Critique Please: Beauty Retouch!

[LightFantastic]

I'm working on my third retouch and it would be great if I could get some feedback on this image. I tried to keep it fairly "natural" in its look and tried desperately not to go overboard. Much to my surprise, the skin's pores are pretty much all there. Any constructive feedback would be really appreciated. Thank you.

PS: I have some specific questions about the retouching of this image that I'll post in a separate thread.

PPS: I noticed that this website desaturates my image a bit. There a bit more gold/yellow and red to her skin...

BEFORE: [IMG=http://lookpic.com/t/126/BXgR8O88.jpeg]


AFTER: [IMG=http://lookpic.com/t/542/v6Fa0Zm9.jpeg]



Original (Before) Photo: Vitaly

[LightFantastic]

Anyone?

Please?

I'd really appreciate your constructive feedback...I'm praying that this doesn't get burried somehow.

[dlephotography]

I think it looks beautiful. I like the shininess on the skin. Keep up the great work!

DLe

[skeeter09]

LightFantastic

That look great to me. Have I seen that image before? Is that from a retouch dvd that used to be advertised all over?

[LightFantastic]

Thanks guys. I'm hoping some more folks will stop by and let me know what they think. I removed a lot of the redness in the actual retouch, but her natural skintone has a pretty golden/yellow undertone and I wanted to keep that so that her skin looks sun-kissed.

Skeeter09, yes the image came from that retouch dvd. I added a photo credit for good measure... It also has about three more images that it comes with, as well.

[gamedonechanged]

I'm working on the same pic hehe. Looks great although can you post a bigger version so I can see closer?

Looks nice but I think the head looks squished a little flat.

[Godmother]

Originally Posted by gamedonechanged

I'm working on the same pic hehe. Looks great although can you post a bigger version so I can see closer?

Looks nice but I think the head looks squished a little flat.

^^ ditto bigger

I can tell you 3 things tho

1- You need to D&B with big brushes - blotchy skin and eye bags.

2- Hair line could be better

3- The hair was like that for a reason. In the "biz" the hair stylist would be on your case

[elboertjie]

Feedback:

1. I feel that her skin is a bit too soft and looks almost plastic, unless this is the look that you wish to portray.
2. The shadows around her arms and breasts are too deep compared to the amount of light just next to it. You added more light, but also added stronger shadows and this does not make sense.
3. The hairline is too hard and looks cut-out from the background.

Overall, I would say nice job and you are on a good way.

Regards,
Jacques

[LightFantastic]

Originally Posted by elboertjie

Feedback:

1. I feel that her skin is a bit too soft and looks almost plastic, unless this is the look that you wish to portray.
2. The shadows around her arms and breasts are too deep compared to the amount of light just next to it. You added more light, but also added stronger shadows and this does not make sense.
3. The hairline is too hard and looks cut-out from the background.

Overall, I would say nice job and you are on a good way.

Regards,
Jacques

Thanks Elboertjie! I think her skin looks strange in those uploaded images because of the image handling by that company (and also by Firefox browsers, in case you're using it). Because on the actual PSD image, her pores are very visible and her skin isn't smoothed or blurred at all (thank goodness).

I didn't change her hairline at all, although someone above suggested doing it...but I was going for a more natural look. I left the stray hairs there, etc...wait, maybe you're talking about the hair AROUND her head (the perimeter), as opposed to her actual hairline? Because her hairline is pretty much untouched and I left those tiny baby hairs, etc. because I prefer a soft, natural look. Let me know and I'll take another look at it.

Your observation regarding the shadows was interesting. I'll take another look at it and rethink it...I am worried that removing these shadows will result in the image looking flat (as it did in the initial picture). Thanks so much for your feedbac, I really appreciate it.

[LightFantastic]

Originally Posted by Godmother

^^ ditto bigger

I can tell you 3 things tho

1- You need to D&B with big brushes - blotchy skin and eye bags.

2- Hair line could be better

3- The hair was like that for a reason. In the "biz" the hair stylist would be on your case

Thanks Godmother! I'll rethink the hairline; I was going for a natural look, but maybe I can clean up the tiniest hairs there and shape it a bit?

I'll rethink my d&b brush sizes. I kept them between 5 and 20...is that not recommended? I had a really tough time addressing the blotches, particularly those in her left arm. I've seen some retouches of this same image that were monotone (and beautiful...but flat). I'm not going for that look; I wanted something more natural. But I could stand to smoothen that skin, I think, too. I'll look at those under eye areas, too. Thanks again, Godmother!

[skeeter09]

LF- I don't care about the credit I just wondered if that was the same tut. I remember seeing part of it and he spent about 20 min taking that stud out of her ear and then cleaning up the area. Is that right? Is the entire process that slow? Because the results look great but I've seen faster retouches (slower too.)

Anyway- It seems like your retouch on the face is much better than the lower part of her body. (Like what Godmother said.) I think her hair looks bad in the original and maybe you went too far. Maybe not.
What do you think about the hair where her forehead transitions to her hair line? It could probably use some help.

I'm looking for a great tut and haven't found it yet. Please let me know what you think about using this one. Thanks so much.

[LightFantastic]

Originally Posted by gamedonechanged

I'm working on the same pic hehe. Looks great although can you post a bigger version so I can see closer?

Looks nice but I think the head looks squished a little flat.

Thanks, do you mean the top of the head? I can't post a larger image, unfortunately, but if you're retouching the same one, it's pretty great if you're someone who puts a premium on keeping the texture of the skin. The pores are all there and the definition is fantastic. Maintaining the skin's texture should be a breeze.

I'll rethink her head. I don't want it to look pointy (that would be a hideous ponytail/bun) but I don't want it to look flat, either. I'll find a good middle-ground.

[LightFantastic]

Originally Posted by skeeter09

LF- I don't care about the credit I just wondered if that was the same tut. I remember seeing part of it and he spent about 20 min taking that stud out of her ear and then cleaning up the area. Is that right? Is the entire process that slow? Because the results look great but I've seen faster retouches (slower too.)

Anyway- It seems like your retouch on the face is much better than the lower part of her body. (Like what Godmother said.) I think her hair looks bad in the original and maybe you went too far. Maybe not.
What do you think about the hair where her forehead transitions to her hair line? It could probably use some help.

I'm looking for a great tut and haven't found it yet. Please let me know what you think about using this one. Thanks so much.

Hey Skeeter, the tutorial is "okay". If you frequent this site, then a lot of what he's teaching might be redundant for you. I've heard many people complain of its redundancy. But for me, it was just useful to watch someone actually retouch at a "normal speed" (e.g. not those 'speedtouches' you often see online and can't really use).

His retouch doesn't go too slow for me, at all, but you may think differently. You're right, it's from his retouch dvd, btw. He includes some useful high quality photos on the dvd, though many of them have this green or blue light that I don't prefer. It would have been great if he would have included more "clear" photos...instead of so many with blue and green lighting (it makes the photos look a bit hoaky and sci-fi).

He does explain the concepts well, which I really appreciated. I've heard the customer service is lacking (unreturned inquiries/no responses...even for me; I was suprised), so be careful if you decide to purchase it.

I will say, this site and the contributors have more than enough so that you wouldn't even have to buy the DVD. I just bought it because I wasn't really lurking about on this site at the time and wanted a peek.