Hi guys,
Thanks a lot for this forum: I've stopped to blur:)
So, here's my try (and try maybe=failure) to retouch the skin only with dodge and burn:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh251/Marshallsea/port4_ira.jpg
Does it look overdone? I guess I'm still a little bit confused about that "golden middle"..
Thank you in advance

Wow, for the most part I think it looks great! My preference is for a little more depth in the shadows (darken them a tad) but that's just my taste. I love that you have a tad bit of texture in her skin, I can't stand when skin looks flawless like porcelain...too fake imo.

Hi guys,
Thanks a lot for this forum: I've stopped to blur:)
So, here's my try (and try maybe=failure) to retouch the skin only with dodge and burn:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh251/Marshallsea/port4_ira.jpg
Does it look overdone? I guess I'm still a little bit confused about that "golden middle"..
Thank you in advance

Very nice. Personally I'd darken a bit and bump up the contrast.

I've never gotten around to the D&B method. Would you care to share your psd file with layers? Could be interesting to take a look at!

Thank you, Cheshirpoet. I think you are totally right about shadows. I wanted it to look fresh and tender, but unfortunately it turned out to be a little bit flat as well.
(Burning is the most complicated part for me in this method).

Thank you, Peer K. Yes, I had to do something about dark tones here. Now it's obvious.
It's not a problem for me to share psd files though I'm too far from doing D&B in a proper way.
I can send you my latest work in progress (with the same model) if it helps. For this image I've already merged all the adjustment layers. ( Otherwise I'd continue to retouch it for weeks). So, if it's ok if I send you another file with all the layers in tact, let me know where to send it.

Personally I like it...keep up the good work. ;)

Thank you for encouraging, Ziaphra! :)

What you did is fine, but not quite complete. The example that I have listed was done to the image on the left (original), with your image on the right.
What I did was to take your completed image, select, copy to another layer, move the selected image above the original and made your completed image 60% (or more) in the normal blend mode and flattened. I did this in a few minutes so it may not be perfect.

Thank you, LQQKER. I guess it works in this case. Your version has some more depth than mine.

yes, very nice effect
please share more details of your technique.
also maybe a screenshot of your layers would be useful
karin