2nd Attempt...

[zona5101]

Yesterday I posted my first attempt at getting "glow" - there were some issues I saw and some issues others saw. Here is my attempt from tonight:


Yesterdays suggestions were to have it a bit punchier in contrast. I don't think it is. I'd move levels up and lose shadow detail.
Another suggestion was darken the eyebrows, i think I did that.
Third was to lighten up on the blur as i over-cooked it. Now it doesn't seem to have that "glow" but that is understandable since I used a different technique that didn't use filter ->distort->glow
So how does this version look?

Here is a link to yesterdays
Opinions Wanted

thanks in advance

[statichash]

Hey Bruce, this looks much better than yesterdays version. It's not nearly as soft as the previous version. Those spots that were porcelain like are no longer there. The eyebrows issue looks better, but I agree with the others on the previous one it looked like she didn't have any. The details in the hair and on her lips were brought out more in this version too.

[zona5101]

Thanks Tony.
I appreciate you taking the time to check it out and give me feedback. I'll keep refining the technique as I still don't think I've found the sweet spot.

[SusanH1970]

It still looks a bit too smooth to me, and there's a definite line right below her hairline where you can see the difference. The BW conversion seems a tad muddy still.

There was a thread regarding Imagenomic's Portraiture awhile back (I happen to LOVE that software) and Vinnie a.k.a. autofocus posted a tutorial on how he does skin softening/glow in Photoshop. It's here if you want to check it out.

Would you be willing to post a SOOC for plays?

[zona5101]

Originally Posted by SusanH1970

It still looks a bit too smooth to me, and there's a definite line right below her hairline where you can see the difference. The BW conversion seems a tad muddy still.

There was a thread regarding Imagenomic's Portraiture awhile back (I happen to LOVE that software) and Vinnie a.k.a. autofocus posted a tutorial on how he does skin softening/glow in Photoshop. It's here if you want to check it out.

Would you be willing to post a SOOC for plays?

I think i'd get my @ssed kicked if I posted the SOOC shot
I'll keep hitting it and I'll spend some time in the thread you posted. I ought to just go and get the right tool for the job (the plug-in)....but part of it is wanting to do it myself and learn what is behind it all...
Speaking of plug ins the FX silverlight looks like a nice tool for B&W ...

Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

[LeeR]

I have found that I can get the 'glow' effect fairly easily provided the original image has the right amount of contrast. I suspect your image is a bit to soft in contrast to get that effect. That doesn't mean it's bad, just that it may not be a good candidate for that kind of treatment.

[autofocus]

Originally Posted by SusanH1970

It still looks a bit too smooth to me, and there's a definite line right below her hairline where you can see the difference. The BW conversion seems a tad muddy still.

There was a thread regarding Imagenomic's Portraiture awhile back (I happen to LOVE that software) and Vinnie a.k.a. autofocus posted a tutorial on how he does skin softening/glow in Photoshop. It's here if you want to check it out.

Would you be willing to post a SOOC for plays?

Susan, I've also been using another method of "glamour skin softening" as follows:
1) make new background layer
2) High pass filter radius setting varies by image..I usually go between 5 - 25 pixels (filters>Other>High Pass)
3) Blending option - Overlay
4) Invert (Ctrl I on PC's)
5) Mask (on lower layers palette - alt key > mask)
6) Select a white soft brush and paint over the areas you wish to blur
7) adjust opacity of layer
8) Flatten

[zona5101]

Thanks Vince - I'll give that a try!

[zona5101]

Originally Posted by LeeR

I have found that I can get the 'glow' effect fairly easily provided the original image has the right amount of contrast. I suspect your image is a bit to soft in contrast to get that effect. That doesn't mean it's bad, just that it may not be a good candidate for that kind of treatment.

Thanks, I'll watch for that...maybe even kick up the contrast before I start any post work...

[candidrachel]

I just thought I'd chime in with my input even though pp isn't my strong point. Zona, she's really pretty! She's got lovely eyes. I think she just needs a bit more contrast but you've already said that.