M. Seth Jones

M. Seth Jones

I am a retoucher.

And an educator.

And a writer.

As well as a long haired, bearded misfit.

When you're done here, you should come say hi on Twitter, or maybe just email me for any further enquiries.

You can scroll the page using and keys Hover over images for complete credit list

Testimonial – Page 3

October 30, 2011

“I’ll be honest: the week before I started my lessons with Seth, I bought a DVD set (expensive) from a well-known retouching teacher. I had also read EVERY book on Amazon on portrait retouching, and was beginning to wonder whether I’d be throwing my money away having yet more lessons and was considering cancelling. It turned out that I knew NOTHING about the secrets of high-end retouching: Seth didn’t hold back and within minutes I was saying to myself “ahhh…. so THAT’s how they do it!” I am sure he has more to teach and am looking forward to some more lessons when I can next treat myself. I think it’s obvious that I highly recommend him, but at the same time I want to keep him my little secret!”

Sarah Ferrara.

“M. Seth Jones’ retouching courses were a great benefit to our studio. The one-on-one Skype sessions made learning easy and interactive. Unlike educational DVD’s that sometimes leave you with more questions, these sessions allow you to concentrate on your specific areas of need. M. Seth Jones was very easy to work with and genuinely cares about the success of those he teaches. I would recommend his retouching courses to anyone.”

Erin Melenbacker.

Testimonial – Page 1

October 30, 2011

“I’ve watched plenty of retouching videos, seminars, reputable online workshops, but nothing compares to the learning and opportunities within this course. Being able to work on and learn from your own images and get feedback live, via Skype, I was able to take all of the teachings within the course and develop and cater them to my own workflow and developed a process and style that works for my aesthetic. The course enables you to become proactive and think for yourself and your own work and is not just a “click this, when it’s this” but teaches you to think creatively and make proper decisions based on your tastes.”

Christopher Hench.

“M. Seth Jones breaks down a high-end retouching technique in such a way that it’s easy to learn and is understood completely so that it can be recreated and customized to the user’s need. I initially took the course for a client for whom I had completed two photo shoots. The quality of the photos after applying the techniques taught by M. Seth Jones was raised to another level, and the client was ecstatic with the results. I’m continually surprised with the versatility of the techniques that I now apply not only to fashion and beauty images but also to architectural, still life, and landscape photography.”

Bryce Licht.

Tuition – Page 1

October 30, 2011

Want to become
a better retoucher?

Tuition – Page 2

October 30, 2011

Have you ever wanted to know the secrets of a professional retoucher? To access their accumulated Photoshop knowledge? Ask them how it’s done and learn how to apply their techniques to your own work?

Well now you can.

I am now available for one-on-one retouching tuition, to anyone, anywhere in the world, delivered directly to your desktop through Skype screen sharing. Forget the obstacles and inherent problems of other ‘workshop’ style courses; this is personalised retouching tuition, with no lengthy travel, no ‘small classes’; in fact, no other students to contend with at all. Just direct, one-on-one tuition with a professional retoucher.

This is an opportunity to watch how I work, from start to finish, explaining every single step along the way in concise, easy to understand language. You’ll gain invaluable insights into advanced retouching techniques and workflow, and an understanding of the details professional retouchers look for in every image, in order to turn around high-end retouches day in and day out.

Testimonial – Page 2

October 30, 2011

“Getting an insider’s view into the world of high end retouching with M. Seth Jones was an invaluable opportunity! Unlike some courses where I’d been shown the just an introduction to the experts workflow, Seth is really open to sharing his vast knowledge and uses real world scenarios to make the learning relevant to what you will encounter in your retouching on a day to day basis. Seth was also very patient and took the time to answer my questions with indepth responses and was genuinely interested to see that I understood the content of the course to a level where I could go away and confidently put to use what I had learnt during our sessions. The skype sharing platform meant I was in the comfort of my own environment, yet able to share the workspace of an industry professional. I know I sound like all this is too good to be true, but I’ve undertaken many workshops previously, and genuinely found this to be the most informative, hands on and valuable to my ongoing learning. Thanks Seth!”

Kelly Defina.

Tuition – Page 3

October 30, 2011

How are lessons
delivered?

Tuition – Page 4

October 30, 2011

All you’ll need to receive these lessons is a Skype account, and a decent (read: broadband, at least) internet connection, and Photoshop (CS3 at a minimum). Through screen sharing, you’ll be able to watch me work on real-world examples, as I clearly explain my techniques and in turn, assist you as you practise and refine them.

Have you found online tutorials just don’t cut it when you want to know more? They’re great for introducing you to techniques, but they can’t teach you how to use that technique beyond the examples they’re showing on screen. Watching a video online is no match for having a tutor sitting right there with you, a tutor who is able to answer any questions you’ll no doubt have, in order to help you get more out of Photoshop and advance your retouching skills to the highest level.

Testimonial – Page 4

October 30, 2011

“Since taking the full retouching course with Seth online I have been able to retouch my own work to high-end quality. Seth taught me effective skills and covered all areas I asked him to focus on for me – the course can be tailored to your needs. And working with Seth one on one over Skype was really great, I could ask specific questions or ask him to repeat something while watching his screen demonstrating the example. I never felt any of my questions were ‘silly or stupid’; Seth was always so kind, a friendly and professional tutor. Highly recommend this course for passionate portrait, beauty, commercial or fashion photographers – amazing results guaranteed!”

Caroline Mia.

“The Advanced Retouching Course of Seth is refreshing and mind-opening for every Photoshop user. Through his easy-to-follow way of explaining his workflow, even professionals can get new ways of thinking how to process an image the best way for each individual purpose. I can highly recommend his one-on-one tuition via Skype-screensharing, a very convenient and timesaving workshop.”

Jan Wischermann.

Tuition – Page 5

October 30, 2011

What do lessons
consist of?

Tuition – Page 6

October 30, 2011

I sat down and created two courses, tailored specifically to the everyday needs of digital photographers and retouchers: Advanced High-End Retouching, and Photoshop for Digital Photographers. I have been running these sessions for over a year now, and am constantly revising them based on student feedback. Both of the courses are based on my own personal retouching workflow. This is real-world retouching tuition; as in all of my commercial work, the focus of these two courses is on teaching you a perfect balance between quality and efficiency. No amount of technical skill is going to help you if you can’t deliver work on time.

Tuition – Page 7

October 30, 2011

Advanced
High-End
Retouching

Tuition – Page 8

October 30, 2011

This course covers all the techniques required to achieve flawless, luminous skin, as well as giving you total control over every single pixel of your files. Dealing primarily with beauty and portrait retouching, you will achieve the highest level of mastery of the finest details in your photos, as well as both the colour and luminosity balance, resulting in an exceptionally finished final image.

Topics covered:

Get more from your masks
Advanced adjustment layers
Refining your brushes palette
Controlling light Pt.1: Surface light
Deconstructing imagery
Frequency Separation
High-end healing and cloning
Controlling light Pt. 2: Beyond the surface
Advanced sharpening techniques
High-end hair: re-sculpt, re-shape and refine
Taming fabrics
The core principles of transparent digital makeup

Total course length: 8 hours*

Course cost: $695 AUD.

Tuition – Page 9

October 30, 2011

Photoshop
for
Digital Photographers

Tuition – Page 10

October 30, 2011

Ideal for anyone with an interest in photography looking to get more out of Photoshop, this course is perfect for all skill levels: from beginner to hobbyist to aspiring professional, I’ll cover everything you’ll need to know to go from raw file to final print, and elevate your digital photography to professional levels.

Topics covered:

File preparation and output
Colour management essentials
Mastering Camera raw
Utilising the power of Smart Objects
Advanced HDR
Advanced adjustment layers
Black & White
Get more from your masks
Fixing everyday problems
Colour correction secrets
Advanced sharpening

Total course length: 8 hours*

Course cost: $695 AUD.

Tuition – Page 11

October 30, 2011

When are courses run?

Tuition – Page 12

October 30, 2011

Any time you like!

That’s the beauty of this system; I can offer them to almost anyone, anywhere in the world, with relative ease. You have the flexibility to schedule class times that suit you. I’m happy to run a single eight hour session if you’d like to get them done in one sitting, or we can split them up into two four hour sessions, or four two hour sessions. If you’re really busy and trying to fit this in amongst the chaos of your already packed day-to-day life, we can do eight one hour sessions, one day a week. Whatever works best for you, I’m happy to do the best I can to accommodate it.

Just let me know what your scheduling requirements are when you book, and I’ll come up with a personalised session schedule just for you.

Tuition – Page 13

October 30, 2011

Interested? Here’s how you can enrol

Tuition – Page 14

October 29, 2011

The easiest way to start learning is to just send me an email first, letting me know which course you’re interested in and whereabouts in the world you live (it helps with working out our time-zone differences). From there I’ll suggest we arrange a Skype/phone call, so we can say hi and you can see I’m a real person and ask me as many questions as you like about the course. I’ll use the opportunity, in turn, to find out more about your experience level with Photoshop, and what you’re hoping to gain out of the course. While I have an outline for both courses, I also like to tailor the content to each individual participant’s needs, so this is really important for me. It also helps to ensure I’m not just reading a script to you, but actually doing my best to teach you skills that will continue to evolve long after we’ve finished working together.

From there, if you like what you hear and want to book in, we can come up with a timetable for your classes, and go over all payment details as well. Payment for the courses can be arranged by Credit Card through Paypal, even if you don’t have a Paypal account.

If all that sounds good to you, and you’re interested in talking some more, then please, feel free to get in touch.