wheels) called Midtone Detail, or "MD". Reducing this value will achieve the desired effect, and it's easy to tune to taste versus using their creepy face mask tool. I believe I just isolate the face with a power window and don't even bother qualifying the skin... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Field Posted March 23, 2020 Author Share Posted March 23, 2020 1 hour ago, Chris Stiles said: Davinci Resolve has an adjustment in the Primaries toolbar (below the LGG wheels) called Midtone Detail, or "MD". Reducing this value will achieve the desired effect, and it's easy to tune to taste versus using their creepy face mask tool. I believe I just isolate the face with a power window and don't even bother qualifying the skin... This is everything I have ever wanted, thank you 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Stephen Sanchez Posted April 11, 2020 Premium Member Share Posted April 11, 2020 Don't forget translucent powder. I know it doesn't help if you're already in post. But a double or triple dose of translucent powder will broadly soften secular highlights and kicks off the skin. It's like fairy magic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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