removing red in faces

I have photographed a couple of older guys with red faces. Any good ideas on how to tackle this via photoshop. I have tried selected desaturation, but have not been pleased with the results.

Thanks Francis

try:

duplicate the layer

remove some red in one

add some yellow maybe in the other

keep the yellow one on top and play with the opacity(sp?)

duplicating layers in PP can yield you results to be pleased with

What format are the pictures? If raw you may be able to do multiple corrections via layers and then erase much as done with multiplicity shots.

Actually you can use ACR to correct them even if they are jpg.

its hard to guess which solution works without the image to see.
add a channel mixer layer.
set red = 50% red + 50% green (this will lower any red and still leave neutral tone unchanged)
adjust opacity of this layer to taste (something in the 30-50% opacity)
if you see some improvement, there is more to do with channel mixing for skin tones.

Why don't you post a picture so we can take a crack for you.

How about taking the mid-section of the curve down on the Red channel?

cdifoto wrote in post #4860673
How about taking the mid-section of the curve down on the Red channel?

yes! we need a picture to diagnose the problem. the correct solution depends on WB on you image:
Is the WB is correct or not ?
Is the WB if the lights correct ?
Is the WB of the shadows correct ?
Is the WB of mid-tones correct ?
if you answer yes to all these questions, channel mixing, possibly under control of a blend-if condition, is the best method to change colors tones and still have a natural look after.
if you have a WB issue in any of the dark/midtones/light compartiment, you better want to address this first (with curves, as cdifoto suggested), and tweak your skin tones after.

Try:
Create a Hue/Saturation/Lightne​ss layer
Select Reds from where it says Master
Click on the reddest part of their face
Find and click the eye dropper with the minus sign (-) and click on some skin that is about the right color
move the Hue slider all the way to the left (photo will look weird--don't worry)
On the little rainbow, below the Lightness slider there are 2 wedges. Move the right-hand wedge to the left and you will see the weird colors on the image fade until just the worst of the red is like purple.
Now move the Hue slider to Zero and then into the positive range--usually +6 to +12 is enough.

Good luck.

Download the trial version of the photo tune plugins (fully working for 30 days) and try the skintone correction plugin that comes with it, soo good I had to buy it myself.

Link
http://www.ononesoftwa​re.com/detail.php?prod​Line_id=27

Thanks for the help. I will post an image in the future to see what you can do. Would you like it canon raw or jpg?

On another subject how small do you have to make a picture to include it on an avatar?
I can't get my small enough!

I am no PS geek, but best PS method I've used is one entitled "Unifying skin color & tone" by Jack Davis and Ben Willmore in their book, "How to Wow, PS for Photography." Their simple speedy reliably repeatable 30 second correction - powerful yet easier than curves - made me more money fixing red face skin on the first use than the price of the book, and has done so many times since. It is more than worth price of the book, which is due out soon in its 3rd edition. Jack Davis has many good fixes to his name and many software companies like OnOne use his techniques.

This is common problem in digital with fair-skinned subjects in contrasty light, or sweaty subjects, because digital camera sensors are sensitive to near-IR light even though they have IR filters. On these subjects, the blood in vessels under the fair skin reflect near IR which is captured by the sensor. The same thing happens strongly when photographing babies, people with blemishes, etc.

SmugMug must get a lot of returned prints, because they have posted a slightly less effective variation of Jack Davis' method on their web site. Not quite as focused:
http://www.smugmug.com​/help/red-skin-tones

If you shoot RAW, and the recorded skin defect is mild, you can just shift the HUE of red toward yellow.
If it severe, you need a technique like Davis' above.
Most times I encounter it, it is bad and needs the fix before going to print.

Jack