How Much Editing is Too Much in Portrait Photography?

5 months 2 weeks ago #758401 by Ryan711
Hey fellow portrait photographers, do you ever feel like you're overdoing it with editing? I'm constantly tweaking every little detail, but then I wonder if my clients even notice all that extra effort. When do you guys call it quits on editing? How do you figure out that sweet spot where the photo is just right, without going overboard? I'd love to hear your thoughts and tips on finding that balance!


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5 months 2 weeks ago #758408 by db3348
When it starts to look blatantly unrealistic or contrived , un-natural look . 


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5 months 1 week ago #758630 by Amy Porter
When skin tones start looking orange


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5 months 1 week ago #758699 by Rob Cline

Amy Porter wrote: When skin tones start looking orange


:agree: so true. When skin starts showing to much color, that is when you need to pull back a tad.


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5 months 1 week ago #758700 by Hassner
My wife was my measure.
She could not edit, but she knew enough to know the natural look.


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5 months 1 week ago #758722 by JaneK
Once saturation and vibrancy starts shifting skin tones - no no in my book. But something to keep in mind, I guess the right answer would be, what do you want from your portrait? If you want from a general standpoint, you have your answer from so many here. If you speaking for yourself and your work, that depends on your creative vision for that photo.


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4 months 3 weeks ago #759182 by M Moore
Something like this is up to each person.  But for me, the moment the person starts to look plastic or orange, yeah you pushed it to far.  


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4 months 3 weeks ago #759208 by ronhews
Remember that editing is a creative process, and there is no definitive answer to how much is too much. Ultimately, it's about finding a balance that aligns with your artistic vision and meets the expectations of your clients.


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4 months 3 weeks ago #759214 by Scotty
It's only too much if it looks bad.  Pretty much every good shot taken in the photoshop era has been doctored heavily. It's part of the process.

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4 months 3 weeks ago #759263 by Garbo

Scotty wrote: It's only too much if it looks bad.  Pretty much every good shot taken in the photoshop era has been doctored heavily. It's part of the process.


+1 agree, taking the photo is step 1, step 2 is processing 

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4 months 3 weeks ago #759338 by Pete Franko
When colors start showing fake, as others have stated is when it's too much.  


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4 months 2 weeks ago #759627 by Prago
ha ha ha, you know those plastic looking people that are orange just doesn't work

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4 months 2 weeks ago #759633 by Razky

Ryan711 wrote: Hey fellow portrait photographers, do you ever feel like you're overdoing it with editing? I'm constantly tweaking every little detail, but then I wonder if my clients even notice all that extra effort. When do you guys call it quits on editing? How do you figure out that sweet spot where the photo is just right, without going overboard? I'd love to hear your thoughts and tips on finding that balance!

The fewer mistakes you make before tripping the shutter, the less "corrections" you have to make after.


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