Post photgraph advice

[kmdl1066]

So I think I\'m slowly getting better at photgraphing minis. Compare the photgraph of this mini in this submision to the more recent photograph below: (only painting change is changing the green leaf patern to a copper leaf pattern and toning down the lipstick)

While the paint job does not look any better, it at least looks closer to the real thing. The only post-picture work here is adding the blue gradient background. I\'ve tried using the auto enhance tools in Paint Shop Pro and I\'ve tried fiddling with contrast and saturation and such arcana, but without actually improving anything. Mainly \'cause I have no clue what I\'m doing.

These are the specific things that I\'m trying to sort out:
The picture looks like the pink lipstick was applied with a trowel, possibly a garden spade. On the figure its quite subtle.
The face in general looks fairly harshly shaded in the picture. On the figure the blending is smoother.
The little dragon looks too pink (terracota?) in the picture while on the figure the red is more a brown-red.

Does anyone have some ideas of what I could poke around with using Paint Shop Pro to try fix these?

Sean

 

[TAB Studio]

A magnifying light to paint also take wip photos and look at the issues when you are doing them.I often see lips this way and it is easy to correct when I see them unbiased as in the camera. they really are that way I personally need the camera to tell me though. i am legally blind so it is not a wonder to me that I do, Becca sees more than I ohhhhh youth but after the photo or the mag light they have no mercy thus corrections made accordingly applied...it brings a better mini in the end.
I often can tell if I need to strip from my first WIP and I admit I strip often
Bwom Chicka Bwom Bwom