We all know how much celebrity, fashion and beauty images are retouched. But then, do we really? Head to Digital Retouch for a number of “before” and “after” examples of brilliant, high-end retouching. You might be surprised at how far retouching can go – and still retain a acceptably natural look.

The site is meant as a sales platform and not for education. But you will likely find it educational to check out the four sections named “Beauty/Hair,” “Correction,” “Shaping,” and “Manipulation.” Each image includes a peel-back feature that reveals the “before” image, and comparing what has been done (what is possible) can be enlightening, if not inspiring.

Digital Retouch is owned and run by photographers Andrew Matusik and Stewart Price. Both bring extensive digital expertise and photographic insight to their retouching craft. But they are photographers first and foremost, which is why they work hard to make sure even the most heavily retouched images come out the far end of the workflow looking photographically natural.

Unless you are a professional retoucher, you’re unlikely to ever go as far as Matusik and Price do—especially in “shaping” and “manipulation.” But unless you’re a photojournalist, you’re likely to regularly retouch to some extent. When recently talking to Matusik he told me that, when it comes to retouching, the most important strategy is to not overdo it, keeping the image natural and to think about the art of retouching – no matter how extensive – as an extension of the in-camera process, not as a way to fix photography gone wrong.

Tags: Andrew Matusik, Beauty Photography, Commerical Photography, Digital Retouch, Fashion Phography, Insiration, Learning Resources, Retouching, Stewart Price