Retouching portraits. This is an important subject and I’ll tackle it with you in pieces. You’ve had a good session with your subject and now you can utilize your computer to finish off their pictures so they can present them to the world. When you show them their pictures, they should feel great about the way it looks. Their best friend should say, “Wow! That’s a great shot of you.” Their best friend should not say, “Wow! They did a great job retouching.”

As retoucher and photographer Kristina Sherk says,

“The sign of a good retoucher is no sign at all.”

So as you retouch portraits, keep in mind that your changes should be unnoticeable. Of course, if you saw the original side by side you would notice, but when you see the person in real life you shouldn’t say, “Whoa, she’s got a great retoucher.”

Keep a light hand and review your changes frequently. It’s a good idea to come back and view your changes at least an hour (preferably a day) after you finish and before you deliver to your client. We’ve all been up late at night editing and come back the next day and wondered what we were thinking.

I use Perfectly Clear Complete for my retouching, and this week I’m hosting a webinar with Kristina Sherk and she’ll be showing us how to retouch like a pro. It’s free to attend, and I hope you’ll join us. Check out all the details right here.

Portrait Tips come out each week, and you can see them all right here.