Photoshop career advice.

Danny_Two

Danny_Two

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Firstly apologies, I know this type of thread doesn't really belong here, but Im desperate for some information, and I know this forum is frequented by some pro's.

Im basically looking for information on working in the profesional imaging and retouching industry, and would love to hear from anyone who knows what sort of skills, experience or qualifications are required, or that could point me in the right direction with regards to companies or good courses that would be worth contacting or attending.

I Currently work in reprographics, and Im fairly up on my Photoshop and other imaging and publishing software.

Any information gratefully recieved, Thanks.
 
Danny, why don't you get a portfolio of your best retouching/photoshop work together (and a client list if you have one) and get signed up with some specialist creative sector agencies? IMHO a decent portfolio will get you further that any qualifications.
 
Quality of your work and experience are king.

There's little in the form of qualifications, and most of the people I know of don't have any, they just spent a lot of time developing their techniques.

There's more money in being freelance, but it's harder to gain experience that way.

You've got a wide gamut of retouching arenas too, from beauty and fashion retouching (Amy Dresser, Carrie Beene, Chris Tarantino) to compositing and montage work (Steve Caplin), so it depends where you want to focus, each has their own skill sets although there is some crossover people tend to specialise. There's also jewellery (Steve Koshlap) and product retouching which is another specialist area (Carrie Beene does a bit of product retouching too though)

It's a digitally connected world, and everything can be moved around the world quickly, so you'll be competing with international retouchers based in much cheaper places to live across the globe. I know of a couple of extremely good retouchers (one based in Argentina, the other in Ukraine) who charge the equivalent of £10/Hour yet turn out fantastic work.

To find out more specifically about retouching, it's worth checking out RetouchPro as they're dedicated to photo retouching.
 
JasonRS said:
Quality of your work and experience are king.

There's little in the form of qualifications, and most of the people I know of don't have any, they just spent a lot of time developing their techniques.

There's more money in being freelance, but it's harder to gain experience that way.

You've got a wide gamut of retouching arenas too, from beauty and fashion retouching (Amy Dresser, Carrie Beene, Chris Tarantino) to compositing and montage work (Steve Caplin), so it depends where you want to focus, each has their own skill sets although there is some crossover people tend to specialise. There's also jewellery (Steve Koshlap) and product retouching which is another specialist area (Carrie Beene does a bit of product retouching too though)

It's a digitally connected world, and everything can be moved around the world quickly, so you'll be competing with international retouchers based in much cheaper places to live across the globe. I know of a couple of extremely good retouchers (one based in Argentina, the other in Ukraine) who charge the equivalent of £10/Hour yet turn out fantastic work.

To find out more specifically about retouching, it's worth checking out RetouchPro as they're dedicated to photo retouching.
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Thanks, very helpful.
 
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