I would have stopped at replacing the background.

You are probably right...had some unwanted effects masking it...and then i went overboard...which i usually do :o( I shall try that though, just replacing the background. Somehow, LOL.

same as Onslow - now it is kind of artificial (not bad though...)

Interesting to see the before and after..... Hmmmmm.... maybe a little overboard on the postwork, but the original has a lot of distractions in it..... Cute kid!

Attached Link: http://www.dcmag.co.uk/news/article/mps/UAN/398/v/1/sp/

Thanks alot! I shall play around a little bit more with this one later....next project....

would think this would look pretty good large! cropped vertically... i like the red, although the blue would've been fine, maybe tone it down a bit & the darker parts in her hair, bring some of the softness back by layering it back in... her facial tones looks good... & the hairpin flowers could be changed to red to match... worth working on! :]

Thank you Cindy #:o)

really the more i look at it the more i really like it!! with the red, it matches her lips & her eyes really stand out so blue... you've really got something here imo :] by layering in another one underneath with similar contrast & erasing back you can bring back some of the lightness, detail & softness & still keep the fade to black around the edges, hope that make sense

Message edited on: 03/20/2005 11:21

It makes alot of sense! Thank you for supporting me, LOL. Too bad it came a few minutes too late....i deleted my Photoshop-file before your first reply...sigh...me need to redo it...sigh even more....ah well....thanks anyway, ill have another go at it some other day. Feels good though knowing someone shared my taste ;o)

sorry, Andreas, but i just LOVE the original!!!! i agree with Richard...would have stopped after getting rid of the background. she's such an adorable kid, and i LOVE her hair...always did love hair that color!!! in your postworked version, i think the hair is not flattering to her. i guess that's just all about personal taste though. the other thing i like about the original is how that blue sweater matches her eyes. i also like the first one better because she looks natural. in the 2nd one it kinda looks like she's wearing lipstick, and i don't like to see that on kids. again, that's just me. now this will probably sound silly, but the other thing i like about the first one are those splotches on her face. you know...it's like she just finished running around or doing some activity...or maybe she just woke up. maybe with Cindy's advice, you can make the 2nd one look a bit more natural. sorry, Andreas!!!! :( am curious to see how you rework it though!

Message edited on: 03/20/2005 12:59

Halfway down the thread I was being my usually controversial self by thinking the second one was better. I really prefer it, even though I go against the majority! (3k?) But this last one - yeah that's REALLY kewl!! Damn, don't let Joe Public see it, or they'll be throwing their boring kids' pics at you forever!! The only ickle comment I have is at the marked difference between her face and her neck where they meet in the pic - they neck is just too harsh for my liking. That's only my opinion, though. (",)

she looks wonderful! maybe just a bit darker on the backgd as it seems a little too much red, wonder how dark blue would look... like mike, just an opinion... you've really taken this far & have done a splendid job of it! I hope you will post it :]

Wow!!!! Now this looks a LOT better! She looks sooooo much better against that gorgeous background!! how did you do that? did you use that studio type backdrop that Richard suggested? i think Cindy may be right...maybe just i tiny bit darker background might make this look even better!!! the lipstick looks a lot better here too! not as harsh. what did you do to fix that? and i see you made her hair look better too!!! You said it's hard to recover the hair color, but whatever you did certainly does make her hair look a lot better than in your 1st postworked version! the tones seem to be more evened out. sorry, hard to describe! i also really like that subtle outline or shadow that's around her!!! not sure exactly what that is but it looks great! And the framing is perfect!!! agree with Mike on this...you show this one off you're gonna get all kinds of people asking you for help doing their kids' portraits!!! ok...forget the original...you've sold me on this one!!! high 5s Andreas!!!! :)

By George, I think He's got it!!! (",) and don't even ASK who George is ;-)

LOL...again i cross-post with you Sheila!!! No, i never used that background drop...that required reading, and im not to kean on that, LOL.

hehe... you're going to make me get pickey, ahhhh... i do like the blue but even darker, like the outer rim of her iris & the lips as they were in the red backgd... might change monitors if i was you... personally i can never see the color/brightness on my laptop as well as my desktop but maybe yours is different :]

like the red background and the red lipstick better i think!!! when i get home from work i'll have more time to look, but that red background and the lipstick looks so dramatic!! i know i said i don't like lipstick, but in this one it looks great! LOL!!!! but both are great!!!!!!laterzzzzzz.....duty calls. must go to work!

LOL!!! oh gawd, i'm so sorry that's too vivid of a blue for my taste... it's difficult to comment on someone else's WIP, so much is trial & error... hard to explain... if you like the red, please, pleeeeeeeease do the red :]

Vivid eh...hmmm..back to work i suppose then #:op

I DEFINATELY prefer the first blue background one ;-) (",)

I like #17 best. I would not make up her face/lips so much because she looses too much innocence.

Sigh....inhales....sigh....

I definetely prefer the one with the dark red background Andreas!! Cute shot!

Poor Andreas!!!! You're probably in your bed tossing and turning with nightmares about this image!!!! LOL! ok, i've studied these some more and i'm still drawn to that one with the red background!!! i know i said i didn't like the lipstick initially, but when i compare it to the others i DO like the lipstick since you changed it from the one in #1. of the blue backgrounds, i like the last one the best. but for some reason, i just prefer the red background one. maybe it has something to do with her eyes contrasting against the red? dunno. oh yeah, uh...Andreas...did you notice she has a wee bit of red in her eyes that you might like to fix????? sheepish grins Sorrrrrrrrr-eeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!! you really did an awesome job with this!!!! and whichever one you choose will be just fine!!!! it's YOUR picture and we all have difference preferences...(as you noticed!!!!) :)

LOL, yes Sheila.....so I noticed ;o) Im with you and Pascale actually. I too prefer the red one....sigh...fix it when i get home from work #:O)

A 'lil bit of red in her eyes??? Oh my! I might need glasses but...I can't see it! :(

Ssshh...neither can I Pascale..but play along..Sheila seems to worry about her sight lately so we shouldnt worry her too much ;o)

LMAO!! Of course! I can see it now!! Silly me!! ;) As for good enough to upload, I'm afraid u gonna have to be the judge of that dear! I know, I wasn't very helpful here! :(

sigh my eyes must be REALLY bad!!! Andreas, i totally love it, and if it were ME, I would definitely upload it in my gallery!!!!! a before & after collage would be a cool thing to show too!!! :) You really did great!!!!!!!!

The last one on 3-21 w/the red back is great and I think as far as the lipstick I like it lighter as she is a young girl and it makes her look better w/the light color lips not too light though lol otherwise this last one would be my favorite. great job sheis a beauty

The last one on 3-21 w/the red back is great and I think as far as the lipstick I like it lighter as she is a young girl and it makes her look better w/the light color lips not too light though lol otherwise this last one would be my favorite. great job she is a beauty