First time post for critique.. beauty retouch

[Merge]

Soo this is my first time posting for a critique, err actually second posting on RetouchPro everrr sooo I'm kind of scared because there are sooo many amazing retouchers/artists on here and, I hope, one day I become as good as you all!

That said, I am relatively new to retouching. Self taught on youtube videos and by trolling forums. I only used a D&B technique on this and the Dust and Scratches filer to get rid of the fuzz (which i am not completely happy with).

So that said, be ruthless! I want to improve as much as possible and all critiques (and compliments hehe) are welcome!

Thanks so much for taking the time!
http://img813.imageshack.us/img813/5...foreafterh.jpg

[Boneappetit]

Hi Merge: Your image is too small... Can u upload a bigger size of it?

[Merge]

Oh shoot, ImageShack auto resized.. sorry guys!

Link here and above fixed!

http://img813.imageshack.us/img813/5...foreafterh.jpg

[oneredpanther]

This is good work. The texture is well preserved. My only straightaway comment is that the nostril could do with some more shadow to add depth and I would be tempted to gently re-shade or liquify the neck to make it less rounded and bulging.

[Boneappetit]

I like your job too... Maybe as redpanther said, could use a bit more of D&B at some small parts, but overall it is a nice job...

[Merge]

Thanks guys! I definitely agree with shading in the nostril and straightening out the neck! I will give it a try. What other parts of the face do you think need some D&B? I'm afraid it's a bit flat around the jaw and mouth. Any suggestions?

[Boneappetit]

Originally Posted by Merge

Thanks guys! I definitely agree with shading in the nostril and straightening out the neck! I will give it a try. What other parts of the face do you think need some D&B? I'm afraid it's a bit flat around the jaw and mouth. Any suggestions?

Try applying a bit of sharpening, I'm not saying it is going to solve the issue, but it doesn't hurt to try...

[LunaLuna]

Hi!

I have a question: what did you use to remove the facial hair?

Time ago I worked in an image where facial hair was similar to your image. I tried dust and scratches but it didn't work. I gave up and removed it one by one !

[Boneappetit]

Maybe you already know this, but here's an easy and nice method to sharpen your image in a very natural way using Spatial Frequencies split of an 8 bit image... The settings on the Brightness and contrast clipped layer vary, adjust to your like...

[kav]

Originally Posted by LunaLuna

Hi!

I have a question: what did you use to remove the facial hair?

Time ago I worked in an image where facial hair was similar to your image. I tried dust and scratches but it didn't work. I gave up and removed it one by one !

Filters don't give you quality results for detailing. They aren't completely discerning of objects. Clone stamp in darken mode works exceptionally well for this if used correctly on most facial hair. You must pay attention to your cloning source if doing this and I tend to use 40-70% hardness with a brush size that just fits the hair width. If the facial hair completely covers the skin you should instead use DB techniques to tone down the appearance rather than focusing on removal. I tried the split frequency technique on this some time ago just to see if it would be of any help. Tested at various increments from 5 to 25 pixel separations, it didn't add any efficiency to the workflow. It seemed slightly more error tolerant but not worth making extra layers (it offered a slight advantage on some other things but not this).

[Mike Needham]

Perhaps a little more stray hair work and some rounding off, from the shoulders.

[mountain]

very impressive especially the facial hair and little bumps on neck..

[Merge]

Thank you guys so much for your responses. They are a great help! Sorry I haven't responded but I never got any email notifications until this morning!

LunaLuna, I used the dust and scratches filter along with a clone stamp, healing brush and d&b. I'm not happy with the results though. The skin looks almost scaly if you zoom in very close. I am actually going to try Kav's suggestions, as they sound very promising! Thanks so much for the advice guys!

[Merge]

Originally Posted by Boneappetit

Maybe you already know this, but here's an easy and nice method to sharpen your image in a very natural way using Spatial Frequencies split of an 8 bit image... The settings on the Brightness and contrast clipped layer vary, adjust to your like...

Boneappetit, I've never used that technique. I see you did a high pass, then apply image and subtract. Can you explain this a little? I understand the high pass, then apply image (which setting? Multiply? which is usually the default) but the Subtract I don't know about..

Thanks so much for your help!

[Merge]

Originally Posted by Mike Needham

Perhaps a little more stray hair work and some rounding off, from the shoulders.

Nice catch Mike! Now that you point out the shoulders, their jaggedness is sort of taking away from the softness of the image! Thanks!!