I often am asked if I ‘retouch’ all of the images that I deliver. When I ask people to explain what they mean by retouching, I get a lot of different responses, from "You know - touching them up" to "minimizing my waist" to "putting me in a field of flowers".
I realized that the words "edit" and "retouch", which are often used interchangeably, can mean vastly different things to different people, and this can lead to misunderstandings and disappointment. So here I am clarifying what I mean by these terms and how it related to the galleries you receive from me and fees associated with it.
Editing. With editing, the actual picture remains the same. What does change are things like lighting and coloring. Those things affect the entire picture, and possibly the mood and feeling of the picture, but the people and objects remain in their same positions and with their same basic components.
Retouching. With retouching, we are changing something about the image. Objects and people may be in a different position or things removed or added to them compared to the original. This could be as simple as removing a few stray hairs to adding a pocket to your shirt to having you posing next to your favorite celebrity!
HOWEVER... Photoshopping isn't as easy as just pressing a button. It can take time, depending on the nature and quantity of photos we are going to retouch. So here is a guideline to what is included in your package.
Before I send photos to a client, I edit all of them so they are ready to use. To be specific, I correct for lighting/exposure, color temperature, white balancing, contrast, saturation, plus cropping and straightening the image if necessary, as well as adding my own ‘signature’ touches to the images. Let’s take a look at an unedited versus an edited photo.
This is included in your package and is automatically performed for all photos before delivery. If you need more editing on some or all photos, just let me know.
Every print in your package can be enhanced with our basic retouch. This option softens facial complexions, brightens teeth and eyes. It also heightens the overall quality of the finished photos. It does NOT remove major acne, stubble, extreme shine, shadows, major hair adjustments, glare on glasses or background issues.
These edits are included in your package. However, due to the size of the galleries I typically send, it may take some time to complete and send these to you if you are requesting edits to a high number of those photos.
See dramatic improvement with premium retouching. In addition to the retouching done with our basic option, Premium Retouching softens all lines and wrinkles, smooths uneven skin tones and removes minor blemishes, can add makeup or reshape body and face, remove glare on glasses, and remove things from the background.
This type of edit can take many hours. Some edit requests stem from things that are preventable. For instance, if you arrive in wrinkled clothing, that can take up to an hour per photo to retouch that so it looks natural! Or if your bra strap is showing and you want it removed in every photo. Or your belt doesn't match and you want its color changed.
Please do not plan to shoot and have edits later. Arrive for your photoshoot dressed the way you want to be represented so that we can get it right in the camera and avoid extra time and costs for edits. I do suggest you try on anything you plan to wear ahead of your shoot to make sure it fits, and is clean and pressed and ready to wear. Also, you can always message me before your shoot so we can talk about wardrobe, or even do a "preview" through text.
Besides preventable scenarios, edits may be just for fun - maybe you want to photoshop yourself in front of the car you some day want to own. Or it's a photo that you intend to put on canvas and hang on your wall, so it has to be perfect since it will be so large.
Whatever your objective, I can do it, but considering the time commitment necessary for them, I have to pass on some of the costs.
These edits are $75 per hour. I can give you an estimate of how long I think it will take before you decide.
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