[Yae Miko Cosplay] Genshin Impact Fox Deity Photoshoot Editing in Progress

From the moment the raw photos were exported, I knew this Yae Miko cosplay photoshoot couldn't be done half-heartedly. Before, because I had too many miscellaneous things on hand, plus the typical procrastination attribute of a 'P' person (Perceiving type), the photos had just been sleeping in the memory card. Lately, people on social media have been asking when the final photos would be out, so since I finally have some free time, I quickly put this on the agenda. As everyone can see, I am currently doing the fine retouching work, and this version is already how it looks after the initial color grading.

The overall planning for this shoot took a lot of thought. Yae Miko's character setting inherently blends a Japanese style with a playful charm, so from preparing the costume to building the props, I tried to recreate that sense of refinement from the world of Genshin Impact. The red-and-white contrasting Japanese-style outer coat in my hands uses a fabric with a subtle jacquard pattern, especially the flowing sheer fabric at the cuffs, which presents a highly layered photo texture under the lighting and slight airflow. To ensure the outfit was neat, I specially ironed it before the shoot; although it's a very tedious process, these details absolutely cannot be skipped for a perfect shot.

The wig and beast ears were also the highlights of this look. That pair of pink fox ears not only needed to display a fluffy texture but also had to blend naturally with the silhouette of the hairstyle. I used multi-layered wig pieces to create volume, paired with dedicated setting spray, so that the hair strands could maintain their shape in both static and dynamic states without looking stiff. The golden leaf ornaments on top of my head and the sapphire earrings on the sides were custom metal pieces for which I personally sourced materials; they reflect a very beautiful sheen under the warm-toned studio lights, adding a lot of nobility to the overall frame.

For the location and framing, we chose a screen with a rich Japanese ukiyo-e style as the background, paired with a traditional tatami floor, creating an atmosphere of spending an afternoon at the shrine in Inazuma. The character's movements and expressions also referenced her composed, slightly mischievous setting. The metallic cup I am holding in my hand is actually a very important interactive prop; it played a huge role in adjusting the composition and visual focus, preventing the storytelling of the entire photo from feeling too empty.

Honestly, the workload of retouching a cosplay photoshoot is not any lighter than the shoot itself. Right now, I am finely adjusting them photo by photo. Besides conventional skin smoothing and overall brightness/contrast tweaks, I have to separately handle the imperfections and edges on the costume. For instance, the intricate metal decorations on the chest need enhanced dimensionality; the boundary between the red and white colors needs recoloring based on the ambient light to make the color transition more natural; and the eye glint needs to be extracted separately to be brightened, ensuring focused eyes that convey the character's unique charm. Although these post-production tasks are tedious, they are precisely the key to transforming an ordinary photo set into a high-quality finished product.

Currently, the first round of basic color grading is mostly complete, and I am still fine-tuning the saturation of the red and white tones as well as the shadow details of the costume. Editing is just like this; every time I zoom in, I feel there's always something that can be optimized. To not keep everyone waiting too long, I will speed up the progress lately and sort out the finely retouched final photos as soon as possible. After all, being able to record a beloved character through the lens using one's own understanding is inherently a very meaningful thing.