Understanding how to edit portrait photos is critical for everyone who wants to succeed in this genre. Portrait editing goes far beyond removing distractions and adjusting basic parameters. Its goal is to highlight the best elements of every shot and create a professional-quality finish for your model to stand out.
Advanced photographers and novices should follow a structured workflow to find the best way to edit photos consistently and efficiently, from preparations to final refinements. That is why we have composed this portrait retouching guide. It provides expert tips and prominent techniques to streamline your post-processing. Following these steps will help you achieve stunning, magazine-quality edits while preserving the model's authentic beauty.
Step 1: Preparing for Portrait Editing
High-Quality Originals
Start with RAW files. This format ensures greater post-processing flexibility, retaining more detail and dynamic range than compressed formats. A high-resolution file allows for more precise adjustments. Preserving details like skin texture and hair strands will keep the image looking natural and sharp.
Key Areas for Improvement
Go over the images with a keen eye to spot areas that need adjustments. Every edit should be intentional and contribute to a polished yet natural look.
The key aspects to focus on:
Uneven skin tone.
Harsh shadows or overexposed highlights.
Distracting elements in the background.
Softness or lack of sharpness in key facial features.
Non-Destructive Editing
Ensure your photo retouching software includes non-destructive editing capabilities. This function ensures no adjustment permanently alters the original file. All edits are reversible, so you don't risk losing your image. You can start anew anytime you want.
If there's no such option, create a different layer for every adjustment in the Layers mode. It ensures the enhancements are selective and the entire picture remains unaffected.
Step 2: Basic Adjustments
Cropping and Framing
Adjust your picture's framing. It will improve the overall balance and guide the viewer's eye to the most prominent elements. Remove any distracting elements near the edges. Enhance your subject's position within the frame using compositional techniques. To eliminate distortion, chromatic aberration, or vignetting, utilize lens corrections.
Exposure
Increase brightness for underexposed (too dark) images, but avoid washing out details in highlights. Reduce highlights for overexposed (too light) areas. Pay special attention to the forehead and cheeks. Preserve natural skin textures. Adjust shadows to bring back depth. Keep the facial features well-defined. Lighten dark areas and subtly darken bright spots to create even lighting across the face with selective dodging and burning.
Color Balance
Use a temperature slider in your portrait editing software to ensure the image is neither too warm (orange or yellow) nor too cool (green or blue). Fine-tune tint adjustments to prevent unwanted tone shifts. Desaturate the background if it overpowers your model's face. Slightly shift background colors to harmonize with the model's skin tone and your picture's mood.
Reduce unwanted redness or overly cool tones to match the subject's natural complexion. Modify red, yellow, and orange tones to balance skin color without affecting the entire image. Fine-tune skin tones by adjusting individual colors while keeping saturation levels natural.
Compare your adjustments against portrait references—well-edited portraits that reflect natural and realistic tones. Use the eyedrop tool in your editor to select the natural tone in your picture and balance the whole palette accordingly.
Photo by Jake Nackos.
Contrast and Clarity
Manipulate the contrast slider to add depth and dimension to your portrait photography. Apply an S-curve for controlled contrast improvements. Enhance highlights and shadows without affecting mid-tones too drastically. Avoid over-darkening shadows or over-brightening highlights to maintain a realistic look.
Adjust clarity and textures to define facial features. Avoid excessive sharpening; it creates unwanted grain and ruins the natural appeal. Use a high-pass filter or dedicated sharpening tool to enhance edges. Sharpen the eyes and hair selectively without affecting the skin.
Step 3: Final Touches and Exporting
Refining Skin Textures
Target small blemishes, scars, or spots with a healing brush or clone stamp tool. Keep the surrounding skin textures untouched. Use frequency separation to adjust colors without risking losing paramount textural elements. If you use AI-based smoothing, control its intensity to avoid plastic-like looks.
Emphasizing Facial Features
Enhance the eyes. Lighten the whites slightly, increase sharpness, and make the iris subtly brighter without artificialness. Add definition to the lips. Adjust their contrast and apply a slight color boost. Preserve the natural texture. Define the eyebrows' shape and structure with slight contrast tweaks.
Exporting Your Images
Before saving your final portrait, consider where it will be used:
For web and social media: Export as JPEG with an sRGB color profile and a resolution of 72 DPI.
For printing: Save as TIFF or high-quality JPEG with a resolution of 300 DPI.
For professional use: Consider exporting in multiple formats to meet different display or client requirements.
Conclusion
A structured portrait photo editing workflow lets you emphasize your model's most defining characteristics. This guide walked you through the crucial steps of post-production in portrait photography. To strengthen your style, explore divergent techniques, refer to portrait masters for inspiration, and consistently hone your abilities. Striving to capture the essence while preserving lifelike touches will raise the visual appeal of your portraits sans sacrificing their authentic power.