Damien Symonds

I think you're worrying about nothing, to be honest. Even at first glance I didn't think it was a single middle finger.

It's easy to talk glibly about "taking out the finger", but of course what we'd really need to do is "put face in place of the finger". So you'd need another photo of her face at exactly the same angle, to borrow from.

Have you simply tried the Patch Tool? It doesn't always work with really big areas like this, but if it does, it's fast and simple.

I'm so sorry, the Red Channel is too damaged to fix. Your only option is to process this one in black-and-white. If you do so, I recommend using a Channel Mixer layer, check the "Monochrome" box, and enter 0/+50/+50 for the three sliders.

Please, I beg you, don't wait a moment longer to take The Raw Class.

No, it's really cold.

Do you want to fix the bit on his jeans also? Or only that oval on her skirt?

One thing that Crystal didn't mention is how, in Jessica's photo, the background is generally darker than the child. I'm not saying it's dark, as such, just darker than the child. This is VERY important. And yes, your background is a bit busier than hers. For the colouring, just add a Levels layer and move the black Output slider on each channel: Red 30 Green 15 Blue 40

I'm so sorry, I've got no "tricks" for you. If you don't have another suitable mouth to swap in, there are only two choices: Very slow, careful, artistic cloning; or Accept that it is gorgeous, and leave it as is.

Just tagged you in the old Raw Class.

Yes, we need some hints about your intention/vision for the result.

I agree with Crystal. Please don't attempt any Photoshop work until your raw processing is done.

Hi Ali, I'm sure I can help with this. But you have a much bigger problem to address first. Please follow every single step of this. Once you've got the colour space problem fixed, re-process the raw file with the noise removed correctly. Then post the close-up for me again, as well as the whole photo for context.

Download the PSD file

I don't think you should flip. Just copy the closed one. It's sure as heck not perfect, but is it passable?

No, not as easy as that, sadly. Here's the file.

Just by using the Crop Tool to crop it to the exact size and resolution needed. http://www.damiensymonds.net/2011/09/cropping-tutorial.html

Good job!

This is the best I can manage. I realise it's a fairly weak colour, but it's the strongest I can manage.

Time for a new lab. That is appalling advice. Sharpening is vital when printing. Any size, not just enlargements.

I'm so sorry, I've got nothing. Just really patient cloning.

It had me stumped for a while too. Glad we got there.

Ok, see if the troubleshooting section of these instructions can help at all.

The gamut warning is really unreliable. Never use it. Only use soft-proofing.

Yes, I can help with this. First, go ahead and re-do the raw processing properly, then post the section again, and we'll discuss those things.