Glamour retouch - Good?, Bad?, Average?

[printmeister]

This is my first attempt at this kind of thing and I'd just like to know what areas I need to concentrate on to improve.
I don't mind a savage critique as long as there is something constructive I can use to get better.
The pic is from 'Lipstick Fetish' so I think it's ok to use.

Before:
http://vash.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Pics/80406_Before.jpg

After:
http://vash.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Pics/80406_After.jpg

[L33t]

http://www.piyada.net/compare.jpg

if you look this area, you lost quality of the image and that little hole there..

[printmeister]

Originally Posted by L33t

http://www.piyada.net/compare.jpg

if you look this area, you lost quality of the image and that little hole there..

Ah yes...Thanks for your comments, they are all helpful.
I've edited that now... but I think the quality is still down in that area.

[TommyO]

John,
I think it came out well. Most critiques should focus on the small stuff. I did see all of the changes you made... there were many. Good job on all of those.

One area I did notice, and it deals with the small stuff. Some of the larger blemishes show telltale signs of healing.

I would think some of the others may also ask you to work on overall skin texture, maybe acquiring a library of textures you can apply in a texture mask would help.

The last thing, on a glamour retouch be prepared to work on the eyelashes. I did not see any changes there.

[blaskica]

In my opinion you did good. One thing that just doesn't work for me is the eye on the right. You did great with the pupils but the eye itself now looks about 10% too big. And one other thing. Maybe you should have done a little color correcting also, 'cause there is too much red overall, especially in the skin.

[printmeister]

Tommy:
Yes, as I was working on it and looking at it at different magnifications, the skin never looked as even as I wanted it. I was thinking 'I could be doing this forever and it still won't be right! (I can hear you pros saying 'Welcome to the real world!) :o)

How does one go about acquiring a library of skin textures? Buy them off the shelf? extract them from your own images? (I have to ask the stupid questions being new to this discipline).
Also, I totally forgot about the eyelashes.. I have some eyelash brushes somewhere... is that an option? or is it best to manipulate the existing ones?

Blaskica:
I did enlarge both eyes slightly, but I didn't see anything wrong with the right one at the time... but now you have mentioned it, you are right, it is slightly overdone.

Thanks for the input guys, there's some valuable, usable info there!

[0lBaldy]

Originally Posted by printmeister

<clip>Also, I totally forgot about the eyelashes.. I have some eyelash brushes somewhere... is that an option? or is it best to manipulate the existing ones?<clip>

Manipulate the existing ones!
Thicker Eyelashes..tutorial
Fake Eyelashes in Photoshop.. video (better)

[printmeister]

Thanks OlBaldy,

two useful sites.
I did try the eyelash brushes....no chance!

[printmeister]

Updated :-

lower lashes added..not happy with these - they looked too perfect. Tried to make them a tad more natural. More practice required.

Skin colour toned back slightly

right (her left) eye resized.

nose reshaped slightly.


http://vash.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Pics/80406_After2.jpg

[m@ndy]

As a novice myself I think you did a great job.

Texture - there are some attached texture masks that you can download within this forum.

I can't remember where I got them from - I started in the Dior thread that explains how to create your own and then did lots of trawling and searching.

good luck, Mandy

[Markzebra]

Well as a beginning you've made a reasonable start on the skin, you still need to do a lot of work on colour and tonal range - despite some of the advice, you certainly don't want to be introducing texture in this particular shot because its good enough to begin with, theres nothing there that cant be achieved with proper detail technique. You will be destroying all your hard work. Remember you can retouch skin texture IN as well as out, in various ways.

Study some makeup, because this needs to be worked up, her face is too matt and 'foundation' at the moment - her eyeshadow done properly, eyelashes realistically extended will help too.