Today it’s my pleasure to interview Robert Frolich of Filtre Studio, a digital imaging company based in Chicago. Filtre’s client list reads like a Who’s Who of some of the world’s best known brands including AC Delco, Bayer, ExxonMobile, Kimberly-Clark, Sony, TAG Heuer and more. Frolich is the inspired force behind Filtre and also a dear friend of us here at Hile Design. We have admired his work for nearly two decades. Let’s meet the man behind the creative curtain to see what goes into running a cutting-edge photo imaging and retouching studio.

Hile Design: Hi, Robert. Can you tell us what Filtre Studio does for its clients?

Robert Frolich: Filtre Studio’s primary focus is high-end creative image retouching. We work with advertising agencies, design firms and photographers to artistically enhance images, or in some cases create them from scratch. Projects we work on range from simple color correction to complex multi-image composites, combining 10 or more images to create one extraordinary image.

Often, we work with a client to create a composition that would be impossible, or at least cost prohibitive, to create in camera. Or the task can be taking an ordinary photograph and increasing the drama through a carefully crafted color palette, creating an entirely new look and feel.

Sometimes, it’s about making an already beautiful photograph even more beautiful. We have had the pleasure of working with some very talented photographers. Recently, some of our retouched images for TYR Sport, shot by award-winning photographer Steve Bonini, have been featured in Lürzer’s Archive 200 Best Ad Photographers worldwide. Also, German Vanity Fair has featured some of our International Truck images, shot by Andy Goodwin.

HD: You came out of an ad agency background, before founding Filtre. Can you share a bit about your past positions and tell us how you ended up specializing in digital imaging?

RF: I come from a design and art direction background. I started out with a small agency in Ann Arbor, Michigan, working on General Motors assignments. I then moved on to a Raleigh, North Carolina, agency for 6 years before returning north to Chicago as a creative director for Bagby and Company. There I worked on Sony, International Truck and Miller Lite. I’ve always been with small to mid-size agencies, which gave me the opportunity to wear several hats. With the larger shops, everyone is more specialized—the creative director is often more of a manager, overseeing art director/writer teams who come up with the concepts that then get handed off to production. Being at smaller agencies gave me the opportunity to see a project through from start to finish. Especially in the early years, if I wanted to see one of my ideas produced, I would have to do the retouching myself. Often, the budget just wasn’t there to send it out to a studio. Creating an image from scratch, or making a photograph more beautiful than it was to begin with, is something I’ve always enjoyed doing. The post-production has always been the icing on the cake for me.

HD: If there is such a thing, what is a typical day like at Filtre Studio?

RF: Every day is different, but at Filtre the one common denominator is the morning routine. Coffee.  Lots of coffee. Then, on to the day’s business. I know many creatives like to use that early morning time to generate ideas. We generally prefer to use that time to answer emails, make phone calls, do invoicing, estimates, scheduling and any other administrative tasks that need to be done. Then we can focus on digging into an image. With the larger composite images, it’s good to block out several hours of uninterrupted time. Late morning through mid-afternoon is usually a good time to focus on that.

HD: We know that Adobe Photoshop is an indispensable tool for you, but are there other tools you use in your work as well?

RF: Yes, Photoshop is where we spend 90% of our time. Because it’s so important to what we do, it’s also the one program where we approach each new software release with fear and trepidation. While we eagerly anticipate all of the “revolutionary” new features, we also know there are going to be an equal number of new bugs to ferret out. At the end of the day, we mostly rely on a core set of tools that have been with Photoshop from the first release: curves, the selection tool, the paintbrush tool and the info palette. These are the foundation tools of any image work.

For camera raw processing, we have Capture One Pro and DxO Optics Pro. While we typically don’t do big corrections in raw, we’ll process the images differently based on what the original looks like, and where we’re going to take it. Photoshop, for example, has superior tools for enhancing detail in the shadows and recovering highlights. DxO Optics Pro has very advanced camera/lens specific optics corrections and noise reduction. For example, if a photographer gives us raw files shot on a Canon 1Ds Mark III with a 24-70mm lens, there is a module for that specific camera body/lens combination.

On the Windows PC side, we use Autodesk 3D Studio Max for 3D work. We also use Onyx RIP (raster image processor) software, which gives us very accurate continuous tone proofs from our Epson 4880 printer.

In addition, we have a 21MP Canon 5D Mark II that comes in handy for pickup shots and shooting textures for 3D work.

HD: You work with a lot of leading photographers who are hired by different agency art directors and creative directors. How do you all get on the same page to assure that after the photographer has his shoot, you have what you need to complete your assignment successfully?

RF: It just depends on how the job comes to us. If we estimate the job through the photographer we’ll usually have more input at the preproduction phase. Ideally, we can be at the shoot to consult, but due to budget and time constraints, that is often not the case. Usually we’ll have a prepro call between the agency, client and photographer to ensure a smooth process. If the image will be a composite of several elements combined with the background plate, the best photographers deliver a set of images that pay strict attention to perspective, and direction and quality of the lighting. As is often the case, talent will be shot separately from the background. If the lighting doesn’t match, it makes our job very difficult.  Even in this day of digital magic, it’s almost always better to capture everything you can in camera, then use post production to enhance the image.

HD: To date, do you have a favorite assignment, and why?

RF: My favorite assignments tend to be the ones that go beyond what you would consider traditional “retouching.” Where Filtre Studio really excels is developing a visual treatment for an image, or a series of images for an ad campaign. Filtre worked closely with internationally recognized British photographer Stuart Hall and McCann Erickson NY to enhance a series of Images for Mobil 1. A limited color palette and stylistic treatment was created to heighten the drama and speed of the images.

Currently we’re working on a project for Chicago design firm Zun Partners and the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust.  It’s a very interesting project for us. We’re working with curators at the Frank Lloyd Wright Robie House to ensure historical accuracy. From a combination of current photographs, and historical photographs taken in 1909, we’re creating a series of images that show the Robie House dining room during various stages of the restoration process, from where it was when FLW Preservation Trust acquired the house to where it will be, fully restored, a year from now.

Right now, they’re about midway through the restoration, so we had to “deconstruct” the room to show the bare, beginning stage. We digitally removed the custom rug, replacing it with a separately photographed oak floor. The wall finishes were removed along with a built-in buffet that had already been restored. Then, we recreated the stages in between, adding back in the wall finishes, rug, buffet and missing woodwork. Next, all of the furniture and light fixtures will be digitally added to show a fully restored dining room. As a side note, it’s a little weird when the client calls here. The caller ID truncates the name to “Wright, Frank”, so for a moment you wonder who’s going to be on the other end of the line. We hope that our finished work will live up to Mr. Wright’s legendary standards.

HD: Technology has advanced so rapidly in the digital industry. As you move forward, where do you see the technology going? Are there aspects of the business that you feel won’t change?

RF: No matter how fast the computer, it’s never fast enough. Each new software release places greater demands on the computer’s processor. Just about every file we work with is well over 1GB, with many as large as 4GB or more. Hopefully the hardware will get fast enough so it’s one step ahead of the software manufacturers.

I think the one thing that won’t change is that it always comes down to a matter of aesthetics. Either your images are going to resonate with art directors and clients, or they’re not. There’s nothing automatic about what we do—there’s no “Easy Button” that we push, and voila…amazing image! There are a lot of “technicians” out there that know how to use the software, but the artistic vision and the ability to deliver that vision is what really matters.

HD: Currently Filtre Studio is you. What are the positive and negative aspects of running a single-person firm, and do you see taking on additional staff in the future?

RF: Right now I typically have one or two talented freelancers working for us at any given time. When we’re busy, I’ll often get help with file preparation, cleanup, clipping paths—that sort of thing. Of course, the downside to having a staff is that you have to spend more time giving direction and managing. As our workload increases, however, I will have to consider bringing in additional artists so that we can continue to deliver an excellent product to our clients in a timely manner.

HD: Here’s a Barbara Walters–inspired question: If you could retouch yourself, what would you alter?

RF: Well Barbara, I think I would take about 4 inches off my waistline. Why go the gym when you can just fix it in post, right?

HD: Thanks, Robert. We wish you continued success and we look forward to seeing more great work coming out of Filtre Studio!

RF: Dave, thanks for the opportunity to share our story.

Visit Filtre Studio’s website to see more work.

Tags: Filtre Studio, photo imaging, photo retouching, Robert Frolich

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 26th, 2009 at 1:00 am and is filed under History, Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.