"Airbrushing videos"...

[chokiboki]

I was wondering if its possible to photoshop videos like you can do with photos. I know you can do things (like effects) with videos in Photoshop and similar programs but i was wondering if its possible to do those detailed "retouches" on videos as well. I feel this is a silly question since even if its possible it would be pointless to go through all the images that make even the shortest clip and edit them (let alone "retouch" main actress's face in a 2 hour movie), but once i read how some video was "airbrushed" so i was wondering what does it mean...

[kkolbo]

What you are referring to is called rotoscoping and yes it is done in almost all major films. For years it was done one frame at a time. You can do it that way by having your editor output a still image sequence and then doing it in Photoshop. That takes time, but it is the traditional way.

There are a number of programs that allow you to paint on the video and then have it track the shot with the motion. Maya is really the king of doing that kind of job. There is also Combustion, After Effects and Boris Red. Each of these has its place. Rotoscoping in video is now really video painting. You might look at Aura DV. It is from NewTek and free.

[chokiboki]

I see, i just learned some things about rotoscoping.

Is there anything that is not edited/retouched any more? Do they "rotoscope" MTV videos and so? Live concert DVDs? TV shows and performances like Jay Leno? Since when? 80's? 90's? 00's?

Are there any photos whatsoever that are not retouched like pics from fashion mag covers?

Also, if i may ask, do you see this trend as good, bad or neutral?

Thanks.

[MJS]

A lot of folks who can't afford the above below mentiioned plugins and programs are making sure that any make up etc is taken care of before the shoot to help keep the costgs. Hind sight is 20/20 as mentioned earlier, but good pre-production can save you alot of time and money in the editing room.

[chokiboki]

Hind sight is 20/20 as mentioned earlier

What do you mean by that?

[MJS]

Nothing in this post just that if you see a problem before the shoot, try and fix it before its too late or expensive to fix in post.

[chokiboki]

Ah, i see. Do shows like 20/20 do rotoscoping in post?