[Focalors Cosplay] The Blues of the Bird in a Cage, Genshin Impact Furina's Sheng Yin Fan Works

I've finally retouched a few photos from this set of Focalors Sheng Yin fan works, so I'll start by posting the ones I edited myself. In terms of color grading, I'm definitely still exploring. This time, I used a high-exposure technique leaning towards cool white, hoping to create an ethereal transparency as if floating in the air. However, the highlights might not have been toned down enough, making the overall atmosphere look a bit overexposed. If any passing masters have color grading suggestions, I'd really love to hear them.

The skirt is from UWOWO. When I first got it, I was stunned by this blue-and-white gradient fabric. The sense of layering brought by the reflections at different angles is exceptionally delicate. The gemstone at the neckline has a great texture, and the gold thread embroidery on the shoulders gives off subtle reflections under the soft light. The leg straps and golden vine accessories are my favorite designs this time. It took a lot of effort to adjust the tightness when tying them—they need to fit well without leaving marks. After standing in high heels for most of the day, my ankles were truly incredibly sore.

The scene design for this set of photos features a large white iron art birdcage, light blue flowers, and lightweight tulle. The photographer @岛田卢西奥 used a lot of softboxes for lighting, making the entire environment look as if it had been soaked in milk. The cage prop itself carries a strong narrative sense. When standing inside it, I would subconsciously make some small movements, such as looking up at the top of the cage or turning sideways to hold the bars, trying to express a subtle emotion of being protected yet unwilling to be trapped. During the shoot, I also attempted sitting poses and turning to look back sideways. I'm quite satisfied with the sitting pose in the picture because it naturally displays all the details of the leg straps and shoes, and the fluffiness of the skirt is just right.

Regarding post-processing, my idea this time was to unify the color temperature, leaning the white parts towards a very pale blue, and lowering the overall contrast to retain the soft glow halo of the tulle parts. However, I still haven't completely found the balance point between the skin tone and the clothing color; some areas are slightly too blue, causing the subject's face to look a bit cold. If I retouch it next time, I might separately brighten the facial curves and retain a bit of warm tone to neutralize the overall coolness.

Also, as a preview, the versions by photographers @404 and user user9527 are still being organized. The lighting angles they used are different from my set, so they should have richer light and shadow layers. When their final photos come out, it should offer a completely different visual experience. The shoot venue this time was an indoor real-scene studio. The lifelike bio-mimetic flowers on the ground were arranged very carefully—several clusters of blue and white daisies and hydrangeas, paired with the hanging gauze curtains, really felt like walking into a dream after a rain. However, only after finishing the shoot did I realize that the edge of the skirt had picked up quite a lot of fake petals and lint, which took me a long time to clean up back home.

Overall, whether in terms of clothing texture or scene atmosphere, I feel this set of works achieved about 70% of my expectations. The remaining 30% lies in the shortcomings of the post-processing. I will try different color balance schemes later; maybe converting it into a slightly purple-gray tone would fit a certain characteristic of this character better. The above is just some rambling about this shoot and retouching, and I hope to capture works that better fit my imagination in the future.