New to beauty retouching... How's my first go??

[Mike Kalcevic]

Before:

http://MEKPhotography.smugmug.com/ph...6_TaeAk-XL.jpg


After:

http://MEKPhotography.smugmug.com/ph...6_JVmda-XL.jpg



Thanks in advance

[Cryspatus]

I am new to this but here is what I noticed. You did a good job at smoothing out the discoloration on her cheeks. She also looks 10 years younger, which is always a plus. The only thing I would change is the lack of color. The picture looks a little dull. She also lost her smile in the final picture. She went from looking slightly happy to kind of angry. That might be something to change on unless that was the effect you were going for.

[Mike Kalcevic]

I had dropped the sat a little on purpose to give the look that I wanted. I don't see the change in emotion that you do, but thanks for the input nonetheless.

Here's a revised version that I did last night where I tweaked the color, contrast, and temp a little.

http://MEKPhotography.smugmug.com/ph...3_C68Cg-XL.jpg

[Insensitive.]

Her fried hair is distracting.

[Mike Kalcevic]

Originally Posted by Insensitive.

Her fried hair is distracting.

Her hair is actually quite healthy. She naturally has wavy hair and had straightened it that morning. There was a lot of humidity that day, leading to the strays.

[Insensitive.]

Originally Posted by Mike Kalcevic

Her hair is actually quite healthy. She naturally has wavy hair and had straightened it that morning. There was a lot of humidity that day, leading to the strays.

If you could get those out of there, it would improve the overall quality of the photo... and her hair.

[Damo77]

The eyes are too white. Only just ... much better than a lot of glowing eyes we see on here.

[Mike Kalcevic]

I didn't touch the whites of the eyes at all, just a little contrast to the blue.

[0lBaldy]

I'm not a pro but the things I see are:
Overall an excellent start
You did a nice job of getting rid of the unwanted blemishes in the picture and straightening the nose
You smoothed the colors nicely and are at a good starting point for a fine beauty retouch
I would get rid of those distracting, annoying white/greenish Blobs above her head
Bring back a bit of the smile lines and cheek separation
Trim the eyebrows
Blend/add/enhance the eyeshadow below the eyebrows
Keep the eyes the original color keep the orig highlights but tone down the ones in the center if the pupil
Get rid of black shoulder strap
Control the frizzies around the outside of the hair
Blend in or get rid of the forehead and temple hair
Correct the temple veins and the blotchiness introduced in the shoulder area and maybe clean up the neck a bit more
Leave the picture for an hour and come back and do a self critique again..

Please don't get defensive.. these are just my thoughts at trying to help.. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder... If you and your subject/client are happy with it the way it is... then it is perfect as is..
It all boils down to how far you want to take it!

[secretsquirrel]

I have to agree with with everything OIBaldy said. Including his compliments on an exceptional beginning. What I would like to add is some color recommendations. Her hair seems dull, I would bring back some of the yellow lost from the original while taking down the cyan an and black just a bit. I would also add a touch of color to her lips.

[secretagents]

It's not bad but it's not too good either IMO. It's not clean enough to my taste. Well certainly not everywhere.

[drcscape]

Hello everybody. This is my first attempt here. Maybe the shoulder is a bit crude, but I'm quite happy with the rest. Any thoughts?

[Barb Bradley]

Sorry, drcscape, but now she looks plastic.