Here's a comparison for Nancy, of the before and after images when I use the DreamyPhoto effect Photoshop plugin. It slightly zoom blurs a copy of the image, tints it (in this case a soft red) and adds it back on top at whatever opacity you decide. To me it takes away a lot of the hardness and rawness, while retaining the sharp edges of the original image and not blurring everything.
This example is from a 1 pass preliminary render (without AA) so that's why the edges are pretty jagged. I can't find the final render without the DreamyPhoto effect. Grr...
I'm sure all of this could be done by someone in A:M Composite. But I had already spent enough time on this image.
Jim