Carnival Costume Detail Pass

Retouching

A heavily beaded costume frame where the jewel detail is lifted and the backdrop deepened without crushing the shadows.

Costume
Detail
Backdrop

Service: Standard Retouching

The same costume with mid-tone detail lifted throughout and the backdrop deepened — Drag anywhere on the image, or focus the handle and use the arrow keys, to compare before and after.

Heavily beaded carnival costume on a grey backdrop with shadow detail lost in the beadwork — Drag anywhere on the image, or focus the handle and use the arrow keys, to compare before and after.

Project overview

Thousands of small reflective elements. Global sharpening turns them into noise, and global contrast loses the ones in shadow — which is most of them.

Transformation details

Detail was lifted with local contrast on the mid tones only, so the beadwork gains definition without the shadows closing up.
The backdrop was deepened and vignetted so the costume's specular highlights read as the brightest thing in the frame.
The feather headpiece was cleaned at its outline where it crossed the background.
Skin was evened, kept lighter in strength than the costume work so the two do not compete.