>>3179953 >the problem is I don't know what I should be aiming for on the simplest level. what is good skin, what is bad skin. Really great question. >3179959 Made some great points - it depends what the purpose of your image is. Is it a senior photo? Just remove blemishes, unify the skin tone, white balance, good histogram, outputsharpening. For beauty shots, it takes lots more work.
- High frequency details must be unified. Pleasing texture, even sharpness...ect
- Skin tone must be perfect (no uneven blotches of color or saturation)
- stray hairs removed
- Underlying highlights and shadow shapes are sleek and pleasing to the eye
- Image must be expertly sharpened.
The best way to train your eye is to look at reference images, especially magazine ads. While there are tons of sliders and layer adjustments possible, they all exist to correct certain issues. If you don't see a problem with the luminance of the reds, don't touch that slider. If you notice that the skin tone has some red blotching, target that specific red and pull the hue slider to the left. Changes should be compositionally minded, meaning to remove distractions, enhance focal points, and help lead the eye. Natalia Taffarel once told me "just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD." (too bad I didn't follow that advice when I worked on that train b&w image lol). What makes the image/narrative/composition stronger, and what detracts. A common newbie mistake is thinking more contrast and cross processing looks good. Sometimes it does, but it depends on the image. Keep asking yourself what your changes contribute to the image. How they change the mood and composition.
When you're starting out with editing it does seem overwhelming. I suggest sticking with the most simple toolset you can until you run into something you have trouble correcting, then expand your repertoire. Post for critique often (on here and on industry forums) to further develop your eye.
