Just read the whole chapter for the 4th time about color management to really grasp his technique, but he is just talking about Color Management as a global thing. What do i do when different colors appear in skin texture? And good techniques on how to look for local color changes? every time I have retouched a picture I'm always bombed when finding a color difference in skin...so, what to do?

Do you know what the causes are of these local color changes? (e.g. blotchyness, bad makeup, mixed color temp. lighting?)

They're always a pain to get rid of whatever the cause. I get a lot of mixed lighting stuff - it's been lit by flash, but there's a big fluro casting a green light from above.

I tend to work on the mixed lighting stuff by carefully masking the different areas and color correcting them using Curves, Selective Color or Hue/Saturation adjustment layers.

There is a section later on in the Lee Varis book on using Hue/Saturation to lighten out red (or any colour) blotches in skin which works well in certain circumstances. It can make the skin look a bit flat and colorized if overused though.

Any example pics would be good to see.
Cheers,

Do local selections, not so tight, feathered pretty good so you don't see the transitions - pull a curve or whatever works. Brush off where it bleeds over where you don't want it and vise versa. Fine tune with a very low opacity brush on a color layer (be sure to turn off any global curves before sampling color).

Dave: Well, I'm just talking about pictures in general here...All the pictures I have retouched I feel there is different colours around the skin...so...Thanks for replying!

ANT: Thanks! So maybe what I read here is to use a curve adjustment layer and pull up to see the different colors within the same are forehead, cheeks etc?!

Know what I'd advice I would give with regard to Lee Varis

Know what I'd advice I would give with regard to Lee Varis

Didn't quite understand what your mean...

He'd probably tell Varis to shove his advice up his...

oh...hehe...so I have spent my money badly by buying the book? Maybe I'm gonna ask here before buying books :)

I don't know the book. I know that a lot of people who write books do a disservice however.

I don't know the book. I know that a lot of people who write books do a disservice however.

hell yea!! but i would reccomend the eisman masking book for the up-and-comer......but no one seems to care about intricate masking and proper compositing these days...just skin work.

not for the newbie, but if you have a gerneral knowledge and experience with D&b and all that....propper color correction and propper workflow....best bet is really investing in a bunch of hiend fashion mags and really studying them.

go into those ads and really study them, not just say wow looks great wish i could do that. you prob can if you take your time and forget about looking for the shortcut.

I've got the "Skin" book. Imho The most interesting sections in it are about camera calibration. rest is pretty basic stuff. It's a book for photographers, not for retouchers. And look at his photos, not very "hi end".

thanks, guys! Nice advice here! Will follow them :)

ROVIS: Yes I was looking at the pictures, thought the same thing...