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Saying Goodbye to Aperty: What Portrait Editors Need to Know
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Saying Goodbye to Aperty: What Portrait Editors Need to Know

A Beloved Portrait Tool Is Saying Farewell I’m sharing some news that might affect your editing toolkit. Skylum has announced that Aperty, their dedicated portrait editor, will be discontinued as of November 4th. If you’ve been using this software, now’s the time to plan your next steps. What Made Aperty Special When we first explored Aperty earlier this year, we found ourselves impressed by its thoughtful approach to portrait work. The software struck a nice balance between traditional editing controls—those familiar development sliders we all rely on—and modern AI-assisted features.

Why Desert Landscapes Demand Better Skin Retouching: A Beauty Editor's Take
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Why Desert Landscapes Demand Better Skin Retouching: A Beauty Editor's Take

Why Desert Landscapes Demand Better Skin Retouching: A Beauty Editor’s Take I’ve been noticing a trend in my retouching inbox lately—more photographers are bringing their portrait work to desert locations, and honestly, they’re discovering what we beauty editors have known for years: these stunning landscapes require a completely different approach to skin editing than traditional studio work. The Desert Light Challenge When we’re working with portraits shot in desert environments, we’re contending with intense, unforgiving sunlight that creates harsh shadows and blown-out highlights across the face.

Storage Costs Keep Climbing: What Portrait Retouchers Need to Know
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Storage Costs Keep Climbing: What Portrait Retouchers Need to Know

Storage Costs Keep Climbing: What Portrait Retouchers Need to Know If you’ve been shopping for memory cards or external drives lately, you’ve probably noticed something painful at checkout: prices have gotten seriously steep. I’ve been tracking the storage market closely over the past year, and I’m hearing from industry insiders that we shouldn’t expect relief anytime soon. The shortage of NAND flash memory that’s been driving costs up shows every sign of persisting well into the coming years.

Evoto 8.0 Takes Portrait Retouching to the Next Level
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Evoto 8.0 Takes Portrait Retouching to the Next Level

Evoto 8.0 Takes Portrait Retouching to the Next Level I recently attended Evoto’s press event in New York City, and I have to say—I’m genuinely impressed by where this software is heading. In an industry long dominated by Adobe’s ecosystem, seeing a challenger bring this level of innovation to portrait editing is refreshing. What’s New in Evoto 8.0? The latest version introduces features that directly address pain points we face as portrait and beauty editors.

Why Local Processing Matters: ACDSee's Latest Update Prioritizes Your Privacy in Portrait Work
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Why Local Processing Matters: ACDSee's Latest Update Prioritizes Your Privacy in Portrait Work

Why Local Processing Matters: ACDSee’s Latest Update Prioritizes Your Privacy in Portrait Work As portrait retouchers and beauty editors, we work with some of the most sensitive images our clients will ever share. That’s why I’m genuinely excited about ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate 2027 and its approach to AI—it’s fundamentally different from what we’ve seen before, and frankly, it’s a game-changer for those of us who care deeply about protecting client privacy.

How AI Is Revolutionizing Portrait Retouching: What You Need to Know
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How AI Is Revolutionizing Portrait Retouching: What You Need to Know

How AI Is Revolutionizing Portrait Retouching: What You Need to Know I’ve watched the photography and beauty editing landscape shift dramatically over the past few years, and I have to say—the rise of artificial intelligence in our industry is nothing short of remarkable. What once required hours of meticulous manual work can now be accomplished in minutes, sometimes seconds. But here’s what’s really exciting: this isn’t about replacing our skills; it’s about amplifying them.

The Art of Historical Authenticity: What the First Tornado Photo Teaches Us About Editing Ethics
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The Art of Historical Authenticity: What the First Tornado Photo Teaches Us About Editing Ethics

A Humbling Reminder from 1884 I’ve been thinking a lot lately about authenticity in our work as retouchers and beauty editors. So when I discovered the story of the first-ever photograph of a tornado, taken in 1884 by a Kansas fruit farmer, I realized it offers us a profound lesson—one that’s surprisingly relevant to what we do today. The Unvarnished Original Here’s what struck me: the actual first tornado photograph isn’t the dramatic, cinematically perfect image most of us have seen circulating.

How Authentic Storytelling Shapes Our Work as Beauty and Portrait Editors
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How Authentic Storytelling Shapes Our Work as Beauty and Portrait Editors

Finding Purpose Beyond the Surface As portrait retouchers and beauty editors, we often find ourselves caught between two worlds: the desire to enhance and perfect, and the need to preserve authenticity. This tension has never been more relevant than when I reflect on how photographers use their craft to document meaningful moments in history. Recently, I’ve been thinking about how the most powerful portraits aren’t always the most polished ones. They’re the images that capture something real—something that connects us to the subject on a deeper level.

What Ocean Photography's Biggest Awards Teach Us About Skin Tones and Natural Beauty
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What Ocean Photography's Biggest Awards Teach Us About Skin Tones and Natural Beauty

What Ocean Photography’s Biggest Awards Teach Us About Skin Tones and Natural Beauty This year’s Ocean Photographer of the Year competition has left me genuinely inspired—and not just because of the stunning underwater imagery. As I’ve been reviewing the 40 award-winning submissions, I’ve noticed something fascinating: the most celebrated photographers share a philosophy that we, as beauty and portrait retouchers, should absolutely embrace. The Power of Authentic Color Work The winning images consistently demonstrate masterful color grading that enhances without oversaturating.

Game-Changing Portrait Photography: What Apple's New Foldable iPhone Means for Beauty Editors
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Game-Changing Portrait Photography: What Apple's New Foldable iPhone Means for Beauty Editors

Game-Changing Portrait Photography: What Apple’s New Foldable iPhone Means for Beauty Editors I’ve been following Apple’s latest announcement with genuine excitement, and I think we need to talk about what this means for our community of portrait photographers and retouchers. The new iPhone Duo isn’t just another phone—it’s a potential game-changer for how we capture and edit beauty imagery. The Hardware That Matters for Portrait Work What strikes me first about this device is the impressive dual 48 MP rear camera setup.

Why Honest Design Matters: Learning from Camera Craftsmanship for Beauty Editing
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Why Honest Design Matters: Learning from Camera Craftsmanship for Beauty Editing

The Intersection of Form and Function I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what makes retouching feel right. We spend so much time in our editing software perfecting skin, smoothing lines, and enhancing features. But sometimes I wonder if we’re missing something fundamental about beauty itself. Recently, I came across a fascinating observation about vintage camera design. The most celebrated cameras in history weren’t designed to be beautiful—they were engineered to work.

Beyond the Postcard: Why Your Authentic Portraits Matter More Than Perfect Landmarks
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Beyond the Postcard: Why Your Authentic Portraits Matter More Than Perfect Landmarks

Beyond the Postcard: Why Your Authentic Portraits Matter More Than Perfect Landmarks We’ve all been there. You’re traveling somewhere beautiful, camera in hand, and you find yourself chasing the same shot everyone else has already captured a thousand times. The golden-hour landmark. The perfectly framed scenic backdrop. The postcard-worthy moment. But here’s what I’ve learned after years working with portrait photographers and beauty editors: the images that actually matter aren’t the ones that match everyone else’s Instagram feed.