portrait retouching

[mr.magic]

Hi everybody,

It's been some time since I first came to this forum but today I decide to post a retouched photo and get some critique.

I retouch photos as a hobby and I consider myself kind of intermediate user of Photoshop.

Anyway here is my picture and the steps I took to reach this result.

- heal small blemishes and imperfections
- soften the wrinkles
- rebuild some skin texture
- enhance the lips and eyes
- adding some highlights and shadows

I didn't use any blur, just healing and cloning.

I'd like to know what you think of the end image and what should I do to improve my work. (what do you find is less good in the "after" image)

Thanks Guys.

By the way, GREAT FORUM, I LOVE IT !

[MisterJP]

I think it's very good, mostly because it is not overdone!

Things I like:
• skin is smooth, but not fake
• you left just enough of the wrinkles under the eyes to give them shape, as many people remove them completely and this just looks wrong to me

Things I think could have been done:
• whiten eyes and teeth slight, as they appear to be a bit yellow
• maybe soften the eye makeup slightly, as it jumps out a bit too much for me and draws attention away from her eyes

Overall very good though, so keep working with it!!!

jp

[Mchilly]

Yeah its good still look natural, the color of the eyes looks great in the second pic. It's easy to retouch the photo coz it looks good already :-)

[Cassidy]

Love it, not overdone, however I'd personally soften those bumps just below the eyebrow as they are somewhat distracting

[mr.magic]

Thank you all for your reply.

I was aiming for what you might call "reality retouching".

As you mention it, (jp and cassidy), in deed the makeup jumps out a bit too much, I over looked that.

Thanks for your feedback too Mchilly.

[Kraellin]

overall, excellent.

just one criticism here. when you reduce lines, be careful. the line under her left cheek (our right) looks flattened unrealistically. the cheek looks pinched down, flattened down. even the lower cheek looks a bit off, almost like someone was pressing it inwards a bit at the bottom near the cheek line.

the other side looks fine.

but again, very nice, overall!