Well it s been awhile since I posted (been lurking) here but I was wondering if anyone has had to do any major parking lot retouching? Exciting I know.

I have been assisting a photographer and he has some architectural shots he recently took that the client wants the repairs done to the parking lots taken out. Such as the tar they fill the cracks in with, even out the newer asphalt with the older remove oil stains an such.

I have done some testing and have found that a mixture of healing and some vanishing point trickery seems to work well. But I am looking for maybe a quicker solution.

Has anyone done this in the past and found a method that works well?

Thanks

I've always done it the old-fashioned way... a bit of cloning as I move through the image at 100% or 200%, though someone must have a quicker way.

nothing quick about good retouching - patience young grasshopper

I don't think there is a quick solution to your problem, and it sounds like you have a good handle on it already.

If they think you're taking too long hand them the mouse and tell them to have at it. Like shapps said, quality work takes time.

Now is a good time remind people of the creative triangle - good, fast, or cheap - pick any two. There are people who can whiz through a problem like this but they're rare and expensive.

Thanks. Fortunately nobody is complainingly about how long it takes. I was just looking for alternatives because its nice weather and I can stop looking out the window.

I thought maybe it would be better/quicker if I just went and took a shot of a good parking. Than used a portion as a pattern and than use the vanishing point trickery to place it in.

Its fun to do so I don't mind I thought I would see if anyone had a different technique.

Thanks for the input. Much appreciated.

''Its fun to do so I don't...''

Just wait till they want you to "cut the grass".

Just work in layers and check your work full-screen regularly. I once retouched a parking lot on an architectural shot at 100%. When I was finished, it looked so perfect I had go back to the original file and clone in some blemishes to make it look real.....

I would use the patch tool as much as possible on a job like that, and of course Vanishing Point if there are any seams in the pavement.

Scotti

quote:

Just wait till they want you to "cut the grass"

Ha ha, I had a client want something similar. The home just had a sloppy sod job where you could see the rows - it looked like a bad Photoshop job in person! There was also part of a pool that the client didn't want in the shot, but my only clone source was the rows of sod.

My only option was to clone the rows over the pool, use the transform tool to fix perspective (this was before vanishing point), then did my best to reduce the row effect with a combination of healing brush, blur, spot cloning, etc. to break up the pattern enough to look real and reasonably good.

Cutting in a different lawn wouldn't work because the interior lighting was cast on the grass. Which, of course, made the retouch job even more difficult...

That was also the first time I seriously looked into outsourcing some of my retouching work because it was frustrating as hell.

Another tip for johnek: close the curtains on that window that distracts you, you'll get the job done faster! My studio has no windows and I'm far more productive there than when I'm working from home.

Ever use the grass brush in the brushes palatte. Pretty wild! I've used it for people who were supposed to be standing in grass to partially cover their shoes.

Scotti

Thanks for all the advice. The closing of the curtains seems to have worked.

I would have to agree with Scotti. The patch tool would be best for most of this.
Or you could try creating a pattern from the concrete that doesnt have cracks in it, and patching with that. (Sort of the same as the clone tool, but it allows the edges to be meshed with the existing image.

I actually did that recently in this image....

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=32266428&id=18200164

If I had a bunch to do I'd go out shoot some good parking lots and use those samples to fill in your bad parking lots.

Johnek,

Go to this site www.digitalphotographicdesign.com and click on the Before/After, then click the upper left building.

Your request reminded me of my friend Tom's retouching skills.