Cly72642 Loc: Georgetown SC

Is anyone using Portrait Pro for photo editing? As a primary wildlife and nature shooter, I have very little experience with portraits but am interested and motivated to expand my photography. I am fairly proficient in using photoshop and have used it to edit the few portraits that I have taken. Would the Studio version of PortraitPro be of benefit as a plug in to Photoshop CC ? I will buy it if it would help me with portrait processing. Thanks in advance for any advice.

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

I've purchased it when it was fairly new, and again about 3 years ago. Never been a huge fan. Even when dialed way down, it still gives the "plastic skin" look that's actually very out of style these days.

If you are comfortable with Photoshop, or maybe one of the other portrait software plug ins, you may want to stick with what you know, or try out a few demos before spending the money.

Only my opinion, some love it, but none of the people that I know that actually make a living with their camera, think very highly of it.

Cly72642 Loc: Georgetown SC

Thank you for this information.

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

You may want to check, Portrait Pro may offer free trials too. With any Photoshop plug in, I always want to try it before I buy it. I wasted a lot of money in the past on worthless plug ins.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

I have use Portrait-Pro and other retouching systems successfully. I have mentioned thhs many times before on various posts and threads. In the olden days when retouching was strictly a manual and artistic skill, the best retouchers knew what to retouch (on a person's face) and what not to retouch and most importantly WHEN to stop retouching.

If you use Portrait-Pro you will find that there are various levels of skin softening and many other aesthetics. The trick is to not let the program run away with itself and do not create portraits where the subject appears to have had some unsuccessful plastic surgery or worse, had been embalmed. I have seen so many portrait where the skintones are waxen or plastic, the eyes and teeth are overly whitended and older folks have been complete stripped of their character.

Fortunately, unlike the old fashoned negative retouching, a bad job can be undone and you can start over from scratch. Frankly, a good part of the fun, challenge and learning curve is experimentation and practice. If you can locate any literature on old and current retouching techniques, that might be helpful. The mechanics of theses programs are simple enough- it's the aesthetics that you will want to grasp and practice. The current issues may have built in tutorials.

Cly72642 Loc: Georgetown SC

I very much appreciate your advice. Thanks for taking the time to help me.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

I usee it strictly for proofs, not for finished work. I find that it is overly agrees I've in many ways and it fails to retain some of the imperfections that make a retouch look realistic. I may spend 90 mins or more on a face but the results are better. My primary tools/techniques are frequency separation and non-destructive dodge and burn, with a very light hand on sculpting with liquify.

You may want to lurk around on www.retouchpro.com - lots to learn there.

StevenG Loc: Long Island, NY

I have used portrait pro on and off for years. I am very pleased with the program. The sliders are simple and quick. As has been mentioned, it is easy to over do it and get a plastic look. And, it is easy if you are not careful to make the subjects look much to young. I always make sure to tone everything down. I try to make the subject look like they are having a really good day, and not much more. The default settings, I believe, use the face sculpt feature which, in my opinion, often make the subject look like someone else. So, I always begin by turning off that feature and using it selectively only if necessary. For example, to widen eyes.
Steve

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

I too, purchased it's early version. I really liked it once I figured it out. It does things a little different than the Lightroom/Photoshop program and is specifically for portraits. The early version was very easy to over process images making the subjects look fake or it took too much off of their "aging". As I've mentioned before, I took a portrait of a 70 year old woman and processed it in Portrait Pro. She didn't care for the original (over processed) version, but her husband loved it. It made her look in her late 30's or early 40's.
I redid the image and seriously cut back the processing.. she looked much more realistic and it did reduce the wrinkling . She loved the pic and her husband kept the first. My point is that the proggram works very well... sometimes too well, but you have to constrain your self and use moderation in your adjustments.
The newest version looks better but I haven't bought it yet. And I use Lightroom and Photoshop almost exclusively. But I do use Portrait Pro for some portraits... especially the ones that need alot of work.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I asked the same question here a few weeks ago because I had to do head shots for a group of local actors. I decided to spend the money and buy the program. I'm glad I did. Unlike the earlier versions, the current version is fast and easy. I accepted the default changes and brightened the teeth and eyes. When I brought the pictures to the theater, the actors went wild. They thought I was a pro and wanted to come to my studio for more shots. Most of them wanted copies of their own, so I went home and printed more.

The program makes subtle changes, like narrowing the jawline and eliminating some wrinkles. The final result looks like them - only better. Few people are going to complain that they don't look wrinkled enough.

A word of advice. Have them printed at Walgreens, Costco, or some other local printer. I went through a lot of ink, paper, and time printed several dozen photos.

If you want to have some fun with the program, you'll be amazed at how bad you can make people look.

DebAnn Loc: Toronto

My photography is mostly focused on portraits. I like Portrait Pro very much. You just have to learn how to keep the results looking natural. My photos never have a plastic look because I make sure I never overdo it.

Festus Loc: North Dakota

Have used Portrait Pro Studio for years. However, I have not used it frequently enough to become proficient with the software. Like any software there is a learning curve.

Bulldog1jack Loc: CT

It is half price right now. They also have a free trial offer.

http://www.portraitprofessional.com/#

William Stewart

I've used Photoshop for 20 years.. started subscription as soon as it was available.. I do portraits.. I find Portrait Pro Studio 17 very useful.. I've used it for many years too.. it is very versatile.. I use as a plug in so Photoshop is still my main tool.. I also use Portraiture 3.. for a quick fix.. very nice too.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

I am currently "playing" with it via their 30 day free trial. It does have some nice features. I doubt I will purchase it.
Mark