The Truth About Photo Editing

Some photographers claim that touching up is a “necessary evil.” Others say they hate touching up. Still, others say that retouching is a crutch for those who cannot photograph well. But what is it? Is touching up bad? Is it necessary? The answer is yes! Retouching is essential.

Most times, to do without retouching could be a big mistake if your goal is to produce the best photos possible. Hence, in this article, we look into the importance of retouching as a tool that will allow you to finish the work of an image.

The Difference Between Development And Retouching

Before entering into a debate on photo editing, whether it is good or not, we should define what is meant by “photo editing.”

Retouching means to resume a work by making partial changes. Therefore, we could say that any modification of an image after the shutter was released could be a touch-up.

In reality, it is not that simple. There are several degrees of changes that can be made to an image, depending on a client’s request and the photographer’s workflow. Here are some nuances:

Step 1: Development

When we take a RAW image, the device only shows us a temporary version of the image. However, the final image does not yet exist. It is not a series of codes that give the recipe for the image. To obtain the final image, it must be developed in the RAW processing software.

Among the most popular software are Lightroom, Camera Raw, and Capture One. They allow you to adjust the exposure of an image, the dynamic range, and the contrast, the colors, and add certain localized effects. Visit http://iphotoalternative.com for more options.

Step 2: Retouching

Retouching is the stage where the photo receives all kinds of modifications. Touch up the skin, touch up hair, eyes, montages, special effects, everything goes there. The aim of this stage is to give a determined appearance to an image for an artistic and aesthetic purpose.

In short, with a well-defined artistic vision, development, and retouching serve to achieve our goal.