Need help fixing hair color

[RuggerJoe]

Need help fixing the hair colorin a photo of a friend. In the pic, my friend's hair seems very brown, but it is actually dark red. But I can't seem to get it get her hair looking right without making her look like she has a sun burn. Whats the best way to touch this up? Suggestions?

[Radtech1]

There are about a million and fourteen ways to do this. My favorite (mostly because I know how) is a three layer method.

1) Take the shot and make 2 more layers.

2) Activate the middle layer and adjust the hue till you have the hair the way you want.

3) Then activate the top layer and using the erase tool, set at about 10%, begin erasing her hair from the top layer. Don't forget the eyebrows as well. This will allow the hue adjusted middle layer to show through.

4) If you over shoot and decide you have erased too much, you can erase out of the hue adjusted middle layer, allowing the uncorrupted bottom original to blend back in as well.

5) When you are happy, flatten.

This took me longer to type what I did, than to actually do it.

Rad

[rudgej]

Nice technique Rad. :)

[jbkalla]

Love those layers!!

[sorashell]

Pretty color, but it doesn't look natural to me, and if she's a natural red head, that's important. :)

Here's my go at it and it's probably too subtle. I also made a duplicate layer, adjusted the bottom layer and reduced the opacity of the top layer, then applied some noise reduction.


Oh, and the reason I know how to touch up the red hair?

http://www.crystalsboard.com/users/sorashell/avatar.jpg

Same hair color!

[jbkalla]

Very nice, April! :-)

I thought both looked good, but I wouldn't know natural red from insane crazy red...

[Bookmarks]

The entire photo was color corrected first and then the hair was lasso'd and fixed with curves level. Also desaturated teeth a bit to make a bit whiter.

62896

[PhotosGuy]

This may help for fine details: Create a layer mask from image detail
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=100077

I'd just use an adjustment layer & paint in the changes, similar to what Rad did, except that using a Layer Mask allows you to make later changes where erasing can't be reversed at a later time.

Take a look at Layer Masks for a non-destructive method to make changes:
Layer Masks:
Dynamic range question...
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=135097
RAitch Tutorial - Burn and Dodge with a Layer
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=810581#post810581
Tutorial - Create a layer mask from image detail
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=100077
Masks - Lightening
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=977235#post977235
Another example using Masks (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=108256) is

here.

Russell Brown Tips & Techniques: Advanced Masking
http://www.russellbrown.com/tips_tech.html
Scottes: Tutorial: Masking for Noise Reduction (Big!)
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=48929

[RuggerJoe]

Well after playing with it for a bit, I think I finally got something I liked. In the end I had something like 7 layers (2 hair adjustmets, teeth, smoothing, etc) Thanks for all you suggestions. I think I was trying to do it quick and dirty...once I started wroking deliberatly with your suggestions it was a ten fold improvement.

So what do you think?

[md_129]

Looks much better. Good Job!

[sorashell]

Now that's a redhead! Nice job!

[Chazs]

Well after playing with it for a bit, I think I finally got something I liked. In the end I had something like 7 layers (2 hair adjustmets, teeth, smoothing, etc) Thanks for all you suggestions. I think I was trying to do it quick and dirty...once I started wroking deliberatly with your suggestions it was a ten fold improvement.

So what do you think?

Don't forget the eye brows.

[RuggerJoe]

I didn't...she's not a natural red head. :)