family C&C please

Thank you all for your comments. I will try that mask to protect and dodge. Im still learning and that would make it easier.
Thanks

Ben,
Firstly I think the pose is absolutely great! Although "formal" portraits (especially ladies) certainly benefit from not being "front on" as it makes the torso appear very wide - hence turning the body 45 deg with the head pointing towards the camera helps a lot.

Your background might be better using the healing tool (rather than the cloning tool) as this blends the pixels rather than a straight replacement of them (which can cause "edges")

If you are looking at your pic on an LCD monitor (as I did when I made my last comment), try tipping the screen right back - you will then find that the editted areas are quiet clearly visible, it is these areas that I feel will show up when printed.

I think you may have a job on your hands smoothing this, as it's a bit like applying filler to a wall when doing a DIY job, the more you try and get it smooth - the more frustrating it gets!!

You might need to duplicate the layer, paint over the background, then remove it leaving the group showing through.

Take your time, It'll be worth it I'm sure.

TJ