After over a decade in the trenches as a commercial retoucher, I’ve gained plenty of insights into what makes or breaks a retoucher’s performance. If you’re hiring for a project or a long-term collaboration, here’s how I’d approach evaluating talent.

This is my perspective. Take it for what it’s worth, but I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t.

Start with the Portfolio

The portfolio is usually the first stop, and here’s what matters to me:

➡️ Consistency Across Projects – A standout project or two isn’t enough. I need to see strong, consistent skill across the portfolio. If the quality drops off after a few good pieces, that’s a red flag.

➡️ Seamless Compositing – If I see seams, mismatched lighting, or weird shadows, I’m out. It should look natural, period.

➡️ Edge Control and Cleanliness – Check how they manage masks, especially around color changes or product cutouts. The edges should be smooth, seamless, and natural.

➡️ Texture Retention – Skin should look like skin, not a wax figure. Over-blurring or smoothing is another red flag. Also, some brands want a flawless, polished look, while others prioritize natural texture/color. Can the retoucher handle what you’re looking for?

➡️ Color Accuracy & Control – Inconsistent skin tones or product colors? Dealbreaker. High-end retouchers know how to fix that even with dodgy lighting.

➡️ Realistic Shadows & Highlights – Shadows and highlights should be in line with the scene’s light. If they don’t match up, the whole image will feel off.

➡️ Sharpness & Focus – Overdone or soft sharpening is another red flag, especially in ecomm or print work. Good retouchers know where to focus sharpness without making it look artificial.

Consider the Type of Retouching to Be Done

The type of retouching you're hiring for matters. Here’s what to look for based on the project:

🛒 Ecomm Retouching

Retouchers who are strong in ecomm can work through large volumes of images quickly while maintaining precise color accuracy, consistent lighting, and realistic texture. They know how to balance efficiency with quality, using automation and batch processing for speed while making manual adjustments where needed. They understand how different materials—like silk versus denim—should look under controlled lighting and can correct inconsistencies between product shots. If a retailer needs thousands of images to look uniform across an entire site, these retouchers know how to make it happen.

📸 Editorial Retouching

Retouchers with strong editorial skills know how to enhance an image without stripping away its natural feel. They respect skin texture, preserve film grain if it’s part of the look, and ensure lighting and contrast stay true to the original capture. They know when to hold back on smoothing and sharpening to keep the image from looking over-processed. Their work ensures a cohesive visual story across a whole series, including color consistency, so every image feels part of the same world while still maintaining its individuality.

🎯 Campaign Retouching

Retouchers who excel in campaign work know how to adapt images for multiple placements without losing impact. A billboard, a web banner, and an Instagram ad all have different requirements, and these retouchers know how to optimize resolution, contrast, and composition for each format. They can seamlessly extend backgrounds for wider crops, swap in elements for regional variations, and composite multiple images together without it looking artificial. If an asset needs to be repurposed across multiple channels, they know how to make it work without cutting corners. They also know how to keep the details intact so images look as good close up as they do far away.

Beyond the Portfolio: Talk to the Retoucher

A 30-minute conversation will tell you more than a portfolio ever could. Retouchers are partners in bringing a vision to life. Ask about:

• Their workflow and how they handle feedback.

• How they manage high-volume projects.

• How they adapt to different client styles and expectations.

If they can’t talk through their process clearly, that’s a red flag.

Consider a Paid Test

Running a small test project can help assess skill, communication, and turnaround speed. While not always expected, a paid test is wonderful because retouching takes time, and compensation shows respect for the work.

Organizational Skills Matter

Really, your files, notes, and approvals process should already be sorted. If they’re not, something like verybusy.io can help. That said, the best retouchers have systems in place AND are adaptable to whatever their client is using.

Clear Estimates & Scope

Before starting a project, ensure there’s a written estimate covering:

• Scope of work (number of images, level of retouching).

• Turnaround time.

• Number of revisions included.

• Fees for out-of-scope changes or rush jobs.

There’s an art to estimating, and getting clarity upfront avoids headaches later. My retouching partner and verybusy.io co-founder Peter Hunner talks about this here.

Final Thoughts

Be critical in your vetting process. Know what you need, and don’t settle for anything less than a retoucher who can handle the full scope of the project.