I posted a couple of images on the web that I processed with Portrait Pro, I just used the images the way they were processed by the program. I like your program but maybe the default settings are a bit too much. These are the comments I got from internet viewers:

Hey Tommy,

The images are nice, but.....way over retouched! The images of her face no longer look real!

Joe

have to agree with Joe, especially the second one. Nobody wants to look like a mannequin... uh, no offense to all you mannequins out there!

Hi Tommy,

We are aware that the default settings are not going to be ideal for everyone, but as getting it right for everyone is not possible, we are planning to allow the user to choose their own default settings for new images. Do you think this will help?

Tony

    Tony,
I know the look is subjective but I was surprised when critics say it was over the top. I thought it looked pretty good so I would not know where to begin if I could do my own settings. I wonder what other users think. I have attached another image they said was over processed.
Best,
Tommy

Hi Tommy,

It certainly is very subjective! What is interesting, and perhaps surprising, is how much opinion varies. It seems to depend a lot on the target audience. A photo that is over the top to a photographer working at the artistic end of the spectrum, could still be far less processed than something appearing on the cover of a 'lads mag'.

Tony


[quote=tommytomaso]
Tony,
I know the look is subjective but I was surprised when critics say it was over the top. I thought it looked pretty good so I would not know where to begin if I could do my own settings. I wonder what other users think. I have attached another image they said was over processed.
Best,
Tommy

Definitely looks plasticky!

You can always override the defaults and subdue the results. It is very easy to overdo things, I call it a trigger-finger thing.

Hi Tommy
Nice pics, however i have to agree with the earlier post, that the shin tones are slighly overdone, and need to be backed off slightly, the mix of a natural setting and pose combined with these skin tones appears a bit clashy. these levels would probably work better in a studio setting where the overall look is slightly over the top.

    Hello There!
All is well... Since the program changes, the default settings work much better, much more subtle.  I don't really want to tweak a whole lot.
The new defaults are pretty close most of the time. Job well done.
Best,
Tommy

Well done Tommy.

Well I've experimented on several images lit several different ways and and I've found the better the lighting is on the original image the better the retouching looks. If the original was an uninteresting flat lit snapshot, the PP one is going to be a retouched uninteresting flat lit snapshot, but if the original was a beautiful well lit portrait, the pp image is going to be a retouched well lit image that looks even more beautiful.

One last thing, images on your computer screen will look considerably different from the same image printed onto photographic paper.

Ben