Manual Skin Retouching for Portrait Photography

Using manual skin retouching for portrait photography in London, I help artists look and feel their best in portraits that reflect who they truly are. I don’t use AI for retouching, only carefully built techniques in Darktable, an open-source editing software I’ve mastered over time. This ensures the final image feels natural and honest, never artificial.

Honest portraits deserve real retouching

Artists need portraits that represent their identity, not a polished mask or over-smoothed skin. That’s why I developed my own manual skin retouching method using Darktable. I correct imperfections, balance tones, and keep natural texture intact, subtle edits that enhance rather than erase.

Refined retouching workflow in Darktable

My process is fully manual. I don’t use dodge and burn. Instead, I rely on frequency separation, contrast equaliser and local adjustments, techniques I adapted through tutorials and hours of experimentation. This method suits my style, which focuses on photographing artists, not creating artistic effects, but capturing the person behind the practice.

Darktable, while not as widely used as Lightroom, is incredibly powerful. It has a steep learning curve, but once mastered, it allows for complete editing in a single environment. I enjoy this process. It’s not a hassle, it’s often meditative. And it gives me full control without needing AI or third-party tools.

Because Artists Deserve Better

Artists deserve portraits that respect who they are, not versions of themselves filtered through an algorithm. Manual skin retouching isn’t about hiding flaws; it’s about bringing out the best, while keeping it human. That balance is what gives the final image its truth and its impact.

Let’s make portraits that feel like you. Not perfect, just honest, intentional, and yours.