Retouch attempt

[ALB68]

I saw the thread about split frequency technique used for retouching. I found this photo and thought it would be a good candidate to try this technique. I wanted to keep the subject looking as natural as possible, improving it yet not making her look like some of the typical retouches I see. Quite honestly, good work they may be, but many of them really look unrealistic. Also, I did not use any plug-ins with this, all PS CC. I think it came out well, what say the critics?
Before:

After:

 

[IamSam]

I think you did a great job. I think the complexion is a little light though. Was the color in her hair on purpose?

 

[chrisdesign]

This is a very good retouch Larry.
The skin looks great, but the hair is a bit blueish and the lips are too saturated. Face and hair could be a bit darker.

 

[ALB68]

Thank you.
As usual, hair was( is) a problem. I brought out the detail in the shadows using Shadows/Highlight adjustment and it lightened her hair even more than now. I did make some adjustment but maybe not enough but didn't want to do too much.

This is a very good retouch Larry.
The skin looks great, but the hair is a bit blueish and the lips are too saturated. Face and hair could be a bit darker.

 

[ibclare]

I think it is a very good job ALB. Nice to see your work again.

I agree with Chris, especially about the lips being too saturated. I wonder if you selected the hair and lowered the sat on it whether that might fix the blue problem. It's OK if it's intentional but I wonder if you meant to make it that way. Perhaps, a bit less sharpening or a bit of blur and changing levels/curves/sat would fix it. It looks like an artifact of pulling a curve point too high.

 

[ALB68]

How's this? Settings are the hair. Brought sat down -12 on lips.

 

[ibclare]

Better, much. I don't have suggestions for what else to do to the hair. Maybe Tom Mann or someone else will come by with ideas for you. But overall Larry, I think you did a great job!

 

[ALB68]

I think if this was a photo to just be a remembrance etc it would work . As Chris pointed out, her skin could possibly be a bit darker, but the original wasn't necessarily demonstrating her actual complexion, so it's a guess. It was pleasing to me but that doesn't really mean anything. Thanks for the input.

Better, much. I don't have suggestions for what else to do to the hair. Maybe Tom Mann or someone else will come by with ideas for you. But overall Larry, I think you did a great job!

 

[Parinaa]

I really like what you did.

In my opinion the skin is a bit too "dry" (do you know what I mean?). If you apply a Blur Filter on it, you'd get a better result

and for the hair, go to Hue Saturation --> Blue Channel.

I show you what I mean.

 

[ALB68]

Thank you.
Why the blue channel? It actually isn't blue and it's not yellow,,so how did you arrive at that?

I really like what you did.

In my opinion the skin is a bit too "dry" (do you know what I mean?). If you apply a Blur Filter on it, you'd get a better result

and for the hair, go to Hue Saturation --> Blue Channel.

I show you what I mean.

 

[Parinaa]

If you look at the hair, you see they are blue-ish, so you have to lower its saturation. go to hue/saturation / Blues : Saturation -70.