Uniform skin color?

[skoobey]

I was wondering what do you people use to get the uniform skin color?

I:
attach hue sat layer to the DNB curves, sometimes a coupe of them, for skin, clothes etc.

use selective color and targeted hue/saturation to get some areas more even with a loose mask

use color picker with big-ish sample size and paint on a color layer at low opacity

gradient map here and there, if the colors are really all over the chart in that area

I was wondering if I'm missing something, maybe the way yo use those same tools is different?

[klev]

Re: Uniform skin color?

gradient map here and there, if the colors are really all over the chart in that area

I will always hate the concept of a gradient map, because reflections through partially translucent materials don't work that way. The composition of returned light is just different when it comes to reflections off skin oils and reflections off blood vessels after being refracted through layers of skin cells.

[skoobey]

Re: Uniform skin color?

Well, obviously I'd select reflections separately.

[AKMac]

Re: Uniform skin color?

I think the important thing is to go for areas that offend the eye and leave more subtle nuances well alone. Personally I tend to use whatever technique suggests itself at the time, and if it's just a few dabs here or there then sampling colour from adjacent areas tends to be the quickest way. If there are larger areas that need to be dealt with, then I might use gradient mapping, which usually needs to be backed off when viewed with a fresh eye. The Fade Command is my most used tool. But I often try different techniques just for the sake of variety (Color Balance, applying through luminosity masks, Selective Color etc etc) and you can achieve the desired result in so many ways provided you have good judgement and a keen eye.

[skoobey]

Re: Uniform skin color?

So you paint it, and then use fade to adjust strength of your stroke?

[AKMac]

Re: Uniform skin color?

So you paint it, and then use fade to adjust strength of your stroke?

Yeah. I do that quite a lot. In Color Mode or on a Layer set to Color mode.
I use the Fade Command all the time.

[skoobey]

Re: Uniform skin color?

I do it by using really small opacity(3-5%). But I can see why fade is good.

I guess I'm good with color, it's just that I got tripped out by some spot that appeared after liquify in one of my images. So I was wondering did I miss it, did I not se it what happened.