critique please

[OTTORETOUCH]

Hello, I just finished retouching this image and I have the feeling it's slightly flat. Can you tell me where I went wrong please.

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/mem...an-bourson.jpg

you can get the rollover here :

http://jejland.deviantart.com/art/PRETTYLADY-283808089

Thanks

[sidduhe]

looks fine....umm...but i think you should put the link for original too...so it can be more verified..... :P

[OTTORETOUCH]

Originally Posted by sidduhe

looks fine....umm...but i think you should put the link for original too...so it can be more verified..... :P

Hey, thanks for the answer. The original is in the second link, rollover, just underneath the link to the retouched picture. Is it not working?

[skoobey]

I know I sure am no good at retouching, but things are what they are.

If you want to something to be blurry, you blur it- background, distracting element in the foreground, spinning wheel or a fan, or if you want to add to the effect of speed or throw something out of focus.... If you want something to be clean and smooth, you even out the tones and the light. So it would be better to DNB that cheek, no point in blurring it.

[OTTORETOUCH]

Originally Posted by skoobey

I know I sure am no good at retouching, but things are what they are.

If you want to something to be blurry, you blur it- background, distracting element in the foreground, spinning wheel or a fan, or if you want to add to the effect of speed or throw something out of focus.... If you want something to be clean and smooth, you even out the tones and the light. So it would be better to DNB that cheek, no point in blurring it.

Thanks for the advice. Thing is, I did not blur the cheek. But I know now that I overdid the D&B. Cheers though.

[Repairman]

I like how you've handled the cut out hair and the cold caste you've added to blend with the new background colour. Nice job.

[Mike Needham]

General retouch is fine, I have more of an issue where you have blended the background with the lace element at the top, oh and maybe tone down the purple eye-shadow a little or change the hue to a complimentary colour from the image.

[Repairman]

Yeh, I wondered about that too. At first I thought it was moire but the effect is so blatant that I put it down to the op's preference.

[capice]

D&B to get a bit more contrast in the facetones maybe?

[OTTORETOUCH]

Now I look back at the picture, I think I really botched it lol. Poor photographer, lucky it was only for practice purposes. The pattern on the wall was there, it's an old wall paper. The cut out of her hais is horrible and I even took out some of the wallpaper pattern off correcting the hair.
I D&Bed the face so intensely it looks fake. I am gonna put this one behind me lol. Thanks for all your comments guys.

[kav]

Originally Posted by OTTORETOUCH

Now I look back at the picture, I think I really botched it lol. Poor photographer, lucky it was only for practice purposes. The pattern on the wall was there, it's an old wall paper. The cut out of her hais is horrible and I even took out some of the wallpaper pattern off correcting the hair.
I D&Bed the face so intensely it looks fake. I am gonna put this one behind me lol. Thanks for all your comments guys.

You noticed one problem out of many. Picture her face in three dimensions and how the light would fall on it. Then tell me how you picture the shape along her cheek and jaw. To me it feels very convex where it was initially flat or concave, then there are a few flat spots. It also goes flat along the temple. The hair has a lot of smudging. It's just a matter of considering shapes.

[Andymania]

The skin is a little too ceramic like my friend. I do like the the overall color balancing and I agree with Mike that perhaps toning down the saturation of the purple eye shadow would be beneficial too.

[JDClosser]

Originally Posted by OTTORETOUCH

Thanks for the advice. Thing is, I did not blur the cheek. But I know now that I overdid the D&B. Cheers though.

Did you use portraiture?