Skin, make-up, hair, colour and mood: beauty retouching held consistent from the first image to the last.
Beauty that looks effortless: natural skin, the right light, a mood held from one image to the next. We retouch campaigns, editorial, cosmetics packshots and beauty portraits, notably for Filorga, La Roche-Posay and Joseph Duclos.
Skin, make-up, hair, product texture, colour management, compositing and the overall mood of the image. When there are several images, we also align the series, so that they read as a whole. Our retouchers work with several techniques, including dodge and burn and frequency separation, chosen according to the image and the expected result.
The rendering of skin and complexion must stay the same from one image to the next, even when several retouchers are involved and the shoot spreads over several days. We start from a reference image and a test retouch, validated with you and with the art direction. Once the series is retouched, we review it as a whole to align it before submitting it to you.
Three project managers lead the projects, each specialising in a type of subject, and rely on a team of retouchers. You have one point of contact from start to finish, as on any production at Wet Paint Factory (see our Production management page).
After the quote is signed and your images received, we produce a test retouch to validate the direction before launching the series. Two rounds of revisions are included as standard; this point is open to discussion with you depending on the project.
We can retouch one image or several hundred. Large volumes, such as catalogues, are well within our reach. The deadline is set project by project, with you, from the scoping stage.
A beauty series rarely changes direction without warning. If the complexion or make-up reference evolves during the series, we take the direction back to the test retouch, rework the series to align it and quote the difference before continuing.
If a file does not allow the requested retouch, we flag it before launching the series and look for a solution with you. To avoid this, a briefing before the shoot can be useful on certain shoots.
If a piece of feedback contradicts the initial brief or the brand's art direction, the project manager puts the validated brief back on the table and asks for a single decision before retouching.
Files are delivered under the same conditions as for any production: high resolution (TIFF or PSD) and JPEG for validation, by secure link or placed on your server, with images kept for one year.
Which beauty retouching techniques do you use?
Several, including dodge and burn and frequency separation. The choice depends on the image, the skin and the expected result.
How do you keep the same look across a whole series?
We start from a validated reference image and test retouch, then review the series as a whole to align it before submitting it to you.
How many images can you retouch?
From one image up to several hundred, including for catalogues.
How many rounds of revisions are included?
Two as standard. This is settled with you when the quote is drawn up.
A reliable provider is not an infallible one: it is one that keeps its commitments, knows how to refuse an impossible deadline and holds visual consistency under pressure. The size of the structure makes no difference. What matters is how often the initial brief is enough, without back and forth.
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Karl Lagerfeld photographed the Chanel campaigns himself from 1987 to keep a single eye on the whole chain, from brief to final print. Over 600 images later, the method remains a lesson in production: every intermediary between intention and delivered image is a possible loss.
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A luxury photo production project unfolds in three stages: a brief and a quote that frame the need, a production and retouching aligned with the brand's art direction, then follow-up with a single point of contact. The aim is to deliver visuals ready to publish, on the announced deadlines, without endless back and forth.
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