Blue color cast on skin, help!

I recently did a shoot with a 7 week old baby and got a couple of shots that I need help saving. I worked really hard getting these poses but unfortunately he was laying on a blue felt material I had and it made the skin tones a nightmare. I am very new to photography and even more to editing so I need help correcting this. Right now I have elements 8 and Lightroom 3. I have purchased CS5 but my computer is running so slow and needs to be cleaned out before I download it in.....
I have posted in kids and family and received a lot of help but still can't get it quite right. Here is my latest attempt using a tutorial a memeber here sent me but it still looks a little off to me. I would LOVE any tips for the programs I use. There are several shots with the same problem!
My first attempt using lightroom 3

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/50431408@N08/4​972292821/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/50431408@N08/4​981332780/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/50431408@N08/4​972293061/

Did you shoot these raw? If so, have you tried tweaking the white balance?

Yes they were shot in RAW and I have changed the white balance with no success!

Here's my attempt at it though I think I might have overdone it a touch.

I'm a PP NUG so please take this into consideration....

In the attached image, I made some small curves adjustments to to the red and blue channels to give the baby's skin a slight pink cast, then created a <not very accurate> mask using the red channel to keep the adjustments from effecting the blanket.

I know you mentioned that the last image you posted was the "worst" - but it does not appear to have a cast at all. I'm using Photoshop in LAB color space to evaluate, which makes it very easy to see the cast. In that pic, the baby's skin has light pink cast which is nice. Perhaps it just appears blue because it is a bit flat - which I understand may be preferred. I attached a copy with some different processing (replaced red/green channels with blue to restore detail and applied small curves adjustment to lighten).

These are just examples and both need more work.

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It really doesn't look that bad to me, but I guess I don't know what the real skin looks like.

Have you tried the adjust for skin color tool in PSE?

(Enhance -> Adjust Color -> Adjust color for skin tones)

tkbslc wrote in post #10894898
It really doesn't look that bad to me, but I guess I don't know what the real skin looks like.

Have you tried the adjust for skin color tool in PSE?

(Enhance -> Adjust Color -> Adjust color for skin tones)

That method seems to work very well, and it's quick and easy!

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123

lonelyjew wrote in post #10892941
Here's my attempt at it though I think I might have overdone it a touch.

I can't get the exif data so I'm not sure what your WB setting was but a gray card for custom WB would have probably worked best. In any case if you go into the color balance in photoshop and up the yellow and red you can fix the white balance pretty easily.

Thank you!! I am pretty sure my wb was set on auto, I will have to double check. Thank you for the edit!!

S.Wood wrote in post #10894837
I'm a PP NUG so please take this into consideration....

In the attached image, I made some small curves adjustments to to the red and blue channels to give the baby's skin a slight pink cast, then created a <not very accurate> mask using the red channel to keep the adjustments from effecting the blanket.

I know you mentioned that the last image you posted was the "worst" - but it does not appear to have a cast at all. I'm using Photoshop in LAB color space to evaluate, which makes it very easy to see the cast. In that pic, the baby's skin has light pink cast which is nice. Perhaps it just appears blue because it is a bit flat - which I understand may be preferred. I attached a copy with some different processing (replaced red/green channels with blue to restore detail and applied small curves adjustment to lighten).

These are just examples and both need more work.

THank you!! Funny you don't see the blues in his skin, it is driving me crazy each time I look! Maybe I have looked at it too many times lol! Great edits!

tkbslc wrote in post #10894898
It really doesn't look that bad to me, but I guess I don't know what the real skin looks like.

Have you tried the adjust for skin color tool in PSE?

(Enhance -> Adjust Color -> Adjust color for skin tones)

I did play with that tool a little on a different picture I had of the baby and his big sisters but I'm not sure if I tried it on these, will go try again now! Thanks!

Wallace River wrote in post #10894934
That method seems to work very well, and it's quick and easy!

Going to go try now!

GDane123 wrote in post #10894950
I think I'm quickly becoming known as the anti-christ of photoshop. I use a very basic program and came up with this. Not great, but hope it helps.

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Thank you!

I love your work. I too am just trying to get started. Your photos are great and so are the responses to help you.

Lonely great edit, just a tiny pinch over done but better then the original.

Stacey, there isn't as much of a blue cast as you think, there is just A LOT more blue in the picture then baby lol.
My work flow is to desat the blue completely, apply a hide all layer mask to a saturation adjustment layer and paint to reveal a baby with NO blue cast.
Next I added a color balance adjustment layer just to give the soft fella a little bit more skin tone (pulling the red up a bit) and that's it.

The baby is really pale and all that blue does make him seem a bit lifeless. Here is my edit and a side-by-side comparison to show you how little blue reflection there really was. Keep his skin soft and pale, it is his natural state.

My edit

tkbslc wrote in post #10894898
It really doesn't look that bad to me, but I guess I don't know what the real skin looks like.

Have you tried the adjust for skin color tool in PSE?

(Enhance -> Adjust Color -> Adjust color for skin tones)

Is there something like this in CS5?

What I usually do in photoshop when skin tone is critical:

1. Place three or four color sampler points on the skin in areas that are not in highlight or shadow. One will always be off (#2 in this example)
2. In the little info window (top right box): change the representation from RGB to CMYK ( you can do this by clicking on the eyedropper for each point and selecting CMYK.
3. Caucasian skin tones (looking at the percent number: yellow should be the highest number; magenta should be very close but slightly lower; cyan should be anywhere from 1/10 to 1/3 of the yellow percentage -- it can occassionally be more than 1/3 up to 1/2. There should be a 0% for black (k).

Your evaluation is correct -- there is a blue cast. It is measured by the very low Yellow percentage realtive to cyan and magenta. You also have a very high cyan percentage relative to the others.

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I had forgotten about this post until I came across this picture in my flickr account today! Thank you so much for all the replies and edits! I need to go back through and give each of yours a try! Here is my last attempt lol

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/50431408@N08/5​035039932/

Great edit,

That is def something to be proud of.

Keep em coming.