I talk with professional retoucher Remy Amezcua about his background, Photoshop tools, his traditional photography and digital tech experience, his evolution as a retoucher, being able to interpret and translate clients’ instructions, the importance of getting details right on set, debunking “no filter”, dangerous retouching, knowing when to let go, committing to projects and rates before knowing what the actual work is, the effect of camera lenses, how to retouch faster, how retouching is similar to video games, keeping layers organized, the importance of mastering keyboard shortcuts and Photoshop actions, getting rest, learning from other retouchers, the future of our industry, and so much more.
Thank you Remy for being a guest and sharing so much helpful, valuable information.
Got questions? Be bold and ask, ask, ask in the comments, or get in touch with me.
Listen to the audio-only version, 44 min 34 sec
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Q: Jill, what is retouching and why did you choose it for your career?
A: For me, retouching is anything done to make a photo better, whether that’s something as small as a slight color or exposure adjustment to totally reworking and manipulating an image.
I’ve always been very interested in photography since I was a kid. For various reasons, I wasn’t sure I could be a professional photographer, but I still wanted to work with photos in some capacity and retouching allows me to do that.
Q: What’s your background?
A: I graduated from Pace University with a BA in English/Communications and a minor in Photography. I couldn’t major in photography there because Pace isn’t an art school, so they didn’t offer it. There actually wasn’t even a Photoshop course at that point in the early 2000s, only a few classes teaching darkroom techniques. I did however do my required summer internship with a photographer in NYC and that’s where I first discovered retouching.
One day during the internship, we visited a retouching studio. I was totally impressed- it was maybe four young guys working on large screens in a calm and quiet but brightly decorated office. I was totally intrigued and it felt like an environment I could easily fit into and be happy in.
Q: How did you get on the retouching path?
A: I got my first photo-related job as a photo researcher at a stock photography company about three months after I graduated. My second job after that was also as a photo researcher at a different stock photography company. My next two jobs were as a photo editor for Maxim and TV Guide, which wasn’t exactly retouching but had me using basic Photoshop tools and inched me further towards it.
Once I left TV Guide, I knew for sure I wanted my next job to be retouching. I bought books to start learning more about it on my own, and then I got a tutor who really taught me the fundamentals. Shortly after that, I got hired at Net-A-Porter in New Jersey and was finally a real retoucher!
Q: What’s your setup? What hardware and software do you use?
A: My retouching setup is Adobe Photoshop on a Mac with a Wacom tablet. Once I started doing freelance work at home, I splurged on an Eizo monitor and an X-Rite ColorMunki Photo to profile and calibrate it.
Q: How have you evolved as a retoucher? What has helped you progress throughout your career?
A: When I first started out learning retouching, for the longest time I struggled to understand even the most basic concept of how a layer mask worked in Photoshop, so I’ve come really far since then. Having a patient tutor helped tremendously. Then I worked alongside lots of other retouchers at Net-A-Porter and learned so many different tips and tricks from them, which helped me progress even further.
Q: What type or category of retouching is your favorite and why?
A: I love advanced skin retouching. Even though it’s tedious, the end result is so rewarding.
Q: For people just starting out, what specific skills/tools are the best for them to focus on first?
A: Focus on layer masks and refining the edges of the masks. Since you never stop doing that, perfecting that is important.
Q: What problems do you encounter most as a retoucher? What things frustrate you? What hinders you from getting your work done smoothly?
A: A slow computer or any bugs that come up in Photoshop are probably the biggest retouching issues I face. I have Adobe’s help number saved in my phone and they have pretty decent customer service, but it’s super frustrating to have to stop working to call them when Photoshop is being glitchy.
Q: What things make your life as a retoucher easier and happier?
A: Clients who trust me to know how to make a photo look its best or who are very clear about what they want/need up front make my job as a retoucher much easier.
Q: What things do you love most about retouching? What things do you dislike?
A: I love everything about retouching and feel grateful every day I get to work in Photoshop. My least favorite thing as a freelance retoucher is sorting out rates and chasing down payments. It’s never the actual retouching work that I dislike, it’s that administrative business aspect.
Q: Is there such thing as dangerous retouching? If so, what is it and in what ways is it dangerous?
A: I have never been asked to do so, but I do worry that retouching models to look extremely thin or skinny is a dangerous message to send out into society. Retouching people’s bodies to an unrealistic standard feels dangerous and wrong to me. I am, however, encouraged that many brands are using models with more diverse body types and I hope that continues to become the norm.
Another dangerous issue I see with retouching is if an image is manipulated to promote fake or false news, which I am seeing more of recently unfortunately.
Q: How do people progress and move up in our industry? What are some things they can do to help make that happen?
A: The proof is in the portfolio, and the better retouching you can present in your portfolio, the better jobs you’ll get. It also doesn’t hurt to have a relationship with a busy photographer and be their go-to retoucher for all the jobs they shoot. If you could get your retouching noticed on Instagram, Behance, or some other social platform, that’s helpful as well.
Q: How do you know what to retouch in photos? Are you given free rein to use your own judgement and retouch them however you want? Or are you given markups?
A: I’ve worked with some clients who trust that as a professional retoucher, I know what to do. Those clients don’t provide any notes or guidance.
Other clients give detailed markups, either before I start the project or after my first edit.
When retouching my own images, it’s up to me and I just do what I feel looks good.
Q: Who sees the photos you work on once they go out into the world? Who is the audience?
A: Professionally, I do a lot of e-commerce retouching so the audience for those images is anyone in the world who sees ads, shops online, or views social media.
The audience viewing my personal retouched images are mainly friends and family, though sometimes by using the right hashtags on a personal image, it gains a bit of a wider audience via social media.
Q: Are there certain types of personalities and temperaments best suited to retouching? Are there any personalities that wouldn’t make sense for a retoucher?
A: I think a person who doesn’t like to sit still and work alone probably isn’t best suited for retouching. It is a lot of time in front of the computer, and even though the role can be collaborative at times, the time spent working on the images in Photoshop is often solitary.
Q: What are your most frequently used tools in Photoshop? What’s an underused tool you rely on?
A: I use all the selection tools, healing brush, patch tool, and standard brushes endlessly. I also frequently use blending modes, content aware fill, liquify, and puppet warp.
I would bet the “rotate view” tool is underused in Photoshop. I find it very helpful!
Q: Do you use any non-Adobe apps?
A: I use Iridient Developer to process the personal photos I shoot on my Fuji camera.
Q: Where do you see our industry going in the future?
A: It’s tough to say exactly where the retouching industry will go in the future, but I think as long as there is online shopping, there will be a need for retouchers.
Q: What do you envision for your own future? Do you stay in retouching?
A: I’d like to expand my skills just in case I need to pivot careers, but I’d also be very happy to continue retouching for the remainder of my working career! This week, I’m learning Adobe Premiere Pro and jumping right in with it, editing some video for one of my regular e-comm clients.
Q: Any final thoughts? Any other advice you can give to people trying to get started or trying to move up in our industry?
A: My advice to anyone trying to get started in retouching is to practice endlessly, watch tutorials and YouTube videos, and try to connect with other retouchers to learn additional tips and tricks from experts already in the field.
Jillian Pecoraro is a professional photo retoucher whose work can be found on her website:
I’m your host Rob DiCaterino and today I answer the question, What type of retouching do I prefer?
Each week, I’ll answer one of my own questions in addition to posting an episode with one of my guests. That way, you get to know more about me and hear my knowledge and perspective to help you get started and progress in professional retouching.
Got questions? Be bold and ask, ask, ask me in the comments, or get in touch with me.
Listen to the audio-only version, 16 min 47 sec
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