Retouching for Headshots
Image retouching is a post-production service included and applied to all headshot selections.
What is image retouching?
Image retouching is a post-production service applied to all headshot selections made from the client’s proof gallery.
The retouching process designed to polish the image by removing blemishes, under-eye circles, stray hairs, yellow teeth, etc., or even remove or change the background of an image.
Basic Retouching methods are resizing, color correction, exposure adjustment, or defect removal.
Advanced Retouching addresses more complex edits by request.
Photoshop is one of the most popular software programs used to edit images.
Our retouching approach
All images selected receive basic retouching.
This is to address the color, brightness, tone, and cropping of the image for final delivery. Additional elements are for attention to skin, eyes, teeth and distractions such as background elements or stray hairs.
For more complex retouching such as removal of glare on glasses we apply our advanced retouching techniques.
Who does the retouching for your images?
Basic retouching
Basic retouching is enhancement of skin, eyes and teeth, adjustments to image exposure, and attention to background elements and clothing. Most retouching is to reduce any wrinkles or blemished not to remove them.
Some features of Basic Retouching include:
- Exposure and colour correction
- Dodge and burn techniques
- Skin smoothing and toning
- Reducing shine on face
- Reduction of skin imperfections such as blemishes scars, wrinkles, bags under the eyes, birthmarks
- Removing pimples and acne
- Teeth whitening
- Basic touch ups such as eyebrows
- Image cropping
Basic retouching examples
Below are examples of our basic retouching.
Before and after for a client. We did some of our basic retouching techniques such as smoothing the skin, dodging and burning to the face and top, removed stray hairs, and brightened the eyes.
For the example below (using a desktop computer) roll over with your mouse on the image for examples of a before and after of our headshot retouching.
Roll over image for the before and after! (Desktop Only)
Need to book a headshot session?
We cover from how to prepare for your session to what you’ll receive as your final downloads. Booking FAQ↗
Advanced retouching
For more complex retouching we offer what we call “Advanced Retouching” such as changing structure and form elements or adjusting specifics such as straightening teeth or removal of glare in glasses.
Advanced retouching are edits with major enhancement of skin, eyes and teeth, adjustments to image exposure, and attention to background elements and clothing.
Additional examples include changing the color of a jacket and changing the background from white to an environment.
Some features of Advanced Retouching include:
- Adding or removing large portions of hair
- Taking pieces from one photo and swapping it with pieces in another photo
- Making eye and mouth shape corrections
- Significant creases or wrinkles in clothes
- Background removal or change of background colour
- Adding digital makeup that looks natural
- Creating a smooth “airbrushed” look for toning the skin
- Making you look 10 years younger!
- Changing the structure of your clothing
- May include face reshaping or contouring
- Changing color of clothes
- Background clean-up or change
Advanced retouching examples
Below are examples of our advanced retouching.
Advanced retouching is for clients that want more attention, there is no extra charge for any retouching to images, any retouching requests are included at no extra cost.
Background Retouching Example
Face and Hair Retouching Example
Using a desktop computer, roll over with your mouse on the image for examples of a before and after of our headshot retouching.
The image was previous unedited and shows the in camera exposure. In the final image the image has been lightened, stray hairs removed, removed any blemishes, shaped the face with classic dodge and burn techniques, brightened the eyes, and gave the skin a general smoothing effect by hand. We even smoothed out the wrinkled shirt.
Roll over image for the before and after! (Desktop Only)
Before and after for a client where we did advance retouching on the skin and staightened the jacket and necklace.
Background Retouching Example
Before and after for a client. We added an environmental background.
Hair and Clothing Retouching Example
Before and after for a client where we changed their jacket from green to blue to match the branding of the company.
