Editing TIme

Model shoot, fully retouch each "keeper" 3-10 minutes per image. Suzie do you have a graphics tablet? BIG speed boost I use a finger track ball 90% of the time and graphics tablet the rest it makes coloring and stuff (masking) a breeze.

I generally only liquefy figures, not faces so that probably is what makes me faster.

for some of my "fantasy" edits I have spent several hours.

Ginnypenny: For me it depends how many moles the model has! Regarding panty and bra marks for Boudoir, I recall working with Hal Adams in LA many years ago on a topless calendar. I would always advise the models not to wear any tight undergarments, come in a Mumu was the deal.It was one less thing that needed to be retouched.

Hey Ginny..I know this post is old, but have you considered (or do you already have) the Imagenomics Portraiture filter?  This filter was one of my best investments!  It will cut down your editing time considerably!  There is a little learning curve, and you'll want to use it on a duplicate layer so you can adjust the opacity, but it truly is a time saver!

Here's one I just threw in under the "default" settings of portraiture, nothing else done!  Typically, I will use the healing brush on the larger blemishes, enhance the eyes a little bit, and do whatever else needs done!  You can create a PS action and automate this into RAW conversion when you batch process!  Very simple and make's the whole proofing process go super fast!  Hit Automate, and click run...walk away, and it's done!

Yeah that looks good. Some are way too soft and plastic-y.
I wrote an action that softens skin and then makes it a masked layer so you can just paint in the parts that need it.  I built it using a noise reduction filter, so it's not a blur. It works well, I have to go back over any larger blemishes with a healing brush.
It is a little time consuming, but pretty realistic. I know some photo editors that do magazine and celebrity stuff completely soften the skin then add a texture layer back over it to make it look real.  That's a lot of work, but they are doing for one money shot. I have to deliver a whole set of images for the client to pick from.
Do you edit every image the client sees, or do you just edit the ones they purchase?  I do the former, especially with boudoir. 

For boudoir here is my workflow:
I back up all the originals, then run the second copy through Bridge and put five stars on everything I want to keep, delete the rest! I don't do multiple sorts, too much time. I end up with about 30 images from a three hour session and 45 from a four hour.
I have five different sets and I usually use a similar light setup each time, just adjusting the position of the key light to suit the person. So I have actions for each set (pink wall, white bed, purple wall, red chair and brown bed). I just run the actions on each group of sets and save.
Then I go in and retouch each image - skin, teeth and hair mainly (this is the time consuming part).
It does take me a few hours for each session.

What the client ends up with depends on what they choose. Most clients end up with most the pictures.  The most popular item is a 7.5 inch album with about 12-20 composite pages.  The girls usually only pick out a few images they don't like and we put the rest in the album.
The second most popular thing I sell is a leather "mini" album, usually 4x6 with 15 pages, so that's 30 sides/images.
In a distant third place is the disk of all the images, a lot of times it's an add-on to the albums. With this they get all the images, including a few that I run a special effect on (plus the regular edit).

I can do a bridal or engagement session A LOT faster.  Mainly because the more skin that is showing the more editing needs to be done.  Believe it or not, most women have stretch marks and cellulite, and most women have uneven skin tones, etc.  I do edit every picture for a reason. If I don't they won't sell.  I want women to focus on the beautiful image of them, not on little imperfections. I could just show them the images straight out of the camera and say "I can edit that before it's printed" but I think they deserve to see the final product before they buy it and I want to keep the "magic" of it all (if they knew there were stretch marks showing in the original they won't enjoy the print, they will think of the editing I did, nothing else). That is just how it works for me, and everyone runs their businesses different and it's so interesting to hear how it works for everyone since we all do what we do through trial and error and personal experiences and ideas about how we want to present our work and services.

(I just wrote a novel, lol, I tend to do that)

LOL Ginny..I can completely see where you're coming from, and know that for certain things you HAVE to the edits for the final presentation...as long as your price point is in line with the amount of work you do!  It is VERY interesting to see how other's process and flow!  I'm anxious to do my "pinups"...maybe I'll shoot some boudoir as well!!!