Antipode. I like that, I tried the clone stamp but I must be using it wrongly because it came out even more blotchy.

Oh, I see the texture too.

AuntiPode wrote:
Any portrait photographer can tell you, "real" is over-rated. Most women prefer a kinder vision.

I agree, most women prefer the Photoshop look, however my wife sometimes ask me in the morning if she had put too much make up. I guess that she prefers to have a more realistic skin. Just enought to show the smooth pores, and even skin.

Years ago, when I made my living doing portrait work, the single question most often asked by adult women was:

"Can you remove those lines?"

Somehow I doubt human nature has changed.

Oh how I wish I'd had the power of Photoshop back in the day. Color re-touching was expensive and the lab turn-around times, glacial. (I never learned the brush skills.)

I see your point Jlandaue. This is also a larger question about whether or not
there is such a thing as "realistic" photography since unless you are making
pinhole images, all images are mediated. Even film has to be processed w/
chemicals even if done in camera obscura.

My version of the skin was done with Topaz Labs. One of the plugin they have is "Topaz Clean 2" and it has a setting for sking textures.

legalhack wrote:
Antipode. I like that, I tried the clone stamp but I must be using it wrongly because it came out even more blotchy.


Clone stamp smoothing takes practice. The biggest mistake is to use a high opacity and a hard edged flow. Use a low opacity and many small changes. Also change brush size. Choice of what to copy is also critical. Small displacements, carefully repeated smoothes wrinkles, but it takes practice to learn the skills. You've got a candidate image. Try it! It may take a few hours of experimentation to get the feel for it.

jlandaue wrote:
My version of the skin was done with Topaz Labs.


How do you like their plug-ins?

AuntiPode wrote:
jlandaue wrote:
My version of the skin was done with Topaz Labs.


How do you like their plug-ins?


I like them, so far I have bought Topaz Adjust, and Topaz Clean 2. The effects are pretty impressive, and the plugin controls are very powerful.

They have trial versions and it really gives you a chance to test before you buy.

Tried the clone stamp and a plethora of other things...