StretchLifeVisuals
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07/13 Retouch & Chill Retouch, Rants & Real Game: A Full Breakdown from the Club to the Clone Stamp 😂✍🏾
🕑 Added 2025-07-14 02:45:41 +0000 UTCWhat’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).
