Retouching Isn’t Just For Photos

A customer had commissioned a small caricature of themselves and they wanted to print and frame it. But the caricature was drawn on an iPad and was relatively low resolution. The drawing looked great when viewed on a small computer screen but the low resolution only allowed it to print at the size of a playing card. The customer wanted a 12″x16″ print.

Simply enlarging the image made it look worse because it was a bitmap, not a vector image. Enlarging a bitmap image causes it to appear out of focus, with jagged edges.

So, I “retouched” the caricature by enlarging it 1,000% and then redrawing all the edges to smooth out the jaggedness. I corrected the blacks and whites to ensure they would print true to colour. Finally, I sharpened the image so the lines would print crisply.

Retouching a digital drawing without altering the original look can be tricky. It’s necessary to match the digital brush strokes, texture, colours and shading. The success of retouching depends on the drawing’s complexity.

My background is in photography not illustration. Retouching a photo is about pixels; retouching a drawing is about lines. Photo retouching should preserve the realism of the image. Retouching a drawing should preserve the artist’s style and expression.

 

Narrowing The Field

You don’t have to be a great photographer, although that would be nice. Instead, you have to be consistently better than average. Over time, you will become more experienced which can elevate your skills to an expert level.

Being an expert is not about talent. It’s about putting in the time and truly learning something. For example, you can become an expert at portrait photography if you really learn about portraiture. This has nothing to do with raw talent or being gifted. It’s about putting in the time and effort.

As your expertise grows, so can your rates. The more you charge, the narrower your niche becomes. As your niche narrows, the more concentrated you become and the more your expertise grows. The more expertise you gain, the more you can charge.

It’s a cycle: expertise leads to higher rates, and higher rates lead to a more focused niche, fostering further expertise.

 

Business Attitudes Toward Photos

1.   We know our website photos are lousy, but we don’t care.
 
These businesses view website photos as a necessary evil. Image quality doesn’t matter to them because photos are used only to fill empty space on website pages.

2.   We don’t know our photos are low quality.
 
These businesses use photos taken by employees or other amateurs. They think all images are essentially the same because they don’t understand how to use photography.

3.   Our photos are technically perfect, but they still fall short.
 
This is especially common with business headshots, where the lighting may be ideal, but the pose or facial expression doesn’t convey the right message. The reason is always that the company hired a low-priced photographer because cheaper is seen as better. Inexperienced photographers don’t understand the true function of business photography.

4.   We know when our photos are weak and we make an effort to fix them.
 
These businesses recognize the importance of brand image and understand that photos are a key communication tool. They make an effort to reshoot or retouch images when necessary in order to maintain their brand reputation.

 

Which one best describes your business?

 

The Cost of Prevention

What will it cost if your photo project fails? If your photographer misses the mark and the photos are not effective, how much will that impact your business? Thousands? Tens of thousands? Perhaps even hundreds of thousands of dollars?

What will it cost to ensure your photo project succeeds? A few hundred or a few thousand dollars more? Far less than the potential loss from failure.

So why take the risk of hiring the cheapest photographer, the lowest bidder?

 

How Retouching Enhances Wedding Photos

Professional retouching can significantly improve wedding photos by correcting technical issues, enhancing skin appearance, and adding artistic effects, all while preserving the natural beauty of the moment.

Correct Technical Issues

Wedding photographers often work quickly and with limited equipment. They don’t always have control over the lighting in venues like churches, hotel ballrooms or parks. As a result, uneven or unpredictable lighting can affect the quality of the images. Photo editing and retouching help correct these lighting issues, ensuring the final photos are visually balanced.

Most wedding photographers do some basic editing before delivering the photos. But few perform detailed retouching. This is usually because it’s time-consuming, not cost-effective, or simply outside their skill set.
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The Small Details

Some people say they don’t worry about the small details. But if you run a business, that’s the wrong approach. The small details are crucial—they’re the most visible to customers and the easiest to criticize.

If a business can’t get the small details right, how can customers trust it with bigger issues?

Small Details Noticed First

Small details are noticed by customers first. Whether it’s the spelling on your website, the design of an online form, or how promptly you return emails, attention to these details shows customers that you care about providing a good experience.
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When To Retouch Your Family Portraits

Deciding whether or not to retouch your family portraits follows a similar thought process as for individual portraits. But there are a few added considerations since a family portrait is usually a group photo. Here are a few things to consider:

Purpose of the Portrait

If your family portrait is for something formal like a holiday card, a website, or a living room wall, a little retouching can help enhance the image while maintaining a natural look. Common adjustments might include softening harsh lighting, evening out skin tones, or removing temporary blemishes.

For a family portrait that’s for personal use, retouching isn’t usually necessary. A family photo is more about the moment captured than perfection.
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