RETOUCHING BASICS - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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What is retouching? 

Retouching is the digital manipulation of an image for restoration or enhancement for personal, fashion, beauty or advertising photography.

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Who needs retouching?
Pretty much every photo could benefit from some sort of retouching, from a cell phone picture that goes on Facebook to a high resolution picture that is published in a book or billboard. They are retouched with the same principles and while I can not change a cell phone picture to a magazine quality photo, I can guarantee you it can be improved. I treat all photos like professional ones. 

 

So what exactly do you do?
The more appropriate question is, what do you need me to do? I offer a variety of photo retouching and restoration services that include but are not limited to:

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– Underexposure correction

– Noise removal

– Color correction, shadows, contrast, exposure, white balance, brightness

– Skin retouching, spots, blemishes, acne removal

– Wrinkles and eye bags smoothing

– Hair retouching; Stray hair removal, volumizing

– Eyes/teeth enhancement, braces removal

– Double chin removal; Facial reshaping/slimming

– Make-up correction or application

– Color grading

– Preparing files for print

 

Just contact me for your particular needs.

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Although every image is different and needs different levels of care, I typically try and keep all of the personal qualities and characteristics of the person intact. To me, the image should appear as if it hasn’t been retouched. I'm a professional photographer, I have very high standards and I know what a good image should look like.

 

How much does it cost to get a photo retouched?
There are many different levels of photo retouching. Depending on what is required for the image, beauty retouching, for example, can easily take anywhere from 3 up to dozens of hours to complete. Why should you pay the same price for something that would take 15 minutes as something that needs 15 hours worth of work? Contact me or send me an email, attach the picture (or a link to it if it's too big and you prefer to host it on Dropbox, Google Drive or similar) and I will let you know what I think.

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How long does it take?
Most orders are completed within 2 to 3 business days. Complex, detailed repairs may take additional time. I will work very hard to return your image as quickly as possible.
 

How big should I send my file? 
I prefer to work with RAW files because they contain much more information than a compressed jpeg. This ensures the best quality of work, more details and no color banding or other artifacts. Still, I'll work with any file that you send me. 

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What about copyrights?
I can not be held responsible for copyright violations. When you submit an image, you are certifying that you are the copyright owner and/or you have the copyright owner's expressed permission to use, alter, and distribute the image. The original image is always yours. You can do whatever you want with the retouched image and I'll retain the rights to use to it for promotional or marketing purposes. 

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Below are just a few examples of before/after images. I rotate and replace them frequently, so make sure you come back!

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