Learning how to blend

[SusanAshlea]

Ok, so I have this self "portrait" from my weekend in Chicago. I kind of like it, it's not the most flattering but I think it's cute. So the original I had some residual sun burn & some peeling on my forehead, and of course there is the huge flash glare on the forehead/nose/cheek. I tried to salvage it a little bit. I airbrushed the skin at the top and then I used Amy-Roses' skin softening technique. I then used a levels adjustment layer to darken it, and a curves adjustment layer to give more contrast. I felt the skin was too bright, so I added a brightness & contrast layer, and gave my skin more of a pink tone (which is how I naturally look) and masked out everything by my face.I think my forehead looks way too fake. I only posted the before and after images, but you can see the middle image on my Flickr page. I think the last looks too "painted" but I can't seem to find a happy medium.

Before:


After:


It isn't anything more than a snapshot to begin with, but I wanted to see if i could at least git rid of the forehead glare...

[garncarz]

i messed with a copy and i found that a healing brush would do that in 2 minutes in aperture. but yours looks just as good. maybe tune down saturation.

garncarz

[SusanAshlea]

Originally Posted by garncarz

i messed with a copy and i found that a healing brush would do that in 2 minutes in aperture. but yours looks just as good. maybe tune down saturation.

garncarz

thanks...what kind of program is aperture?

[Saralonde]

Did you reduce the opacity on the Amy-Rose skin softening? That should help it from looking too overdone.

[SusanAshlea]

I started from scratch and used the healing brush a little, then did the skin softening, and I adjusted the opacity. I took down the saturation a little bit too. Does this look any better (or different, even?)?...

[Mr.Intensity]

I like this 2nd finish much better. In the first you had that Broadway/Vegas type look, her you're more natural and that's just the way I like to see women. good job- IMO

[private]

I like your second version much better. Now how did you take this self portrait - I do not see the tell tale sign of the out stretched arms...

[rajpradhan]

Second version, definitely. First was overdone and looked flat.

[SusanAshlea]

Thanks for the input. Now I of know what kind workflow I need to use to fix simliar issues in the future.

the self portrait was actually a misnomer. I gave my camera to a friend and hurriedly said "take my picture". We were in a high-fallutin club in the city and I didn't want to look like a tourist. So I did the settings and threw the camera at her. So, it's only a self portrait in that it's a portrait of myself, that I had someone take of me. Does that make sense?

I will say that I am in love with the manual setting on my little Canon Powershot. It's like the little camera that could...and I got it for $60 on closeout!

[lputman]

Originally Posted by SusanAshlea

I started from scratch and used the healing brush a little, then did the skin softening, and I adjusted the opacity. I took down the saturation a little bit too. Does this look any better (or different, even?)?...

This looks great!