Old Edits vs. New Edits Part II

This is part two of the Old Edits vs. New Edits post.  I'd like to document my editing style changes.  So let me jump right into it and rip my photograph edits apart!

This first collage contains one of my favorite pictures of Livvy.  You can see from the original that it is a bit dark, but otherwise a good picture.  It has good composition, color, and contrast.  The middle version is my old edit.  I adjusted the exposure to brighten it up.  I also used a blurring tool to blur everything but her face which I felt at the time was just about the coolest action ever.  I've since changed my mind about this action.  Now, looking back, it just seems silly.  The last version is my current edit.  I adjusted the exposure and brightened it up.  Once brightened, it lost some of it's contrast so I boosted the contrast a little.  I used a skin smoothing action from Paint the Moon to smooth out, ever so slightly, some of the lines from under her eyes.  I adjusted the color and saturated some of the yellows as I felt it was a little too warm for my taste.  I also sharpened her face and added a subtle vignette.

This next shot is another favorite!  My middle version scares me a little.  What the heck was I thinking?  I removed so many lines from her face, particularly around the eyes, that she looks plastic.  I can't believe I'm actually guilty of creating plastic looking people.  And what bothers me most is that I would want to alter the lines, shadows, and wonderful imperfections of Livvy at all especially when these things are all responsible for making her, well, her!  To be fair to myself, it wasn't that I thought she needed it by any means.  It was more of kid in a candy store type of thing.  The candy being the overwhelming number of actions and tools at my disposal.  It almost seemed a shame not to use them.  Anyhow, the last version which is my current edit makes me smile.  I still think it needs some color correction, but I did what I could to improve it.

My original photograph in this next collage, I think, came out great!  I love the lighting, the shadows, catch lights, the BIG chubba cheeks, etc.  My middle version is my old edit.  Yes folks, I did it again!  More plastic!  You will see in my most current edit, the last photograph, that I kept it real! 

These last few are a close-up.  Although I cut off her eye, something about it just works!  I love what you would think is a posed shot, is really candid.  The hand by her chin is so adorable and the fact that I was able to snap that shutter just in time to catch her smiling at momma was amazing.  The original is blurry and her skin seems a little orangy.  In my old edit, the second photograph, I brightened it a little too much.  I also used a skin smoothing tool for her entire face and that silly blurring effect again.  I brightened the whites of her eyes a little too much.  Is anyone else scared?  For my most current edit I decided to go with black & white.  I used the Peach Tea action from Paint the Moon.  I love the tones of whites and grays it adjusts your picture to.  It's very warm.  Lastly, I used a spot healing brush to remove some of her blemishes and sharpened her entire face.