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How to hire a great retoucher – 5 top tips

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The job of a retoucher is far more complicated and exciting than just making exceptionally pretty people even prettier. Editing images and videos, or photographic retouching, helps the creative present his or her project in the best light possible.

Not everyone is perfectly flawless and neither is every piece of work. Even if the designer, artist or photographer is a genius, their work will often contain a few sore spots. Indeed, even the supermodels on Instagram and on the billboards we see on the way to work have their flaws. Retouchers work to polish those spots and they are uniquely talented in that regard.

But if you’re in the market for a retoucher to help put the finishing touches on your project, where should you be looking and what should you be looking for?

What is a retoucher?

Retouching as a career generally involves using advanced computer imaging software to change or enhance the appearance of a photo or other digital image.

In recent years, partly due to the media, so-called ordinary people have come to understand that the seemingly perfect appearance of most models is partly due to the work of talented retouchers. However, retoucher jobs often involve far more than that.

The result is that rather than being distracted by imperfections or flaws in the work, the viewer can focus on the message most desired by the artist. Whatever the subject matter might be, exceptional presentational quality is achieved via the work of retouching.

But how do you go about ensuring that you hire a retoucher that’s true to your vision?

1. Find the right type of retoucher

There are several options. depending on the type of retouching that interests you. You can specialise in one specific field of retouching such as beauty, fashion, e-commerce, automotive or still life. You can work on set as a digital operator overseeing the capture and cataloguing of images on a shoot. You can also work in restoration for archive departments and repair damaged or faded images. So, make sure you know what kind of retoucher you’re looking for before starting your journey.

2. Look for an actual retoucher rather than a photographer who also retouches

Some photographers simply dislike retouching and choose to outsource it. Other photographers don’t have the time needed to give both shooting and retouching the level of attention they need. Then there are photographers who would rather get someone who has put all the years of training, experience, and expertise that they have put into mastering photography into mastering retouching. Trusting someone who does this as a full-time professional helps them reach their vision for a shoot or image.

3. Put a decent budget together

With retouchers, as with most creative professionals, you generally get what you pay for so we would prioritise adding an industry-standard budget for retouching and doing your research prior to hiring a retoucher. Make sure they already have the quality of retouch you are looking for in their portfolio. You spend and invest so much money on hiring the right models, makeup artists, and stylists, so why would you choose to cut the quality when it comes to hiring the professional who is going to finish the images off?

4. Make use of them

Make use of your retoucher before the day of the shoot. They can help you give them the best images to work with. A simple example might be that if you are changing the colour of the background to various options in post, a retoucher might suggest that you shoot the images on a mid, neutral grey backdrop which would mean that both darker and lighter hair colours will be easy to separate and there won’t be any colour cast on the model from the background. There are much more complex cases where comping is concerned. For example, where a retoucher might be able to help you capture the plates that they will need when putting everything together.

5. Be clear with your brief

Being clear with your brief and supplying references for the grade or level of retouch you want can be helpful when first working with a retoucher before they learn your personal style and priorities. Giving direction always ultimately helps getting the first round closer to where you would like it and can avoid multiple rounds of retouching with a lot of back and forth. Then, finally, always allow time for amends. They are a normal part of the retouching process, and the best work is never rushed. So build rounds into your timeline.

Using Creativepool

Looking to hire a retoucher? Creativepool has thousands of super-talented members waiting to make your projects work better for their users.

There are 3 ways for you to find a retoucher on Creativepool.

1. Search and Contact

Want greater control of who you work with and the process behind it? Searching for talent directly and then handpicking who you would like to work is a great way to be proactive in your talent hunting. 

Simply search for retouchers and browse through the results. You will be able to look through projects, CVs/Resumes of the talent listed to make an informed decision on your next hire. 

On Creativepool we use a series of indicators to rank our members based on job title. Looking through the top 25 ranked retouchers is also a powerful and quick way to view the best in talent on the platform.

Once you have found someone whose style and experience works for you, contact them directly by clicking on the message tab. Searching is ideal if you have a very specific idea on who it is that you would like to be working with. 

2. Post a studiogig 

Looking for a freelance retoucher? The quickest way to find available talent is to advertise your brief. With us, briefs for individuals are called studiogigs.

Posting your role is formulated to be quick and easy and once you have posted your role, we get busy behind the scenes selecting the best talent to send out your brief to and then post the role on the jobs board. Once you have advertised your brief then just relax and wait for applicants to come to you directly! 

3. Post a job 

If you are looking for a permanent retoucher, then advertising a retoucher job is the way for you to attract talent. The process is identical to posting a studiogig.

Once you have posted your role we will check the details of the adverts, send out job alerts to our community that best match your criteria and post on the jobs board. Like studiogigs applicants will apply to you direct.  

Whether posting a job or a studiogig or searching for talent you are in control on who you hire. You are under no obligation to choose any of the applicants, and you negotiate with them directly on rates. 

If you need any help on your talent hunt. You can chat with us or send us a message. We'd be happy to help.

Header image by Gosia Kwasnik

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