I love the Baby Legs on the arms. I love the knit hat. I love the color of that tree in the background. I shudder to see the Bumpo…I had a Bad Mommy experience with one and we will leave it at that… Seriously, the colors are so tremendous in this image, I almost overlooked the dappled sunlight on the sweet baby’s face. But it being Fix It Friday, I could not shrink from the challenge.
I used Adobe Camera Raw, Photoshop CS5 and absolutely NO ACTIONS! I wanted to challenge myself and I think I did okay. You be the judge. 
Here is our image, straight out of camera:
The colors are a bit lifeless and our subject needs a bit more brightness to her face. So I pulled the image into Adobe Camera Raw, using Command+R in Mac, and made the following adjustments:
Temperature 5150, Exposure +0.30, Blacks +11, Clarity +14
Sharpen +83, Luminance 24
Vignette -48
And then I enter Photoshop CS5 with this image:
Even though the image is at 2:3 ration, I still crop it to 4×6, 600 ppi. Just because that’s what I do.
Create a Duplicate Layer with Command+J, then go to Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask with 84%/1.7 pixels/2 level. Add a curves layer, raise the midpoint to brighten the baby, then go back and erase the layer from the background areas with a 50% opacity. I only want the baby brightened. Add a Levels layer with 15/1.13/247 and again erase off the background with a 50% opacity. Flatten.
Create another Duplicate Layer with Command+J then change the blending mode to Soft Light. Reduce the layer opacity to 50%. Erase from the face with 40% opacity. Flatten.
Create another Duplicate Layer with Command+J and use the patch tool to remove the under eye circles. Reduce the layer to 67% so the effect is not too fake in appearance. Flatten.
To reduce the highlighted area on the left side of the face, as we look at the picture, use the eyedropper tool to sample color from the right side cheek area. Switch to the brush tool, using a 50% opacity to lightly paint the new color over the highlight. Take as many samples as necessary to get a realistic look. A light hand is definitely the way to go, lest you create a very artificial look. Flatten.
I employed the magical Content Aware feature of CS5 to get rid of the light in the yard on the right side of the picture. I then used the clone tool to touch up the result.
I then added a Photo Filter layer with the Warming Filter (85) at 73%. Flatten.
I decided to add one more layer of sharpening. Create a Duplicate Layer, Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask, 65%/2.3 pixels/2 level. Flatten.
I cropped to 5×7 and eliminated the little pit of area over the baby’s head where the fence ended and have this final edit:
When I am not changing a diaper, singing songs about the colors or counting by 5s, I can be found behind my camera or my computer screen, doing anything photography related. If you happen through Central Texas, be sure to look me up and take a gander at this crazy life I live! Until then, be sure to follow me on my BLOG or on FACEBOOK.
