What is image retouching?

Retouching derives from the French term retouche, meaning “later alteration.” In regards to image editing, retouching refers to improvement made to the picture’s surface.

Digital retouching has undergone a recent and rapid development in the last few decades, and has now become indispensible in modern media. There are many functions of digital retouching. Some of these include the removal of visible flaws, adjustment of sharpness and the altering of lighting in an image.
By using these special retouching techniques, it is possible to change the quality of the picture. The editor can adjust brightness and contrast, sharpen or soften the image as well as modify the colors. Retouching creates an appealing and a quality end result of the edited images.
Retouching, especially in beauty photography, requires a detail-oriented editor working with great accuracy. In some cases, the editor has to rework the picture pixel-by-pixel to create the desired effect. This is can be a time consuming task and many companies have turned to outsourcing their images to maximize their time.

Alternative spellings: Image editing, Photoshop