Chroma Hue wrote:
No.

That's something highly dependent on the image that you are working with.

So true!

This is a VERY complicated subject.
The intrinsic skin tone of the model is only one factor. Ambient colour temperatures and tints vary greatly from one situation to another. Bounced/reflected light is often very different in colour from the main light source, whether that be studio lighting or a blue sky. Depending on context, the colour/tone values of Highlights, Midtones and Shadows can be very close or dramatically different.
The swatch approach may be of interest to a MUA, but for a photographer or retoucher (or painter) it's relevance is questionable.

a k mac wrote:
Happy New Year

Wish you the same!!!

TMA Photo and Training wrote:
Hi Hemali,  Im guessing you are asking about skin tones ??

This post is more of a study or a tutorial on how to find accurate answers to your questions... scientifically and artistically for a retoucher.  Skip this post if you dont like longer replies... apologies for its length.

Some Basics of Skin Colors

Skin is made up of  HUE - the color... SATURATION - how much color... and TONALITY - how bright or dark is the underlying luminance or brightness.

You can have the same HUE Color... but if you vary the underlying brightness below the skin... then... the look and color of the skin will change dramatically!!!   The "same skin color" may end up looking darker, or ruddy, or muddy, grayish, desaturated, or light, or washed out... just by changing the brightness level under the skin color.  These looks and different levels are usually produced in retouching by using a clear, transparent  "curve adjustment layer"  that can create any of these mid tones, or highlights, or shadow colors you need.

Want to become an instant expert in this subject... and have the TRUE answers to this... so you can use it in your retouching???

Here is a valuable professional-grade project that you can do:
 
Make up your own "Skin Color Reference Guide!" See my visual examples below before you start.
   
How to make your own refrence guide:  Find 10 pictures that you love how the skin looks to you.  If you pick Caucasian, or models or Color, or Asian models...they will all have different kinds of skin "colors" and different  "brightness levels".  The brightness levels between Caucasian and Black skin may be quite large depending on what kinds of images you choose.  The Asian model skin may be slightly more yellow and may be just a bit lighter or darker for example.  Each genre of models... and the different kinds of photography, lighting, makeup and moods... will each produce different characteristic colors of skin.  A moody shot may have low luminance numbers... and the same shot taken with a flash... most likely would have higher luminance numbers for the same model and skin.  The skin colors would be very different in a dark moody shot or a bright fashion shot using the same model.   So... pick out and save10 images of the kinds of photographic looks and models you like...You will be picking off the actual skin numbers in each of the 10 images.

Now... Use the color picker tool ( or use a standard brush and hit the option or alt key to make it become a color picker tool.)  Now do this.  Pick up approximately 5 colors in each of the images you are using for samples.  Put the brush tip on the highlight color, alt click to pick up that color...and then paint a small swatch of that color to the right of the picture.  Then pick up a bright skin tone, a mid skin tone, a slightly darker skin tone, and a shadow color.  You will now have 5 color swatches of actual skin colors taken from an actual image!  Make a collection of these highlight, bright, mid, low mid, and shadow skin colors. ( Be careful not to pick up the reddish or brownish Blush Colors on the cheeks...unless you also want blush colors in your study).  Make up a composite image of all 10 skin color swatch pallets.  You will now have 50 actual skin colors to look at and analyze and study!  What are you learning???

If you were a good scientist and artist and retoucher you would go back and hover over each color...and use the info pallet to see and write down the exact Red, Blue, Green numbers of that color.  I like to use Hue, Saturation and Luminance numbers the best because they are obvious to use and learn from and make judgements about. I sometimes also note what the CYMK color is of each color too...so I can go back later and re-create that exact color or tone if its a print project.

NOW, you have 10 samples of highlight colors, ten samples of midtones and ten samples of shadow colors ETC !!!!  Are they all the same??  NO!  Do you like or prefer one or two highlight colors better than others?  Why or what makes the other colors wrong for you?  Too much shine... creating too much whiteness and ruining the colors for your use??    How about the mid tone colors?  Are some of the mid tone colors more red or yellow or brown than others?  Which ones do you like the best?  Same for shadow colors.  It is a real revelation to actually see...and number...and study what skin colors really are! 

So Now...you have a base study and collection of colors for your answers... and what the true colors are...and how to use color and tonality... to make any color of skin you want or need.

Keep these swatch colors.  Make a color pallet out of them... so you will always have them to use forever as highlight, mid and shadow colors to use in your retouching!  Go to the Main Menu > Windows> Color Swatches and see all of the color swatches you already have assembled within Photoshop and ready to use.  Take all of your skin colors from this experiment and pick up each one...then go to the swatches pallet... and right click on the swatches... you will then be prompted to SAVE these skin color swatches forever in your color swatch library!!!  Name them something meaningful and use them whenever you like!!!  Or you could make up a chart like I did once (See Below)  so I would always have a master "Skin Color Reference Chart" for creating skin colors in my retouching. 

Below is a part of one of my skin color charts...  so you can see visually what im describing here.  If you picked out 10 image samples of some models... and picked off their 5 skin colors... and made swatches of the skin colors... and saved them... and numbered them...then you will have a skin color reference chart for the future.
 
You can make up your own swatches of colors... or make up a chart like this... and put whatever kind of numbers or info you think is helpful on it.  Your chart, or skin color swatches, (or eye shadow colors), could be circles of color, or a swatch pallet, or squares of colors like mine etc.  It Doesnt have to be exact.  Depends on what will be helpful for you.  Do you need reference images??  Or Brightness (Luminance) Numbers?  Or what color range Asian skin colors are like?  Or what color can you pick up to use in the shadows of the image you are retouching?  Or maybe you want to add a realistic colored highlight to one of your images!  Well...now you have it...and now you know!!!  Exactly.

A chart like this took me maybe an hour and a half to compile and create.  Now I have the benefit of that time spent... to re-use it over and over again... in retouch projects this week... and next month.

Here is my version of a "Skin Color Reference Chart" with all the numbers




You can take it even further if you like... For example:  You could create libraries of eye shadow, lipstick, skin tones, original hair colors etc.  You can make up your own color and brightness reference charts of any kind as you go along... and they will last you a very long time...because these kind base colors Never Change.  Sure, i can easily brighten up one color a bit if I need to...or add some magenta color to it... to make the skin look more tanned...but skin colors are ALWAYS skin colors.  They are all in the same family...all with approximately the same kinds of numbers and characteristics.


These Natural Skin Colors and Numbers can come in handy on several jobs a week sometimes   

For another example:  What colors make up good looking original color honey blond hair??  I dont know right now off the bat!!  So, I go to my color reference charts... and I look up the 5 swatches or numbers for honey blond hair.   I will then have accurate looking natural highlight colors, base colors, mid colors, mid shadow colors, shadows, and darkest shadow area colors. Colors change from original colors in funny ways when they have any shadow to them.  Sure, It may not be perfect...and it may certainly need to be adjusted some.... to match the clothing or skin colors in the new image...BUT at least im in the ball park and on second base already...im not somewhere out in left field... with ash brown or platinum looking hair to start with.

So, Have some fun...learn.  Be a scientist and an artist in your retouching.  Make yourself up some nice resources to use and re-use again and again!  Hard work makes you better at what you do.  Put in some time.  You will excel where others thought it was too hard!!  The more you do things like this...the more professional-like you will become in the future.  You will become a resourceful artist and retoucher.

Its great that you are asking questions like this...you will become a more professional-grade artistic craftsperson if you find and create true answers to your questions...based on reality, art, and science.

Wish You Best of luck.

Sorry mate but totally disagree with all this rant.. Skin tones or any tones is subjected to the overall image, light, compositicion, colour composition, objects, etc.