Playing with Lightroom advanced features

[eccs19]

This is my only real photo shoot that I did a few months ago for a friend. I've been watching some of the more advanced videos for using Lightroom. The main things I played with is skin softening, the eyes, and teeth. How did I do? Is it over done? I've included before adjustments and after, so you know what I was working with.

1. Before

2. After

 

[Josh66]

What you did doesn't look too bad, but overall - it looks a little dark.

I might crop it a little tighter too...

 

[eccs19]

What you did doesn't look too bad, but overall - it looks a little dark.

I might crop it a little tighter too...

I wasn't sure if it was dark overall or not. Histogram seems to be right in the middle, but I was playing with it on my laptop, so it's very possible it's to dark. Thanks for the input.

 

[rusty9]

yes overdone. the original looks better. you made her look bug eyed in the edit.

 

[Josh66]

Laptops aren't known for having very good monitors ... but with some calibration hardware, it shouldn't be too bad.

I would highly recommend something as far as calibration goes. The Pantone Huey is reasonably priced and delivers decent results. It's probably the least expensive calibration unit out there...

 

[Cpt.Beyond]

I agree with it needing a tighter crop =)

 

[GeneralBenson]

Histograms aren't always supposed to be right in the middle. That's why it's way underexposed. You're background,that I can only assume is supposed to be white, is quite gray. You're histogram should only be heavy in the center if you've got a lot of medium toned things in your photo. What you've got, is a very underexposed skin tones and white background. So by adjusting her teeth to borderline glowing, it just makes her skin look even darker. And her eyes look like cat eyes. I would try again and start by going about 2/3 of a stop to the right with the exposure slider. Then maybe something like +15 on fill light and +5 on the blacks. Then go back in with subtler adjustments on her teeth and eyes. I wouldalso back off slightly on the skin smoothing, which I can assume was done with the clarity slider (?) and also put in some sharpening to get some edge definition back. Keep at it!

 

[shuttermountain]

The original image has too much brown colors which tend to blend into each other. This B&W version I did looks much better...at least to me.

 

[AlexL]

The eyes make her look strange!

 

[pbelarge]

eccs
I actually think you did a fine job for beginning to work on this type of image.

I like the way you smoothed her skin, and if anything, I think it is just a smidge underexposed. (it could also be my screen - which is not calibrated)
Her teeth are a little too white, and if you decide to bring the exposure up, you may have to work on that. You did a nice job taking her eyes and making them more of the focal point.
If you are going to work on the backround, then be careful you do not blow out her image.

Of course, I have zero experience with protraits other than I have viewed them casually for years.

* I really do not like the B&W rendering at all...again, just my opinion.

 

[Tee]

On the first edit, the skin looks too much (like the glam rock groupies caking on their foundation). I'd sharpen it a just a tad. Have you tried the healing tool to soften the lines under her eyes?

 

[Derrel]

I like the original poster's retouched image, but when the teeth are whitened up that much in post, it makes the whites of her eye look quite dingy and reddened, in comparison to those pearly white teeth! Her skin looks pretty good in the retouched original shot. I'd agree too with whoever suggested a bit of smoothing of the under-eye wrinkles...a little bit there can really make a difference.

 

[sovietdoc]

What about this version? I think teeth are a bit too bright..
Original

EDIT

 

[eccs19]

Thanks for all the replies. Before I posted, I was debating as to if I had over done it or not. Seems the opinions are across the board, so I guess a lot of it is based on preference. One person commented about the white background, but for reference, it wasn't a white background. I'll have to play with it some more and see what I can come up with. You've all given me ideas. The Black & white is interesting, as that was what she was planning on doing with the pictures. Personally I didn't like it, but it was for her, and admittedly I'm not a big fan of black & white except under certain conditions. I think next time I'll play with the picture crop as suggested, and over all picture exposure, then play with the other touch ups I originally did, but adjust to the new exposure.

Thanks once again, greatly appreciated, and good learning experience.

 

[eccs19]

Took a few minutes and made some adjustments based on the various feedback given in this thread. Here's what I came up with. Added some sharpening to the skin softening, made the eye's not so bright, also made the teeth not so bright, plus adjusted my crop & overall exposure.

edit - just noticed I've got some sensor dust to clean up also.