Why Retouching

Even before AI became commonplace, retouching of images with programs like Photoshop was hotly debated. One side of the debate feels that any alteration of an image is tantamount to a criminal offence, and should be prosecuted as such. Others have no problem with severely altering an image, to the point of wholesale misrepresentation of the subject of a photo (Facetune and beauty filters on social media apps spring to mind). As with many things in life, the true answer usually lies in the middle somewhere and is subject to context with a heavy dose of nuance. 

A simple argument in favor or retouching might help set the stage. When you meet a person and have a conversation, both people will generally, shyness aside, at least attempt to maintain eye contact. While their gaze may drift some, people will usually gravitate back towards the eyes of whomever they are speaking with. This is so true that when viewing an picture of a person, the eyes are often where the viewer looks first, out of habit.  

There’s a difference when a person is viewing an image of another, with the subject of that image nowhere to be found. Manners, politeness, and social conventions suddenly become less important. That individual who was doing their best to maintain eye contact before suddenly morphs, not into Mr. Hyde, but one we might call Impolite Viewer. The defining characteristic of Impolite Viewer? Their gaze wanders, and feels no need to get back to looking at the eyes any time soon. It can settle on the mustard on your shirt or that tiny piece of spinach in your teeth and really let them sink in. The bad night of sleep (sometimes unavoidable, if we’re being truthful), suddenly becomes much more obvious as our Impolite Viewer rudely stares at the dark circles under your eyes. That dryness or uneven skin tone (you are drinking your recommended amount of water and using a moisturizer with SPF? Impolite Viewer silently inquires), stands out worse than anything you can imagine. And don’t get me started on that one thing about yourself that you’re a little touchy about (your friends and loved ones say you shouldn’t worry about it, but they could never have a one thing of their own, so how would they know?)

Take it from an experienced retoucher: there wasn’t an entire spinach plant in your teeth through the whole date, you didn’t look as tired as you thought (or felt), and that one thing really wasn’t as bad as you were afraid it was (in fact, it might have gone unnoticed). 

At the same time, especially taken as a whole, these things may have been serving as distractions, preventing the viewer from getting a real impression of you through the medium of photography. 

Remove Distractions

No matter how well planned a shoot, the perfect shot might come along at an imperfect time. While a photographer will do their best to have the best framing possible, with the attention of the viewer drawn to the subject of the photo, distractions have a way of showing up in a shot. It might be a traffic cone, garbage can, or power lines in the background that act as distraction in a portrait, whether of an individual, a group, or family. 

Passers by can sometimes be directed out of a shot, but this often isn’t feasible. 

Clothes can live by their own rules; and don’t get me started on hair. 

All of these things can add up as distractions from the subject of the photo. Tools and techniques exist for removing all sorts and levels of distractions from photos. 

Directing Attention

Although people often associate retouching with Photoshop, it isn’t as new a subject as you might think. In the art world, the term retouch can actually be used to describe the action of adding detail or removing distractions in a painting. But even if we just stick to photography as a subject, retouching still goes all the way back to the darkroom. In the process of making a print based on a film negative, photographers would often brighten and darken portions of their photos by using various tools to block portions of the paper in the process of exposing to make a print. While there were certainly photographers that didn’t participate in this type of development, it remains true that this is a big part of the photographic process.

While work in the dark room is less common than it once was, the basic technique of brightening and darkening images to direct the attention of the viewer has absolutely carried forward into the tools commonly in use with digital photography. This is so true that when Adobe, the company that makes Photoshop, named their program to develop or process digital photos, they named it Lightroom. 

There are many ways that a photographer can direct the attention of their viewer, both during and after the shoot. The human eye will tend to be drawn to bright portions of an image first.  Photographers will take this into account when framing a shot, that same photographer or a dedicated retoucher, might also brighten areas they want to emphasize or darken areas they don’t want the eye drawn to (or at least not first). The human eye is also drawn to contrast; that is, a difference in brightness between an area and the surrounding areas. Makeup artists use this idea to great effect with eyes, often with quite a striking effect by using contrast. The eye will also be drawn to areas with saturated colors. This one can go both ways. Controlling saturation can help to direct a viewer to something the photographer or retoucher wants them to view. Reducing saturation can also be used to take attention on something that might be serving as a distraction (imagine Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Jeff showed up for the family photo shoot with the loudest shirts they own).

Various techniques taking the above into account can be used to direct the attention of the viewer. 

The “Perfect”Shot

Mama and papa both know the plan. Both little ones know that there’s a prize in store for them if the photo shoot goes well. The date of the shoot has arrived a little sooner than anyone thought it would. Tensions are running a wee bit high. The photographer, being the pro that she is, is working to get shots, both candid and posed, having the little ones look as happy as they are in “real life.” 

The photographer finally gets a posed shot where both kids are their normal cheerful selves, and mama and papa are in the background looking like maniacs trying to get those little ones looking at the camera. 

This is an extreme example, but it does happen. Photographers are always working to get the best results they can in one shot. But modern medical and behavioral advancements aside, people still blink, Little Billy can still be distracted by a cool car driving by, and Little Suzy is going through a stage where she likes to make faces when pictures are being taken. Odds are, you’ll look back and love remembering how into cars Billy was and how Suzy’s sense of humor and charisma were showing up so early. Odds also are that you’d at least like the option of a photo where everyone is looking at the camera, smiling, and enjoying each other’s company. 

This is where the subject of compositing comes in. This is where elements of one photograph can be incorporated into another. Both parents are looking at the camera and looking studly. So is Suzy, but a classic Mustang just rolled by and Billy couldn’t help himself. Often a photographer will take several shots in one area, and it’s possible to grab an image of Billy and composite it into the shot of everyone else. 

While not always an option, compositing is a valid technique to help get the desired shot on shoot day. 

Conclusion

Outside of the above, people have their reasons for wanting an image retouched. Not to bum anyone out, but sometimes people want to get that abusive spouse that’s out of the picture literally out of the pictures that are otherwise memorable and full to bursting with loved ones. 

Whatever a person’s reasons for wanting (or not wanting) retouching of images, ultimately the choice is up to the person. There’s nothing wrong with wanting completely natural, candid photos of you and yours, or a headshot or portrait that is just raw, unadulterated you. There’s also nothing wrong with wanting a focused presentation of you or your family, with some distractions removed and features emphasized. Both approaches are legitimate and both have their place. 

But, from a retoucher, I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes, whether you’re going to get your photos retouched or not: on shoot day, no hair ties on wrists, no cell phones in pockets that the camera can see, and the same goes for wallets and keys. 

Retouching should be seamless