Please help me fix these images!

[KMW]

Hi,
I hope someone can help me. A client returned her prints because her daughter’s skin looked blotchy and red in some areas. I just bought Spyder2express, calibrated my monitor, retouched the images but my test prints still look blotchy (pigmented and depigmented skin). I’ve tried several times to retouch them but I just can’t seem to get it right. I’m feeling extremely frustrated. I think I may need to buy a new monitor. It looks like her skin is dirty on my monitor and when I scroll down, the discoloration moves. Could someone please help me get through this? I can’t tell you how much I’d appreciate it!
Thanks,
Kathleen

http://kmw.smugmug.com/photos/423765250_PvgAd-L.jpg
http://kmw.smugmug.com/photos/423766654_kRkEh-L.jpg
http://kmw.smugmug.com/photos/423766279_7ppbG-L.jpg
http://kmw.smugmug.com/photos/423767528_BB7g9-L.jpg

http://kmw.smugmug.com/gallery/6641989_PZ5rq/1/423766279_7ppbG

[jfriend]

#1, #2 and #4 just look overexposed to me by at least 1/2 a stop (skin tones too bright thus losing visual detail). Just using a curve to drop the brightness seems to significantly improve them.

[pathfinder]

:agree

In these small images, the skin tones look smooth on my monitor:dunno

[KMW]

:agree

In these small images, the skin tones look smooth on my monitor:dunno

Thank you Jfriend and Pathfinder for replying. Could you please take a look a look at the originals (touched up) and tell me if you see the blotchy skin?

http://kmw.smugmug.com/gallery/6641989_PZ5rq/1/423765250_PvgAd

When I try to make the photos slightly darker, you can see variations in skin tone on her skin. It shows up more in the prints. I tried using the healing brush to even out her skin tone but I'm having problems determining if the problem is with her skin or my monitor. I noticed after I calibrated that white backgrounds are not pure white. It looks speckled gray or like dirt in the screen. I cleaned the outside of my monitor to be sure. You can see it if you zoom in slightly.

Thanks!

[jfriend]

Thank you Jfriend and Pathfinder for replying. Could you please take a look a look at the originals (touched up) and tell me if you see the blotchy skin?

http://kmw.smugmug.com/gallery/6641989_PZ5rq/1/423765250_PvgAd

When I try to make the photos slightly darker, you can see variations in skin tone on her skin. It shows up more in the prints. I tried using the healing brush to even out her skin tone but I'm having problems determining if the problem is with her skin or my monitor. I noticed after I calibrated that white backgrounds are not pure white. It looks speckled gray or like dirt in the screen. I cleaned the outside of my monitor to be sure. You can see it if you zoom in slightly.

Thanks!

I don't see the splotchiness you are discussing, but the images look to me like the skin has been artificially smoothed. I don't see any pores in the skin and some areas of the skin are overexposed enough that detail has been lost. In the last of the four images, detail has been blown from her left hand.

[pathfinder]

I agree with John. There is no skin detail whatsoever, too smooth, too plastic looking.

All detail from the skin has been smoothed out in software processing in some manner. And the skin is over exposed - too bright. This is a look seen in some glamour shots or ad shots but looks abnormal here. This girl is beautiful and does not need this level of processing for her beauty to show, in my opinion.

These are lovely shots, but over cooked in Photoshop or whatever software is being used.

[KMW]

Thank you for telling me this. Do either of you know of any good reasonably priced retouching services or are there any photoshop gurus here on Dgrin who could do this for me? I'm willing to pay someone. I hope that's okay to post here. I am in a jam. I'm going away for a few days and need to purchase a new monitor. I want to do some research and not rush into buying just any monitor. I'd like to have these done for her by Monday and I cannot edit on this monitor. I realize it's Thanksgiving this week but if anyone could help me out, please let me know. I have the orginal files converted from raw to jpeg untouched. Please help!

Thanks,
Kathleen

[aj986s]

...I have the orginal files converted from raw to jpeg untouched....

I'm not a retouch expert, but it seems to me that if you can provide the original raw file, that would be the best foundation to work off of.

[KMW]

I'm not a retouch expert, but it seems to me that if you can provide the original raw file, that would be the best foundation to work off of.

Thank you for your reply. How would I upload a Raw file?

[aj986s]

Thank you for your reply. How would I upload a Raw file?

Hmmm..I see your point. Typical Raw files are usually too big for email. SmugMug doesn't show online as Raw files. Maybe look at some free online file storage services (www.filesanywhere.com (http://www.filesanywhere.com), www.boxnet.com (http://www.boxnet.com), etc found via Google) that may allow you to save and share the files online, regardless of the file type.

[Swartzy]

Kathleen, Sign up on Media Fire (for free) and upload the RAW images. You may email me or PM and I'll fix them for you. Here's Media Fire's site:

http://www.mediafire.com/?r=riwiq

Simply upload these particular shots (not all of them...LOL) onto Media Fire, then there is a place for each photo where you can notify or share. I'll get to work on them right away.

[ElginetPhotos]

Kathleen, Sign up on Media Fire (for free) and upload the RAW images. You may email me or PM and I'll fix them for you. Here's Media Fire's site:

http://www.mediafire.com/?r=riwiq

Simply upload these particular shots (not all of them...LOL) onto Media Fire, then there is a place for each photo where you can notify or share. I'll get to work on them right away.

I have to agree with everyone else here. They look overexposed and "softened" too much. Most likely an easy fix with the RAW files.

I don't see any red blotchyness though....