Video Tutorials
Moody Portrait Retouching: Contrast Splitting and Color Lookup Tables the Smart Way
Client portraits are where I earn my keep, and “moody black and white” is one of those requests that sounds simple until you actually sit down and try to nail it. Crushing the blacks and calling it a day gives you a flat, muddy mess. Trying to hand-paint a vignette looks fake the second anyone zooms in. I’ve wasted real billable hours chasing that rich, atmospheric look that separates a compelling character study from a snapshot with a black-and-white filter slapped on top.