In this photo session, I am turning the image into a stark and moody duotone, as opposed to enhancing the picture. I first convert it to a black-and-white picture with the “Polarizer” (to bring out the bridge towers — otherwise, they become too dark for the picture), and then I do various functions to bring the tone down, such as using the Vignette — note in the video that I use the Quick Edit “Fill Light Control” to keep the shadows up.
This 60-second image enhancement & retouch shows how just a few changes can make a big difference an image. Though Sagelight has the Skin Smoothing retouch feature, this was not needed here. I added a soft-focus and the enhanced the contrast with the Dodge and Burn Brush. The was smoothed by the soft glow, and then sharpness was added back in via the contrast I added with the soft glow. I went especially contrasty in this picture, as her black jacket and hair, combined with the pink stripe of her hair complemented by her lips of the same color; all this made me want to create a very stark image to highlight her beautiful face — and that look! For an example of more skin smoothing and retouching, see the “Sarah Palin Newsweek Cover” retouch/skin-smoothing 1-minute video I posted. See the annotations in the video