Most of you know me as a photographer, but I also have thousands of hours of experience as a photo retoucher. “Retouching” is altering/enhancing photos in Photoshop. Many call it, “photoshopping”. :)
I have done photo retouching for BMW, Benjamin Moore, Cambridge Paving Stones, Net-A-Porter, and over 5 years at Barneys New York.
The Difference Between “Editing” and “Retouching”
All of the photos that my clients receive in their online gallery are “edited”, however they are not “retouched”. The “editing” process is when I check each photo for overall quality, exposure, crop, and color balance. “Retouching” is always available, but optional, and most of the time not needed. Common reasons for retouching include: removal of unwanted objects/people from background, smoothing skin, filling in hair, lessoning frizz, whitening teeth, accentuating features, and sliming down areas.
Original, How it looks right from the camera.
Edited, after processing the raw files and making any needed adjustments to light, color, and crop.
Retouched, using Photoshop to alter the photo as desired.
Check out a few before/after retouching examples. The difference is in the detail, so it’s best to view on desktop or iPad.
Viewing examples on mobile, not recommended.
She isn’t a model, but she is tall, naturally beautiful, and has a perfect white smile. I loved her headshots! However, we are our own worst credit, so I retouched her pictures to her liking, while keeping her totally natural.
An example of what I would call “light and natural” retouching. If you can’t tell exactly what is different, that is a good thing! It’s not about changing how a person looks, just elevating their natural beauty in a subtle way.
Retouching is great for vacation photos too! :) I believe this photo will make the most sense to fans of the show Outlander. But I think you all would agree, it looks better without all of the tour vans and the friendly traveler in red.
The groom forgot to take his sunglasses off his head? No problem!
The designer wanted to have an image of their sweater in a different color, that wasn’t yet available to be photographed. So I changed the red sweater to a black and white one!
Things don’t normally look like they do in the magazines, when they are on set. Lots of photoshop and retouching goes into making suits look tailored and smooth.
Cleaning up power lines and unwanted reflections in windows can make a big impact on a photo. Also that car parked to the right… bye bye!
A classic headshot with some light retouching to smooth skin, reduce shine, make hair look fuller, and slim down just a touch.
Photoshop fun doesn’t end there!
One of my favorite projects wouldn’t have been possible without this incredible program! I personally don’t have one single tattoo, my alter ego however, is coved in them! :)
Alter Ego you ask?… Yeah, we will see if I go more into that one day. ;)