Problem with "grey" in skin

[dragnsteph]

Hi there, first post here and I'm hoping for some insight.

I'm kind of new to correcting skin tone, and I received these images from a client which have a troubling "grey" cast. I've had some luck reducing them by using a technique I know for removing shadows (apply image), but I'm not sure of their source so I'm not sure of the best way to tackle this. Anyone seen anything like this before?

Another technique I tried also used apply image, and I basically replaced the cyan channel with the black - seems these lines/patches of grey mostly live in that channel. It worked "ok" but I'd still need to correct the skin tone. I've got 4 images with this same issue, and am hoping you expert-type people can give me a good place to start.

Stephanie

[grafx]

Quick question. Did you scan in the photos or did they? Next question is whether it was made with a digital camera. I've had this problem before as well (normally when clients are the ones providing the files) Some setting that isn't correct. You get really weird highlighted areas when you try to color correct right?

[dragnsteph]

I know nothing about the origins of this picture except the following: We acquired this client after they became dissatisfied wwith their prior artists, and one of the first things they asked us to do was recreate a color chart (it's a permanent makeup company), with these models on the back showing off their work. The negatives to the original printing had been destroyed, and the images I have are obviously from the same photo shoot as the images used in the original piece, but aren't exactly the same. Since skin and makeup are their business, they want these models to be flawless, and I can't seem to achieve flawless with these pictures. The originals have that grey cast and are far too ruddy. Simply reducing the amount of red "looks" ok, but when we go to match print, the grey cast is overwhelming.

I'm going to -guess- that the images were scanned from transparency. Some of the grey lines in the image look to me more like scratches or artifacts of scanning, some of them are just shadows. I didn't scan them, and my client knows nothing about how they got on the disks she gave me. I did use Genuine Fractals to enlarge the images approximately 200%, they were too small on the disks I was provided.

[venivedi]

It's under-exposed picture. People say that a little over exposed one make a portrait more vivid. So...I had a go at your picture with curves, layer blending mode and layer mask. But...I can't decide which one has more decent skin tone, because I have a poor eye for beauty retouch.

[Legacy~Art]

I have not information on how to do what you are asking, but wanted to say welcome to the forum and give it till end of the day and your sure get some answers from the members on the forum.

[Legacy~Art]

Wow guys that was fast when i was answering they're was no replies, you guys are whizzkids!

[dragnsteph]

This is my first go at correcting this image, which the customer rejected on match print because of the grey I'm trying to describe. If you look around her mouth, and on the left side of her forehead, there is a grey "something" that almost makes her look like she has a beard. Can anyone see what I'm talking about in this image?

-Stephanie

[dragnsteph]

And thanks, Legacy~Art I'm hoping for a little push in the right direction at the very least, I'm not trained in this aspect of correcting color, most of what I've done in the past has been making sure whites are white, black is black, and everything falls properly in between Skin is sooooo difficult.

-S

[MBChamberlain]

Hi and welcome to RP,

I usually "replace" the skin tones when this happens. I find these swatch files handy when working with skin and hair. I created a solid color layer, set to the color blend mode at 75%, and filled it's mask with black. Then created a selection from the red channel and painted the skin color in with a white brush.

Then a quick selective color layer and it looks ok. I'm not sure what the best color for her skin is, but this is a way to deal with the problem.

[grafx]

Originally Posted by venivedi

It's under-exposed picture. People say that a little over exposed one make a portrait more vivid. So...I had a go at your picture with curves, layer blending mode and layer mask. But...I can't decide which one has more decent skin tone, because I have a poor eye for beauty retouch.

Great results! When you downloaded the file was it missing its color profile and really dark magenta? I'm being curious. I gave it a whirl, but yours looks great. I'm not seeing that 5 o'clock shadow anymore. All I see is the definition of the cheekbones.

[venivedi]

Your first outcome looks great to me.
IMHO, this shot was from film scanning...maybe scan preset could be wrong.

I see what you say 'grey' but cound't spot exactly what is so called 'beard'.
Could you show me that with some 'color lines around the troubled part'?

By the way, the white background makes my eye so tired...after long staring on this picture...I can't decide what is the grey. ???!!!
It came across my mind that 'If background('s color or brightness and etc.) went different, the object's would look diffrent as before.'

I 've just changed attachments on previous post of mine. What do you think?

[Juliana Ross]

Was this originally a high key image?
I know sometimes when trying to drop the contrast a bit that wierd shadow and surreal highlight thing happens.
Just curious.

[venivedi]

Originally Posted by Juliana Ross

Was this originally a high key image?
I know sometimes when trying to drop the contrast a bit that wierd shadow and surreal highlight thing happens.
Just curious.

I've interpreted(???) this picture as highkey image.
I'm curious, too.


grafx : Thanks for your kind words.

MBChamberlain : Nice work! I wonder how you treated highlights area?

[philbach]

I took your picture and copied using screen blending mode. I then copied it again in screen blending mode and placed a black layer mask on the second layer. I painted the area under the chin on the mask.

It did help and I mad no other adjustments.

[dragnsteph]

Originally Posted by MBChamberlain

Hi and welcome to RP,

I usually "replace" the skin tones when this happens. I find these swatch files handy when working with skin and hair. I created a solid color layer, set to the color blend mode at 75%, and filled it's mask with black. Then created a selection from the red channel and painted the skin color in with a white brush.

Then a quick selective color layer and it looks ok. I'm not sure what the best color for her skin is, but this is a way to deal with the problem.

I took a stab at it and it doesn't look near as good as yours - what brush settings were you using? were you working off the original picture, or the second one i posted?

[dragnsteph]

Originally Posted by Juliana Ross

Was this originally a high key image?
I know sometimes when trying to drop the contrast a bit that wierd shadow and surreal highlight thing happens.
Just curious.

Showing my ignorance here, but no idea what a high key image is I was provided tif files, that's the first time i saw these images.

Thanks so much everyone for the help - My boss wants to get more work from this customer, but I'm afraid to encourage her to do so if I can't handle the models :/

-S

[Juliana Ross]

Maybe ask if they have the raw image.

It looks like someone mucked about with it and then handed it off to you.
If that's the case, some info you need may have been wiped out.

You can always tell her you need unmanipulated images to work from in the future.
I work in a lab and sometimes the photographers best intentions get in the way There are a couple who thought they were "making things easier" for the lab. Long story short we asked them to just hand off the images to us and allow us to do the voodoo that we do so well

[venivedi]

Wow, I feel the same way a
s you do, Julian Ross.


p.s. Canon EOS-1Ds daylight.icm works somewhat.

1. Just copy this color profile to
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\color
then open Photoshop~
2. Open the image.
3. Image>Mode>Assign profile : select 'Canon Eos-1Ds
(This step do not change RGB color value but the appearance.)

...After retouch your work

4. Image>Mode>Convert to profile
then select a relevent color profile. If for web, you can select 'sRGB~'.

I hope this to be a little help.
===================================
Here is the sample. I think this can be a good starting point!
1. just assign profile

2. Image>Mode>Match Color : Luminance 125, Intensity 90, Fade 5
(if Photoshop CS)

3. Filters>Sharpen>Unsharpen Mask

4. convert to profile:sRGB)

By the way, I can't attach this color profile (200KB). If you need this I can e-mail you.

[MBChamberlain]

I think I adjusted the levels before I started. Once you have your color layer and your mask created, you can change the color of that layer until you are happy with it. As for the brush it was just a standard white brush. A lot of the toning was done with the selective color adjustment layer.

Michael

[Stroker]

When I look at the image, most of the problem seems to be in saturation and luminosity. To try and fix it, I tried one of my least favorite techniques: Select > Colour Range (I detest Colour Range).

Picked a shade of grey around 50%.
Select > Colour Range around 110.
Used it as a mask.

The first mask I pumped up the Saturation via Hue/Saturation.
Inverted the mask and did some Curves tweakage to lighten.

Not really happy with the Lum, though.
She has that 'beard'.
Not sure how I would tackle the beard.

[venivedi]

MBChamberlain, Thanks for explanation. It helped my understanding.

Stroker, sort of Janus looking figure is easy to understand.
By the way, did you spot that 'beard' (not mustache, not whiskers...?)
I haven't found it yet.

[Stroker]

lol, Ven. I went back and noticed that you said that you don't see the beard. I can see it plain as 5 o'clock shadow. Looks just like you would expect George Michaels or Don Johnson to look after a day or two. Just under the nose and right up under the cheeks to the ears. Subtle, but I can see it very well. Must be a difference in our eyeballs.

I took another quick whack at it. For the mask, I interesected Lum and Sat (because I hate Colour Range). Used that as a mask to pump up Sat. I'm actually kind of pleased with the results.

[venivedi]

[QUOTE=Stroker]lol, Ven. I went back and noticed that you said that you don't see the beard. I can see it plain as 5 o'clock shadow. Looks just like you would expect George Michaels or Don Johnson to look after a day or two. ...QUOTE]

I like the result very much!

Maybe my english comprehension has gotten rusty more.
Do you mean this part?

p.s. If so...I've replaced attachments on my previous post. What do you all think about it? Please let me know.

[Gary Richardson]

Hi Dragnsteph,

On my monitor, your image had a strong blue/red tint which I often see from scanned images.

What I did is sample a mid tone colour from the image. Then take a sample from a skin swatch. Using a curves adj layer, I adjusted the individual R G & B channels to make your image values equal to the swatch values.

Finally I applied a further curves layer to adjust brightness and contrast.

[byRo]

Hi dragnsteph,

A good place to start when analyzing an image is to click through the channels. The Blue and Green channels seem pretty "normal" but the shadow effects can clearly be seen in the Red channel.
- Make a Curve adjustment layer;
- Select the Red channel's curve;
- <ctrl><click>on a "good" part. I used the cheek and got a value of 216. This will mark a point on the curve;
- <ctrl><click> on a "bad" part. I used the neck and got a value of 137. This will mark another point on the curve;
- raise the 'bad" point until the greys have gone (from 137 to 160);
- (personal taste, may not apply to you) put in a Hue/Saturation layer with Hue +4 and Saturation -5.

Hope this helps,
Rô

[Stroker]

Yeah, Ven, that would be the top of the beard. Something about it just doesn't look right and I can't put my finger on it. The laugh lines? Maybe the chin?

Your attachments look fine to me.

[CJ Swartz]

Just a bit to add to the other folks ideas -- I think that a Selective Color adjustment layer set to reduce Black in the Neutrals, and a bit in the Reds works when used in Overlay layer mode at reduced opacity (about 57%). It affects the skin color also, and still would require work.

[venivedi]

Originally Posted by Stroker

Yeah, Ven, that would be the top of the beard. Something about it just doesn't look right and I can't put my finger on it. The laugh lines? Maybe the chin?

Your attachments look fine to me.

I've just called it a day.(?)
Thanks for your feedback.


<monolog> Time to learn about cosmetics? </monolog>

[philbach]

I was using "TIFFANY_after." I copied the background layer in screen blending mode and then copied it again in screen mode. To this second copy I added a black mask and painted it in with a soft brush. I do use a tablet. At any rate I tried it again and I didn't get the exact same result. To the second Layer I added a color balance adjustment layer. Selected Midtones and used 0,-17,and +7. It still isn't right but its seems to be getting close. I've enclosed a screen dump of the last step.

[Flora]

Wow .... great job everybody!!!!

I tried the 'Variations' option...
Inverted Shadows Mask
Selective Colors
Hue&Saturation
Brightness/Contrast

...I tried to achieve the 'translucent glow' that glamour photos often have ...