Artificial intelligence (AI) may some day make photo retouching as simple as a few clicks. But the technology isn’t there yet. Current AI software is only for retouching human portraits.
Photo retouching is a combination of technical work and artistic decisions. Artificial intelligence will soon master the technical aspects of retouching. But human thought will always(?) be required to decide the amount and style of the retouching.
Current AI retouching software uses algorithms based on statistical analysis learned from examining existing photos. The more pictures used to train the AI, the better its analysis. Generative AI retouching software, which learns and adapts while it’s being used, might some day be able to learn a person’s retouching style and preferences.
But style and preference are ultimately based on emotional reaction to a particular picture and this can vary from photo to photo and even from day to day. So at least for now, AI software doesn’t replace anyone.
AI retouching software will be useful for applying generic retouching to large batches of pictures. For example, AI software could quickly retouch a large number of business headshots by brightening eyes and teeth, removing skin blemishes and cleaning up stray hairs. But it won’t be able to do custom retouching on each face to suit each person.
If you need photo retouching, it’s still best to rely on human intelligence.
Well done, on both fronts.