In this article, we will go over the basics of using Aftershoot’s retouching feature. Note that retouching is currently only available to users on the Retouching Waitlist. Users on macOS can try retouching early. Windows users will be able to try retouching once we launch the open Beta.

There are several things you need to keep in mind before you begin.
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First and foremost, keep in mind that the early access retouching build does not handle culling and editing. When you install the retouching version, please keep the main Aftershoot app installed as well, for culling and editing.

Currently, you can only retouch JPEGs. This means that Lightroom and Capture One catalogs cannot be used for retouching. If you try to retouch a catalog, you will see the message below, prompting you to re-import your images as JPEGs.

Why is this necessary?

Retouching images is a destructive editing method that cannot be reversed. Since Aftershoot doesn’t have RAW rendering sliders and you can’t put your finishing touches inside of it, we ask you to export your images and add the last details, before retouching.

When trying to retouch images that weren’t edited inside Aftershoot you can simply proceed to retouching.

To begin retouching, import your images as you usually would, and click on the Retouch tab at the top of the screen.

Note that retouching can only be used in Loupe View. If you try to access it in any other view, you’ll be greeted by this image.

Press the L Key shortcut to switch to Loupe View and you will see the retouching screen. Your selected image will be in the middle, with the rest of the images being displayed in a carousel underneath it.

On the right side, you will see a section with the retouching controls. For now, let’s take a look at the 5 categories of Portrait Sliders. To see the retouching sliders inside any of them, simply click on the category name to open them.

Below you can read the description of every slider. Please note some of them aren’t available yet and will be marked with Coming Soon inside the app.

1. Blemish Removal

- Acne Gives the skin a clearer look by removing pimples, blemishes, and acne scars.

- Freckle Smoothes the skin by reducing or eliminating freckles.

2. Wrinkles

- Forehead Softens the wrinkles on the forehead for a more youthful look.

- Eye Bags Reduces puffiness and dark circles under the eyes, by lightening and smoothing the area.

- Smile Gives the lines around the mouth a softer look for a clearer smile.

3. Face

- Face Brightening Brings fresh glow and radiance to the face by enhancing the natural brightness.

- Eye Brightening Adds vibrance to the eyes, by increasing brightness and adding a sparkle.

- Teeth Whitening Makes the smile more prominent by whitening the color of the teeth.

4. Glare

- Lens Glare Reduces the glare of glasses for a clearer image of the eyes.

5. Hair

- Hair Darkening Darkens the natural color of the hair for a more vibrant and contrasting look.

- Stray Hair Eliminates stray hairs from the face and the background.

Besides the Portrait Sliders, there are also Body Sliders. To access them look at the top of the right-hand section and click on the button in the middle that says Body.

1. Skin

- Body Smoothening Gives the subject an even complexion by balancing the skin tone across the whole body.

2. Cloth

- Cloth Smoothening Makes an outfit look fresher by smoothing out the wrinkles in clothing.

Now that you know what each slider means, it’s time to use them. Simply select the slider you want to adjust, and then click and drag it to the desired value. Once you do that, you will see a circle in the lower right corner of your image, that shows the retouch being applied.

The process is the same when it comes to both Portrait and Body retouching.

You can also copy the slider settings of an image to another image. Press the CMD+C/CTRL+C keyboard shortcut on the image with the settings you wish to copy. Then switch to the image to which you want to apply the settings and press the CMD+V/CTRL+V keyboard shortcut.

While the sliders work the same way on images with more than one person, you need to know how to apply different sliders to different people.

Look at the top of the right-hand section and you will see buttons that say Person 1, Person 2, and so forth. Underneath you will see a check box that says Show Face Frame.

Toggle the check box and click on Person 1. You will see which subject in the image is assigned to this button. The sliders you will adjust right now will only apply to this person in the image. This applies to both Portrait and Body retouching.

You can retouch multiple people and give them the same slider adjustments simultaneously by clicking on multiple Person buttons. If you don’t select Persons in group images and adjust the sliders, every subject will get the same retouching.

If you look in the upper left corner of the screen, to the right of the view changing buttons is the history button. If you click on it you can see the history of all the retouching adjustments you made.

To use object removal click on the third button at the top of the right-hand section that says Patch.

To remove an object, adjust the brush slider to the desired size. Afterward, apply the brush to the object you wish to remove and click on the Apply button.

You can undo the last object removal by clicking the Reset Changes button, to the left of the Save Changes button.

Note: Please remember that you can only undo object removal at this point. This doesn’t apply to Portrait and Body retouching.

The object removal can be undone by clicking on the Reset button in the lower right corner.

We hope this article was useful. If you are still experiencing difficulties or have questions, feel free to contact us at [email protected]. It will be our pleasure to help you out!