Photo Editing

I recently took some family photos. As I was editing I thought to myself that no one really knows how much work it takes to make them look good. So I thought I'd post a few before and afters. I don't usually show people the pre-edited ones, so it's your lucky day. (:

Before:

and after...

Lightened the photo, warmed the temp, set a high contrast on background, smoothed skin, etc.

And another one. Before...

and after...

This one is lightened, cooled off, and skin softened.

So there you have it. I can spend a half hour or more on a photo, but I think it's worth it. What do you think?