Dark skin

littlebreezelittlebreeze Registered Users Posts: 20 Big grins
edited June 20, 2007 in People
I saw the great "Tips and hints" section referring to skin tone ( About skin tones and printing ) are they any tips on how to achieve great skin tones on black skin?
Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you. -Yoda

Comments

  • littlebreezelittlebreeze Registered Users Posts: 20 Big grins
    edited June 19, 2007
    No?
    Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you. -Yoda
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited June 19, 2007
    We'll get more responses soon, but I will say this: the numbers work basically the same, AFAIK. The balance of Cyan may be different, but there is still more yellow than magenta, no matter how dark the skin is.

    I will bring this thread to the attention of edgework, who's day job is retouching. He should know! :D
    Moderator Emeritus
    Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
  • littlebreezelittlebreeze Registered Users Posts: 20 Big grins
    edited June 19, 2007
    er "AFAIK"? remember I'm new to the digital stuff

    help me out?

    Thanks

    R
    Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you. -Yoda
  • helbnthelbnt Registered Users Posts: 2 Beginner grinner
    edited June 19, 2007
    er "AFAIK"? remember I'm new to the digital stuff

    help me out?

    Thanks

    R

    AFAIK = As Far As I Know

    :D

    /lurk mode back on
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited June 19, 2007
    er "AFAIK"? remember I'm new to the digital stuff

    help me out?

    Thanks

    R


    :D Sorry. Yep, that's "as far as I know."

    You'll also come across:

    BTDT: been there, done that (wxwax sez that often)

    PEBCAK: problem exists between chair and keyboard (Andy's)

    FTW: for the win!

    and, etc. :D
    Moderator Emeritus
    Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
  • littlebreezelittlebreeze Registered Users Posts: 20 Big grins
    edited June 19, 2007
    great, now i feel oldrolleyes1.gif

    cool
    Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you. -Yoda
  • edgeworkedgework Registered Users Posts: 257 Major grins
    edited June 19, 2007
    I saw the great "Tips and hints" section referring to skin tone ( About skin tones and printing ) are they any tips on how to achieve great skin tones on black skin?
    The problem with black skin is the variety and range of tones. There is equal variety in caucasian skin but the range is much narrower and the difference tends to be straightforward: magenta and yellow will be proportional throughout the range; the difference will be how far ahead of cyan they run. Pale skin will have cyan around 8-15% and Magenta and Yellow around 20-35%. Heavily tanned skin will have mag and yellow as much as 60-80% and Cyan up to around 30 or so. Black is seldom a factor.

    Black skin tones vary dramatically in value, and the degree of darkness depends both on the cyan levels and the black ink level.

    1.jpg
    In this image, cyan falls around 70% - 85% of the magenta value, which runs from about 45% to 75%. Yellow remains above that, but not much: higher numbers but about the same ratio as caucasian skin. Most of the darkness is from cyan values. Black reaches 20% in the shadows.

    2.jpg
    Here, Magenta and Yellow read as though they were caucasian tones: 39/45, 46/54, 51/60. But Cyan is reaching 70% - 90% of the magenta values throughout, and, of course, nowhere are the magenta/yellow values dropping below 35.

    3_bad.jpg3.jpg
    This was a really bad image, way too red and dark. Magenta/yellow seem like they could be correct: 67/75, 73/83. But cyan is consistently under 50% of magenta, so we see that the problem isn't too much red, it's too little cyan to counter it. But it's also flat, and after a luminosity curve to enhance contrast and a cyan boost I get values like 35/43/54, 49/55/70 with black rising to 30 or so in the darkest shadows.

    4.jpg
    And now, just to keep things complicated, check out these readings: 5/25/27, 9/30/32 with no black. Those could have come from a pale white face. However, in the darker areas these readings: 29/54/64, 38/57/72/16 pull the tonal range away from caucasian skin.

    But the variety is wide. Throughout, however, you find cyan at least above 50% of magenta, and sometimes near or even equal magenta. Magenta and yellow will retain the same relative ratio as one finds in caucasian skin, though darker—usually running from 30 - 75— but black plays a much more significant role and appears earlier, proportionally, in the value range. Usually, it is the presence of the black value that determines the difference in paler tones, such as the last image, or deeper tones, as in the first two.

    Hope that helps.
    There are two ways to slide through life: to believe everything or to doubt everything; both save us from thinking.
    —Korzybski
  • littlebreezelittlebreeze Registered Users Posts: 20 Big grins
    edited June 19, 2007
    thank you thank you thank youbowdown.gif
    Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you. -Yoda
  • saurorasaurora Registered Users Posts: 4,320 Major grins
    edited June 20, 2007
    Thanks Edgework! This belongs in a tutorial! mwink.gif
  • Scott_QuierScott_Quier Registered Users Posts: 6,524 Major grins
    edited June 20, 2007
    I agree - this belongs in a tute. And, the time couldn't be any better for me as I have an African-American wedding this weekend. With this information, the post is going to be much easier!

    Thanks ever so much!wings.gif
Sign In or Register to comment.