Glamour edit

[TrishS]

Ok so i tried posting this before, but i wasn't in the right forum, so lets try this again..lol! here is a photo that i took of my sis in law and daughter at her bday party. It was kind of a long process to get it the way it is. First I started making a double layer with an overlay blending mode and then blurred the layer/ After that i just played with the brightness and used the self healing tool to remove imperfections. The background is kinda dark but haven't figured out how to lighted it without brightening the face. i want to do "glamour"type editing and eventually be able to do pageant photos. I use PhotoShop Elements 6 and my camera is a Nikon D40, and i usually just shot in auto mode. Would love to see what you think about the editing...oh yeah I added make-up and eyelashes..do they look fake??

here is a link to my flicker..i don't have all photos public since there are minors on the page, but feel free to add as a contact and you can see more...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/imagine-photography/

[Quo Fan]

I like how you didn't make her skin "fake" by removing all of her freckles.

To lighten the background, use another layer and paint what you want lighter.

[TrishS]

Thanks..I think taking away too many freckles takes away from the person and it just looks weird! I will try that some time with the background

[TrishS]

Other then the darkness of the background, what do you think of the editing? I used an eyelash brush and did the eyeliner as well. does the "glam" aspect of the editing look TOO fake??

[dannyrich]

I actually like it.

I think lots of work has gone in but if you take the before away you have a realistic final version.

[Quo Fan]

Looking at just the after, apart from it being a little on the dark side, the eyes should pop. I would whiten the whites of the eyes, and maybe a little on the teeth.

I'm not a big fan of the ultra-smooth skin look, and I think you did that just right. I like to see the imperfections that make a person unique. Show me their pores! Don't clone out moles and birthmarks.

[TrishS]

Thanks for the great comments. With this photo i didn't remove a lot of imperfections..just a few pimples, but i used the Gaussian blur to just smooth it out a little..soften the photo

[daddyoproductions]

Good overall, but I think too much shine on her skin still, and I'd like to see more detail in the hair, especially her bangs. Nice makeup!