Know What You’re Paying For

Two words you’ll see when shopping for a photographer are edited and retouched. To most consumers, they seem like the same thing but they’re actually very different. Here’s some information about editing versus retouching and why it’s important to know the difference.

What Is Editing?

In the strictest sense, editing is selecting the best images from a session. When I narrow 300 frames down to 30 great shots, I’ve edited your session.

Many photographers — including me — expand edited to include basic adjustments like exposure, color correction, contrast and/or cropping. On the left is a raw image that came straight from my camera; on the right is an edited image that includes some basic adjustments. The edited image is nice but it doesn’t really stand out.

What is retouching?

Retouching is taking an edited image and polishing it for prime time. It’s the secret sauce that makes each photographer unique. In my workflow, I clean up wild hairs and blemishes, soften harsh shadows, tweak color and contrast, then finish with a magic potion of Photoshop work that makes your image pop.

On the left is the edited image from above and, on the right, is a sparkling retouched image that pops right off the screen.

FINISHED IMAGE, READY TO SEND TO OUT FOR AUDITIONS!

Why It’s Important To Know The Difference

Let’s say Sammy Photographer advertises 10 edited images for $200 and Jimmy Photographer advertises 4 retouched images for $300. On the surface, it seems like Sammy is offering the better deal.

But remember: Sammy is giving you edited images.

If you want to put your best foot forward with images that are polished and professional rather than just edited and OK, you want your pictures to be retouched. Sammy will probably make that happen but he’ll charge you accordingly, sometimes as much as $100 per retouched photo. Suddenly you’re paying a whole lot more than you expected!