Please leave the chatter here so the thread can stay clear for voting.

Thanks!

This was very nice of you to do, im sure the OP of the original thread will appreciate it

Sure, no problem!

I like minimalist retouching where I see the final image and not post-processing.

I used this as a basis for my vote in the thread and my method for judgment was misread by another member.

I'd like to clarify my standpoint and show you some work by a few people who are talented retouchers that specialize in the type of retouching that I like- minimalist.  Of course, they can go crazier, too.

Here are two examples...

Since the work is not mine, I won't post it here but I will post the websites for you to see for yourself.

http://www.photobeautique.com/porfolio.html#

http://www.sydstudios.com/retouching/index.html

You still see pores.

Images pop.  I don't look at the final image and see post-work- I just see a strong image.

I prefer this style.

Both of these websites show an ability to retouch the image so it looks minimalist, as well as the ability to add things that were not there to begin with- creative composites, etc.

To be able to do both is a skill and shows the talent that these people have.