More retouches... Options

[Maccabee]

I decided to do some retuches after seeing the markster's...
Before I continue doing more I want to see what you think. And I need to do better.
My bro will be pretty mad at me for posting these but...

Before:
http://i43.tinypic.com/aw2jwm.jpg


After:
http://i44.tinypic.com/35dcl7p.png
(I sorta think I ruined this one with that lighting but I merged the layer on accident...o and for some reason I cant post thumbs?!)

I personally dont like these pics cause his hair isnt styled like it usually is and I dont like the angle and stuff...
O and once I get some comments and criticism I'm gonna delete this thread cause my bro really will be angry.

And my other bro:
(this is supposed to be a funny face. He doesnt have downsyndrome.)

Beofre:
Before
After:
after
(minor change)

[Gigi]

I don't really like these because you manipulated the lighting in such a way that it doesn't look natural anymore. You completely removed the natural shadows/highlights in the first one and rearranged them to your own liking, although I didn't think it was necessary. In fact, the before picture in the first one had much more impact with the lighting and all you really needed to do was some non-destructive airbrushing.

Although you said the merging was off and the lighting was messed up, I'm pretty certain that even if it was what you intended it to look like, the lighting would still be funky.

Similarly with the second one, I wish you didn't darken the natural highlight in the cheeks (it looks like he put brown powder on his cheeks as blush - not attractive and sort of dirty looking) but I like that you tried to fix the chin, although it's a bit blurry (Tip: don't use smudge tool, use the Liquify filter).

[Maccabee]

I don't really like these because you manipulated the lighting in such a way that it doesn't look natural anymore. You completely removed the natural shadows/highlights in the first one and rearranged them to your own liking, although I didn't think it was necessary. In fact, the before picture in the first one had much more impact with the lighting and all you really needed to do was some non-destructive airbrushing.

Although you said the merging was off and the lighting was messed up, I'm pretty certain that even if it was what you intended it to look like, the lighting would still be funky.

Similarly with the second one, I wish you didn't darken the natural highlight in the cheeks (it looks like he put brown powder on his cheeks as blush - not attractive and sort of dirty looking) but I like that you tried to fix the chin, although it's a bit blurry (Tip: don't use smudge tool, use the Liquify filter).

I think I might need to find a diffirent technique for retouching because some other people said it looked weird too.
And for the chin, ya i did use the smudge tool and I wasnt too happy with the results But I kept it cause the picture was very unflattering for his chin.

ALthough unothodox I know my current method is where I select like a cheek, then feather the selection then select to colors from either side of the selection and use a gradient accross and bring down the transperancy a litte.