Now and then, some people tell me that they had no idea retouching existed before Photoshop. It comes as a big surprise to them when they learn about the history of it. I don't blame them, we're so used to Photoshop these days that it's hard to imagine what it would be like long before it, especially in the 1940's.
Gene Gable over at CreativePro found a really great book called Shortcuts to Photo Retouching For Commercial Use.
It emphasizes the painstaking detail that went into manipulating photos before computers and Photoshop. It served as an educational guide about the world of retouching.
Need to zoom into a photo? Be sure to bust out the magnifying glass and a bottle of patience along with that steady hand of yours. No sorry, there's no history states or layers. You can also forget about that wonderful healing brush! Here's a paint brush instead.
Check out some of the images from the book below. Don't forget to read Gene's full post that has a lot more images along with a great description of the book here:
http://www.creativepro.com/content/scanning-around-gene-old-way-photo-retouching
[Via PXSpace via Creative Pro]
Neat stuff! Pratik, you might enjoy Mark Vieira's book on George Hurrell. It has some BTS info on Hurrell's retouching for Hollywood glamour.
I once had a coworker refuse to believe that spreadsheets have been around for centuries.
I spent the better part of the 80's doing this.