Blurring Scar on Model

[waffles]

I did a photoshoot with a model who has a fairly prominent scar. She wants me to do my best to reduce the appearance of her scar in the final print. If this was digital, I’d know exactly what to do. But I’ve never tried to alter the texture in an analogue print before.

What did people do before Photoshop? I’ve heard of “airbrushing a negative” before. But I don’t know how to do this. The model is fairly light-skinned and the film is 120 if that matters. Alternatively, is there something I can put in between the lens & the paper in the enlarger?

 

[pentaxuser]

It might be worth showing us the scar without revealing the model as its look, placement on body etc may help determine what can be done

pentaxuser

 

[madNbad]

Here’s a start. I’m sure the more experienced will chime in soon:


https://www.instructables.com/The-Vanishing-art-of-How-to-Spot-That-means-retouc/

 

[pentaxuser]

Here's a thought which assumes that the scar is darker than the surrounding flesh. By means of test strips taken of the surrounding flesh only, decide what the correct exposure is for the flesh at the same enlarger height as the print will be exposed, take a note of that exposure. Make a dodging mask of the right size and apply it the scar during the exposure. You will have a paper white mark which as yet you cannot see. Make a mask with a hole in the right place covering all of the sheet except for the area that is paper white and set the same time that the rest of the flesh was exposed for. Expose again. Then develop the print

Not easy but no elaborate equipment needed. Just a lot of patience and quite a lot of paper to get it right

If the scar is small and darker than the rest of the flesh you might try scraping away the darker bits and then re-spot the scraped area

Again not easy and the skill needed to do a good job may take a long time

How patient is she and you and what standard does she expect ?



pentaxuser

 

[Pieter12]

I did a photoshoot with a model who has a fairly prominent scar. She wants me to do my best to reduce the appearance of her scar in the final print. If this was digital, I’d know exactly what to do. But I’ve never tried to alter the texture in an analogue print before.

What did people do before Photoshop? I’ve heard of “airbrushing a negative” before. But I don’t know how to do this. The model is fairly light-skinned and the film is 120 if that matters. Alternatively, is there something I can put in between the lens & the paper in the enlarger?

Unless you are an expert retoucher and it is a large-format negative, airbrushing a negative is totally out of the question. And if you are a very good retoucher, you might retouch a print and then rephotograph it. Depending on the position and prominence of the scar, it might be minimized by dodging or burning or bleaching the print. Or you could scan either the negative or print and do the final retouching in photoshop and make an inkjet print.

 

[MattKing]

I would use opaque to delete the scar on the negative, leaving a white are on the print, and then try to spot out the white area on the print.
All of which requires a bit more skill than I have with tiny paintbrushes.

 

[pentaxuser]

Waffles, I cannot quite work out if you want to try analogue methods, come what may, and thus need very specific instructions or are you simply curious about what was involved pre-photoshop and only if it is relatively simple and with a high probability of good results will you want to try?

IMO it is not relatively simple nor are good results likely unless you want to work hard and long at it

Let us know

pentaxuser

 

[Pieter12]

Even in the heyday of analog retouching, very little airbrushing was done on a negative. Spotting and masking perhaps, but pretty much anything else was done on a print. Some chemical retouching could be done to a negative or chrome, but once again, the medium of choice was a print, sometimes rephotographed so multiples could be produced.

 

[Doremus Scudder]

I'm thinking black-and-white here:

Retouching larger negatives was typically done with soft graphite pencils. It was fairly common to remove wrinkles, etc., especially in portraits of older people. This kind of retouching is becoming (or already is) a lost art. It takes skill, practice and a vibrating retouching machine to do well.

I've had luck removing/reducing blemishes/scars that were red or pink compared to the rest of the skin by using a red filter when exposing the film. Maybe that will help in your case. Note that this will lighten lips and darken blue eyes a bit. Dark lipstick helps.

If the scar is dark, bleaching the print locally may be a solution. You may have to sacrifice a few prints to get one right, but at least the negative will always be there to make more from.

Color retouching ends up being painting with retouching colors, again, lots of skill and practice required.

And, if worse comes to worse, there's always Photoshop...

Doremus

 

[waffles]

I

It might be worth showing us the scar without revealing the model as its look, placement on body etc may help determine what can be done

pentaxusei

It might be worth showing us the scar without revealing the model as its look, placement on body etc may help determine what can be done

pentaxuser

It’s on her boob. Not sure if I’m allowed to post that here

 

[pentaxuser]

I



It’s on her boob. Not sure if I’m allowed to post that here

I am not sure either but I'd have thought you are OK given the legitimacy of your thread

If both she and you feel that the scar has to be on the negative and given what has been said, might it not be easier to have a good make-up artist to disguise it? That way it might produce the best results and be 100% analogue as well

pentaxuser

 

[Pieter12]

have a good make-up artist to disguise it

+1

Even if the scar cannot be completely canceled, it will make retouching easier. You have not mentioned if you are shooting larger format. Then there might be a better chance of minor retouching on the negative. But all in all, working with the print, either through dodging, burning, bleaching or physical retouching is going to give the best results. And as mentioned before, there is always photoshop. Is this a paying job for a client or just for you and maybe the model?

 

[MattKing]

It’s on her boob. Not sure if I’m allowed to post that here

Most of us are familiar with how boobs look, so I don't think you are going to get in much trouble with a cropped image that shows mostly a moderate area of skin around the scar. If there is nearby clothing as well, include some of that, to add to the context.

 

[guangong]

If she were so concerned about scar, why didn’t she apply makeup to cover it. Photoshop seems the easiest way to go. I bought some transparent inkjet paper that is meant for printing a digital negative by traditional means, but I’ve never tried it yet.
On the other hand, there is a theory in aesthetics that a blemish is more interesting than absolute perfection.

 

[Sirius Glass]

You could shoot a mask and touch up the mask and then print with both.
You could shoot a mask, then shoot a mask of the mask and use that with the original.
There are several other variations if you use a system to align the mask and the negative with a pin system.
I am just starting with this, but there are masking experts around here who can help you.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

Can't help you unless we can see the problem.

 

[gone]

I'd reshoot the model in more flattering light. Keep it soft, you'd be way ahead of the game in my opinion.

 

[flavio81]

I did a photoshoot with a model who has a fairly prominent scar. She wants me to do my best to reduce the appearance of her scar in the final print. If this was digital, I’d know exactly what to do. But I’ve never tried to alter the texture in an analogue print before.

What did people do before Photoshop? I’ve heard of “airbrushing a negative” before. But I don’t know how to do this. The model is fairly light-skinned and the film is 120 if that matters. Alternatively, is there something I can put in between the lens & the paper in the enlarger?

If this is black and white, you need to try the following:

- soft (diffuse lighting) can help a lot to reduce the scar, of course if lighting is oblique to the scar, it will enhance (increase) its appearance

- filters. Red filter is the most extreme and will give very white/milky flesh supressing many kinds of blemishes. But it's an extreme effect, so you should better try first with green, yellow and orange filter, in that order. Green filter also gives the appearance of healthy skin.

- As mentioned, you can retouch the negative (difficult unless the negative is big), or the print.

- You can use a soft lens or a diffusing screen on top of the lens like a silk pantyhose.

 

[Sirius Glass]

If this is black and white, you need to try the following:

- soft (diffuse lighting) can help a lot to reduce the scar, of course if lighting is oblique to the scar, it will enhance (increase) its appearance

- filters. Red filter is the most extreme and will give very white/milky flesh supressing many kinds of blemishes. But it's an extreme effect, so you should better try first with green, yellow and orange filter, in that order. Green filter also gives the appearance of healthy skin.

- As mentioned, you can retouch the negative (difficult unless the negative is big), or the print.

- You can use a soft lens or a diffusing screen on top of the lens like a silk pantyhose.

Green filters reduce or remove dark or red/reddish marks on the skin.

 

[Jim Jones]

With over 7 decades in photographing with both film and digital gear, I'd make as good a print as possible that will fit on a scanner, scan the print, and eliminate the scar with Photoshop or any of its competitors. A master retoucher could probably eliminate the scar on 120 film, but reshooting the model is a far more practical course. It also gives you a chance to improve the lighting and pose, based on the earlier shoot.

 

[Donald Qualls]

reshooting the model is a far more practical course. It also gives you a chance to improve the lighting and pose, based on the earlier shoot.

Best idea I've seen.

 

[Paul Howell]

When freelancing I did shoot folks with scars and other birthmarks, best option to reshoot with makeup to cover the scar, adjust the lighting, figure out how pose to minimize the scar so it does become the focus of the pose. Second best is to scan the print and fix in PS, next to last is learning to retouch, it is an art in and of itself. Last, shoot digital and be done with it.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Also position the model to minimize the scar in the photograph.

 

[MattKing]

I'm trying to think of a respectful and sensitive way the OP can ask the model if he can reshoot her (the model's) boob.
Assuming of course that waffles is a "he".

 

[Donald Qualls]

I'm trying to think of a respectful and sensitive way the OP can ask the model if he can reshoot her (the model's) boob.

"I'd like to do a reshoot to see if we can do a better job of minimizing the visibility of your scar."