[need advice/input] on skin

[VataRaven]

I was using the Human Skin smart material as a starting point (learning from it to get a texture to look skin-like)

here is my attempt at a skin texture (nothing is hand-painted to it)
http://s67.photobucket.com/user/Vata_Raven/media/leg11_zpsfye0tehh.png.html

and here is the default texture my model uses (the one professionally done)
http://s67.photobucket.com/user/Vata_Raven/media/leg111_zpszx8fovkt.png.html

other then the areas that have been painted (I can see the red well enough), the skin tone I crafted gives off that skin-like feel to me, but the colors I'm using aren't blending too well

Is there a method to help blend it the colors together better? Or maybe some other advice to help

Also, if curious, this is the result when using the original smart material (turning off a lot of the layers and changing the colors)
http://s67.photobucket.com/user/Vata_Raven/media/test11_zpsqmf6bzkf.png.html

I didn't much like the result from the original start point, the tones don't show too well. And I used this color palette to get the shades I used for the skin tone

http://www.deviantart.com/art/SKIN-a-chart-SUPPLEMENT-IMG-145160154

[Froyok]

Is there a method to help blend it the colors together better? Or maybe some other advice to help

You can use the material picker to get the same as the one currently on the mesh and paint with it if you need to blend specific colors.

Also, if curious, this is the result when using the original smart material (turning off a lot of the layers and changing the colors)
http://s67.photobucket.com/user/Vata_Raven/media/test11_zpsqmf6bzkf.png.html

Some layers in this smart material rely on baked map (like the thickness, the ambient occlusion). If you didn't baked the maps, you might see results like this.

I didn't much like the result from the original start point, the tones don't show too well. And I used this color palette to get the shades I used for the skin tone

http://www.deviantart.com/art/SKIN-a-chart-SUPPLEMENT-IMG-145160154

I would be careful when using a chart like this one, since it was not created/designed for physically based rendering (PBR).

[VataRaven]

I would be careful when using a chart like this one, since it was not created/designed for physically based rendering (PBR).

the final outcome looks fine to me, seeing as the end result matches the tone I was using (which the example I posted was Light)

unless there is a skin tone chart just for PBR skin, then that was the best choice for me. And I converted the colors, if that's what you mean

[VataRaven]

Some layers in this smart material rely on baked map (like the thickness, the ambient occlusion). If you didn't baked the maps, you might see results like this.

what maps should I have...baked? I was sort of under the impression (this is how you can tell I'm very new to all this) that baked maps sort of keep the lighting effect on a model static

[Froyok]

what maps should I have...baked? I was sort of under the impression (this is how you can tell I'm very new to all this) that baked maps sort of keep the lighting effect on a model static

The map required are all the slots called "additional maps" inside your texture set settings. https://support.allegorithmic.com/documentation/display/SPDOC/Baking

Each baker save inside a texture a specific type of information. One of them is the Ambient Occlusion and could compared to what you mentioned (aka "static lighting", even if it's not really that). The other map contains other kind of information. The thickness map for example is not lighting but rather the width of an object at a given pixel on the texture.

[VataRaven]

The thickness map for example is not lighting but rather the width of an object at a given pixel on the texture

Is the thickness map the SSS/sub-surface scattering map?

http://www.pixelcg.com/blog/?p=73

Also, is there a way to make these baked maps dynamic (giving the map the ability to scale up without losing quality, like textures built from scratch in Designer and Painter)? 

[Froyok]

Is the thickness map the SSS/sub-surface scattering map?

http://www.pixelcg.com/blog/?p=73

It seems similar yes, I can't guarantee it's the exact same result however.

Also, is there a way to make these baked maps dynamic (giving the map the ability to scale up without losing quality, like textures built from scratch in Designer and Painter)?

The only way to update them is to re-bake, those information are not procedural. If you want the maximum quality you will have to bake at the maximum resolution.