In what stages do I edit a portrait CS4

[captainjack]

I have been on a few Studio shoots to get more experience of working with models, I have a lot of portrait and model Photos to edit in cs4

Is there a set way of editing

Like do I sharpen first, or edit the the skin
set the Levels, or does it depend on the lighting and the model
skin as some has great skin and some with freckles

Thanks for any help or advice

 

[JasonRS]

That's a question that has many many different answers, as there's no "right" way, just workflow we feel comfortable with.

For me, it runs along the lines of....

Colour, HSL, Levels
Major blemish removal with "smart" cloning
Dodge / Burn to even tones
Localised sharpening using High Pass

Liquify / Transform (unless it's a composite, then these are done first as you create the comp and treat it as one image)

Overall sharpening isn't done until it's output for its final destination (Print, Screen, glossy or matte paper etc)

 

[tiler65]

As above but I first check my White Balance just in case I do not like what I though was right when shooting. (always shoot in raw so that the White Balance can be altered better)

 

[The23rdman]

For me it's pretty much as above. I prefer to use exposure layer masks for my dodge and burn though as it's easier, IMO, to be accurate.

I also lab sharpen.

 

[tiler65]

For me it's pretty much as above. I prefer to use exposure layer masks for my dodge and burn though as it's easier, IMO, to be accurate.

I also lab sharpen.

I actually use channels and calculations to do my dodge & burn.