Should you retouch your digital photos?
Besides Canon vs. Nikon and SLR vs. DSLR, the biggest argument I see hashed out time and time again is whether or not digital photos should be retouched (or “post-processed”, as some people choose to say). Retouching, in case you’re not aware, includes everything from drastic color saturation and tone adjustments to subtle contrast changes and exposure fixes. Most digital photos are retouched not because the photographer is unhappy with the subject of the photo, but because he or she feels that the photo could benefit from some type of color enhancement.
Personally, I’m happy with my choice to retouch photos. I don’t look at retouching as a way of altering the original photo at all. A photograph is meant to capture an image, a subject, a certain scene. Obviously we try our best to make sure that lighting settings are ideal, but sometimes things happen, and the resulting photo doesn’t turn out like we planned. Retouching does not change the content of the photograph, just like changing the font of a document in Microsoft Word does not alter the writing itself.
I generally do subtle retouching. I’ll up the exposure, particularly in photos where there are a lot of shadows around the eyes (which can make it hard to see the irises!). Sometimes I’ll increase the color saturation, but I tend to reserve that for indoor photos only, due to my Nikon’s cool color tendencies and my indoor lighting not providing the best circumstances for colorful, eye-popping photos.
So, do you retouch? Why or why not?
Filed Under: General
