Any improvements pre PP?

[NicolaB]

I was tempted to go straight to PP this time, but you guys see things that can be improved that I am not yet tuned into.



As taken - there was not much space to go back in the room! I notice that I took it on
.025 of a second - so that is mistake number one!

I am rubbish at getting the colour balance right in PP so would be glad of any guidance there too.

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT
Exposure: 0.025 sec (1/40)
Aperture: f/3.5
Focal Length: 85 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire

[MrJones]

love it!
nothing more to say

[SusanH1970]

To correct the skin tone, do a new adjustment layer >selective color >red and pull a little magenta out (not too much). I can do a quick edit if you like, let me know.

[NicolaB]

Brilliant thank you Susan. I will go and have a play then compare it to yours.

[NicolaB]

Cool! I can see it now - but only after you pointed it out. I may not have got it right yet?! I hope this is something that starts to come with practice as I am just not getting the tones etc right!!!!! Is there a good book for PP (sorry if I am now 'talking' in the wrong forum!)

Thank you Mr Jones for your kind comment.

[SusanH1970]

Looks good! I did a selective color layer as I explained above, and also a levels adjustment layer to brighten her up a bit and add a bit of contrast.

ETA: Hmm, looked better in CS2, still looks kinda pink here. **shrugs** lol

[LeeR]

I am always cautious to post something after SusanH. Her work, especially with children is wonderful and I rarely have anything to add to her comments. However, this is such a wonderful picture and I did feel like I had something to contribute this time. Here is my thinking.
From the beginning I saw this as a white balance issue. There is too much blue in it and blue skin tones are rarely appealing. For that reason, I opened the image in Camera Raw, which has two sliders for white balance; the typical warm/cool white scale and a green magenta scale. I used the typical approach of using the white eyedropper to set the white balance but still wasn't happy with the results. I happen to be of the opinion that there is no magic white balance; use whatever tool you like to set it, but then use that as a jumping off point for something better by bumping it a bit, this way and that. Which is exactly what I did with this image until I got the skin tones I was looking for. I found that the pink tones that showed up when the image was warm enough could be neutralized with just a touch of green. (Remember, skin tones are a combination of all three colors: more red than blue, more blue than green.)



Now, if you tell me you like Susan's better, I will not be offended. I just wanted you to see a slightly different approach.

[SusanH1970]

Lee, can I just say I needed to smack myself in the face??? I'm in shock. YOU are cautious to post after me? LOL!!! Thank you, seriously thank you, for the kind words. Most seasoned pro's around these parts think that someone like me hasn't a clue simply because I don't come from at least a 20-year film background. I am strictly digital but have a tiny bit of film background. I truly appreciate and thank you for your kind words.

Yes, I agree a white balance issue. The OP PM'd me and I gave her a bit of advice about working with CWB - it still may not be perfect, but it makes things easier in PP.

Your advice in playing with skin tones is solid. That's how I learned - and I'm still learning! I can see issues in others' photos and in my own sometimes, but it's a challenge to fix them.

ETA: I like how you warmed up the photo. Nicely done.

[edbayani]

another way would be to make two new layers with color burn and color dodge blending modes. with the eyedropper tool i clicked on the pink parts of the image and lighter pink for the foreground and background colors. i brushed with a soft brush at opacity set at 7% and burned the light portions and dodge the dark portions to even out the skin. flattened and used levels for lightening and increasing contrast a bit.

[natek313]

The only thing I would add is to lighten up her eyes a bit.

Nice job, though. She's a cute kid, and the photo captures a great expression.