Top 5 Portrait Retouching Software for Photographers

Ever find yourself spending countless hours retouching portraits, adjusting tiny details to perfection, only to realize your entire day has flown by? You’re not alone. It can be a tedious, time-consuming process that eats into hours you could spend shooting, engaging with clients, or even catching a breath.

Fortunately, technology has revolutionized the retouching process, with software solutions offering a range of tools from basic edits to AI-driven automation. However, it is soooo important to find the right portrait retouching software right?

In this article, we will answer all your questions about finding the perfect portrait retouching software to streamline your photography workflow.

What is Portrait Retouching?

You probably already know this. But let me tell you anyway! Portrait retouching is the process of enhancing and improving a portrait photograph to achieve a polished and professional look. This type of photo editing involves correcting skin imperfections, adjusting colors and tones, smoothing skin texture, and refining facial features while ensuring that the final image maintains a natural appearance.

What is the Best Editing Software for Portraits?

When choosing the best editing software for portrait photography, it’s important to consider what features align with your photo editing style and workflow needs. Professional-grade software should offer tools that help you achieve natural skin retouching, enhance facial features, and apply precise color correction. Look for software that supports essential techniques like frequency separation to refine skin texture without losing detail, as well as dodge and burn tools for adding depth and contour to the face.

Ease of use is also crucial—if you're new to editing, software with a more intuitive interface and built-in tutorials can help you get started smoothly. Advanced photographers may prioritize customizable tools and plugins for more control over their edits. 

Most professionals use Evoto, Portrait Pro for basic retouching, and Photoshop for advanced retouching.

What to Look for in Portrait Retouching Software?

Choosing the right portrait retouching software can feel overwhelming with so many options out there. To help you find the perfect tool that aligns with your workflow and needs, here are the key factors to consider:

1. User-Friendliness

The best portrait retouching software should have an intuitive interface that makes editing straightforward. Look for tools with clear navigation, helpful tooltips, and tutorials to guide you through the basics.

2. Frequency separation

When retouching portraits, it's essential for the software you use to maintain the natural look of skin tones while allowing you to refine skin texture. This technique, known as frequency separation, divides an image into two layers: one for preserving fine details (like skin texture) and another for broader color and tone adjustments. This separation ensures that you can work on smoothing out imperfections without losing the natural quality of the skin. 

3. Skin smoothing

Check whether the portrait retouching software can help you achieve a flawless and polished look. It needs to be able to reduce blemishes, wrinkles, and other imperfections while maintaining natural skin texture

4. Color correction

Ask yourself if this software can refine and balance colors to ensure accurate representation or create a distinct visual style.

5. Consistency in Results

Consistency is key when retouching portraits, especially when delivering images to clients who expect uniformity. Choose a software that helps maintain a consistent editing style across your projects. 

Top Portrait Retouching Software: Which one should you choose?

When it comes to portrait retouching, choosing the right software can significantly impact your workflow and the quality of your final images. In this section, we'll explore some of the top portrait retouching software options available today to help you make an informed decision.

Lightroom Classic

Adobe Lightroom Classic has long been a staple for photographers looking to streamline their post-production workflow. While it’s primarily known for its powerful photo organization and raw image processing capabilities, Lightroom Classic also offers a range of tools that are highly effective for portrait retouching

Pros:

• Non-Destructive Editing: Allows you to make adjustments without permanently altering your original image, offering flexibility and peace of mind.

• Comprehensive Adjustment Tools: Includes easy-to-use sliders like Exposure, Clarity, Vibrance, and Saturation for overall image enhancement.

• Local Adjustments: Tools like the Adjustment Brush and Radial Filter allow for targeted retouching, perfect for smoothing skin and enhancing facial features.

• Presets for Efficiency: Offers customizable presets that help maintain a consistent editing style across a set of images, saving time and effort.

• Seamless Photoshop Integration: Easily open images in Photoshop for more detailed retouching and return them to Lightroom for final touches, blending the best of both software.

• Batch Processing: The Sync Settings feature lets you apply edits to multiple photos at once, making it ideal for high-volume photographers.

• Skin Tone and Color Correction: The HSL panel enables precise adjustments to skin tones and color ranges, ensuring accurate and flattering results.

Cons:

• File backups: It operates on local hard drives, meaning it doesn’t automatically back up your files to cloud storage. To ensure your work is safe, you need to set up manual or third-party cloud backups for added security and peace of mind.

• Limited Advanced Retouching Tools: While it covers most basic retouching needs, Lightroom Classic lacks some of the more intricate tools available in Photoshop for detailed edits.

• Steep Learning Curve: Beginners may find it challenging to master all of Lightroom Classic’s features and capabilities.

• Subscription-Based Model: Requires a monthly or annual subscription, which might not be suitable for those looking for a one-time payment option.

Portrait Pro

PortraitPro is a specialized portrait retouching software that has garnered popularity among photographers for its user-friendly interface and powerful AI-driven features. Designed specifically for enhancing portraits, PortraitPro streamlines the retouching process, allowing photographers to achieve stunning results quickly and efficiently. 

Pros:

• Specialized for Portraits: Designed specifically for portrait editing, making it highly intuitive for facial retouching and enhancement.

• AI-Powered Tools: Includes AI features for automatic adjustments, such as skin smoothing, blemish removal, and facial feature enhancements, saving time and effort.

• User-Friendly Interface: Easy to navigate, even for beginners, with simple sliders and controls for quick edits.

• Batch Processing: Allows users to batch edit with the help of presets

Cons:

• Limited for General Photo Editing: Focused primarily on portraits, so it may not be ideal for broader photo editing or non-portrait work.

• Subscription or License Fee: Although there is a one-time purchase option, the cost can be high, and updates may require additional payments.

Evoto

Evoto is one of the best portrait retouching software that leverages artificial intelligence to streamline the photo editing workflow for photographers. Designed to automate tedious tasks while allowing for creative control, Evoto offers a range of features tailored specifically for enhancing portraits. With its user-friendly interface and advanced capabilities, Evoto aims to make retouching faster and more efficient without sacrificing quality.

Pros:

• AI-Powered Automation: Uses advanced AI to automatically enhance portraits, saving time on repetitive tasks like skin smoothing and blemish removal.

• User-Friendly Interface: Offers an intuitive layout that makes it accessible for both beginners and experienced photographers.

• Presets: Allows users to quickly edit with presets

• Batch Processing: Supports editing multiple images at once, making it efficient for photographers handling large volumes of portraits.

Cons:

• Limited Advanced Features: While effective for basic retouching, it may not have the extensive toolset of more established software like Photoshop for intricate edits.

• Subscription Model: Evoto operates on a pay-as-you-go model, which may not appeal to professional photographers who have thousands of photos to edit. It also offers an annual subscription model, however, some photographers consider it an expensive tool

• Output Quality: Depending on the specific AI algorithms, some users might find variations in output quality, necessitating manual touch-ups.

Skylum Aperty

Skylum Aperty is a cutting-edge portrait retouching software that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to elevate the editing process for photographers.

Pros: 

• Retouching automation: Utilizes artificial intelligence to automate common retouching tasks, such as skin smoothing and color correction, significantly speeding up the editing process.

• Works Offline: Users can work from anywhere without requiring an internet connection

• Integration with other tools: Users can have a seamless portrait editing experience without changing their workflow 

• One-click presets: Offers quick presets and one-click enhancements that can dramatically improve portrait quality with minimal effort.

• Batch editing: It allows users to edit multiple portraits at once, applying the same adjustments and presets to entire batches of images. This feature is particularly beneficial for photographers working on large projects, as it saves time and ensures consistency across a series of photos.

Cons

• Limited Advanced Features: While Aperty is excellent for basic and intermediate retouching, it may lack some of the more complex tools found in software like Photoshop, which can be limiting for detailed edits.

• Performance on Older Systems: Some users may experience performance issues on older computers, particularly when working with large image files or applying multiple edits at once.

• Beta Release: Aperty is still a work in progress and will be released in the fall. Users can take advantage of a special pre-order offer: when you subscribe for one year now, you'll receive an additional year for free, allowing you to enjoy a full two years of access to the software.

Aftershoot

Known for its AI-assisted culling, Aftershoot’s upcoming AI Retouching tool aims to bring the same time-saving advantages to the retouching process. This software is great for photographers who need a seamless solution for culling, editing, and retouching within one platform, making it efficient for high-volume workflows.

Pros

• All in One tool: Allows users to cull, edit, and retouch without switching between apps

• AI-powered tools: Includes AI features for automatic adjustments, such as skin smoothing, blemish removal, object removal, and facial feature enhancements, saving time and effort.

• Batch Edits: Allows users to duplicate the adjustments made to one image across multiple photos

• Selective Retouching for Individual Subject: Provides tools to apply edits selectively to individual subjects within a group photo, allowing for personalized and tailored adjustments for each person.

• Flat Pricing: High-quality retouching at one flat fee (coming soon)

Cons

• No pay per image: This may not be ideal for photographers looking to retouch a few photos.

• Cloud backup: This option is not available so you might need to backup your images on a Hard drive

• Output Quality: Since it's still in Beta and depending on the specific AI algorithms, some users might find variations in output quality, necessitating manual touch-ups.

Be the first to try Aftershoot’s newest AI Retouching tool

What are the Best Practices for Portrait Photo Retouching?

Start with High-Quality Images: Ensure that you begin with high-resolution images that are well-exposed and properly lit. The better the original image, the more effective and natural your retouching will be.

Use Non-Destructive Editing: Always work on a duplicate layer or use adjustment layers to maintain the original image data. This way, you can easily revert changes or fine-tune edits without compromising the original photo.

Maintain a Natural Look: Aim for subtlety in your edits. Over-retouching can lead to an unnatural appearance, so focus on enhancing features while preserving the subject's unique characteristics. Avoid excessive skin smoothing and ensure details like pores and texture remain visible.

Utilize Layers and Masks: Leverage layers and layer masks to apply specific adjustments to targeted areas of the image. This technique allows for precise control and ensures that your edits blend seamlessly into the overall composition.

Pay Attention to Color Balance: Adjust the color tones to ensure skin tones look natural and appealing. Use color correction tools to eliminate any unwanted color casts and achieve a balanced palette.

Optimize Lighting and Contrast: Enhance the portrait’s lighting by adjusting highlights, shadows, and contrast. Proper lighting can add depth and dimension to the image, making the subject stand out more effectively.

Refine Details: Focus on fine details, such as enhancing the eyes and lips, to draw attention to the subject's facial features. Brightening the eyes and adding a subtle shine to the lips can create a captivating look.

Experiment with Presets and Styles: Use presets as a starting point for your edits, but don’t be afraid to modify them to fit your unique style. Customizing presets allows you to create a signature look that reflects your artistic vision.

Know When to Stop: It’s easy to get carried away with editing, but knowing when to stop is crucial. Step back from your work periodically to assess it with fresh eyes, ensuring you maintain the integrity of the original portrait.

Choosing the Right Portrait Retouching Software

What makes a photographer successful? Well, it's always how you streamline your photography workflow. Using the right tools can make or break your business. Because if you are not saving time on your post-production workflow, you can’t book more clients. Fewer clients means less turnover. 

Having the right portrait retouching software can make a significant difference in your photo editing workflow and the final quality of your images. After all, we want to give the best shots to our clients.

And if you want an all-in-one tool that does your culling, editing, and retouching, then Aftershoot is the right one for you. Start your free 30-day trial today!