What is the best work flow when you are retouching a photo?

If you need to do the following for this photo:

1. Sharpening.
2. Fixing the overall color and tonal of the photo.
3. Retouching face & body.
4. Fixing shine in the face.
5. reducing noise.

In what order would you do it?

1 Reduce Noise
2 Retouch
3 Fix color, ton, and shine
4 Sharpen

1. Reduce Noise: Cleaning up noise is best to do up front so you do not amply it when making color and tonal corrections. It will be much tougher to get rid of it after many adjustments especially shapening. Reduction of color noise makes sampling color and lightness more accurate as well.

2/3. Retouching (including shiny face)

3/2. Color and Tone correction

Usually it is better to retouch first. However, sometimes if the image color or tone is way out of range it may make more sense to bring it into range with tonal or color corrections and then retouch. There is a difference between repairing a scratch versus eliminating some wrinkles. Sometime, detail needs to be pulled out of shadows before you can work on the color.

4. Sharpen always at the end of the work flow, otherwise you will amplify any halos and other negative side effects.

Regards, Murray

I corrected for lens distortion first.

I corrected color using color samplers on the man's shirt (white spot) & Pants (dark grey).

I cloned out the flash reflection on the left background

I removed the man's red eye.

I sharpened the photo some.

Hi there

As a personal preference I would not apply noise until I was sure where and how much was needed.

In fact I would address the luminance or white point in ACR to begin.

If I thought it appropriate after the exposure and thought global changes were needed I may adjust tint, temperature, fill light

I would think then about clarity or saturation adjustments.

Then in ACR I would smooth noise if needed.

Then on to the editor.

Now a final adjustment of tone and color… overall and specifically.

Fix the red eye.

Next I remove any unwanted objects like the time stamp.

Now I would apply the final noise reduction

Sharpen for the web or for printing as needed.

Butch

Just goes to show, that there isn't a single answer. :grin:

How would you fix the halo above the shoulder and above the head?

You can see the photo better here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/kdorner77/Retouch02/photo#5119491907370824978

The Clone Tool with a small brush set at 50% hardness will take care of the shadow in question quickly and easily.
Regards, Murray