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The difference between "editing" and "retouching"
Many people misuse these terms and get them all mixed up. Some may argue that these two terms mean the same thing, however they are not the same thing. The difference between these terms may be subjective or objective. I will leave that up for you to decide. In my knowledge, editing is a process of making a selection and organizing a set of photographs. It has nothing to do with actual manipulation that happens in Photoshop. Retouching is a correct term to describe the process of enhancing an image . Anywhere from simple color adjustments to complex compositing. What do you guys think these terms mean? Jun 09 10 07:24 pm Link to me editing is what i do in lightroom. retouching is what i do in photoshop (or a mayhem retoucher does when i choose to outsource). where i think it becomes an issue is during the sales process when a potential customer is comparing photographers. we retouch our shots whereas some others will say "edited" and it's actually not clear what amount of retouching (if any) that entails. one local photog advertises realtor headshots for $75 but retouching is $20 more so really the cost for something you'll want to put on your web site is $95 but he can lead with the $75 price (but are customers going to fall for that?) Jun 09 10 07:45 pm Link Edit: to alter, adapt, or refine especially to bring about conformity to a standard or to suit a particular purpose. Isn't that what retouching is? Meh, just a lot of pretty words that all pretty much mean the same thing. Jun 09 10 07:57 pm Link Editing: Sorting photos. Dividing the "keepers" from the others. Post-processing : manipulating and fine-tuning an image. Jun 09 10 08:00 pm Link marknmanna wrote: Jun 09 10 08:02 pm Link It doesn't really matters BLOG: http://nataliataffarel.tumblr.com/ TWITTER: http://twitter.com/NataliaTaffarel WORKSHOPS 2011: http://nataliataffarel.tumblr.com/News Jun 09 10 08:06 pm Link In magazine terms, editing is what editors do. Re-touching is what graphic artists do. Editing is the selection process, re-touching is the fine tuning. Jun 09 10 08:08 pm Link Its all the same to me  Jun 09 10 08:10 pm Link I always thought of editing as a more in depth retouching. Retouching being slight corrections like brightness/contrast adjustment or slight complexion corrections, with editing including touch ups like editing model's size, etc. Just my $0.02 . Jun 09 10 08:16 pm Link Yes Paul well topiced. It does rile me when people wrongly overuse the term 'editing' thinking it means the whole of post-production. Editing is as you describe it. Then there's processing. And retouching. All wrapped up in the blanket phrase post-production. Can it really be so hard, as so many seem to find it, to even get beyond the proper use of terminology. Jun 09 10 08:18 pm Link Natalia_Taffarel wrote: +1 Jun 09 10 08:20 pm Link Trancedelic Retouching wrote: +2 Jun 09 10 08:27 pm Link Editing is selecting "keepers" or images to be retouched. Retouching is sharpening, removing stray hairs, getting rid of zits, colour correcting a image etc.... I know this... yet I still say I'm editing a image when I do any post processing to a photo. I've come to terms with my incorrectness, just as calling a photographer a tog no longer bothers me.... not much bothers me anymore, I'm old and they are just words. Jun 09 10 08:30 pm Link I was an Editor for 10 years... did i do books or run a newspaper? No, I cut commercials. Means different things to different people, but i think most people can express what they do as a retoucher or editor or awesome maker or whatever the new fancy term will be Jun 09 10 08:30 pm Link ed·it TRANSITIVE VERB: ed·it·ed, ed·it·ing, ed·its 1. 1. To prepare (written material) for publication or presentation, as by correcting, revising, or adapting. 2. To prepare an edition of for publication: edit a collection of short stories. 3. To modify or adapt so as to make suitable or acceptable: edited her remarks for presentation to a younger audience. 2. To supervise the publication of (a newspaper or magazine, for example). 3. To assemble the components of (a film or soundtrack, for example), as by cutting and splicing. 4. To eliminate; delete: edited the best scene out. NOUN: An act or instance of editing: made several last-minute edits for reasons of space. PHRASAL VERBS: edit in To insert during the course of editing: An additional scene was edited in before the show was aired. edit out To delete during the course of editing: A controversial scene was edited out of the film. The word "edit" has a meaning in the English language. The fact that you use it only for a particular subset of that meaning doesn't mean people who use it for the whole range of its applicability are wrong. In the end, when you hang the print on the wall, it doesn't matter whether you edited and retouched or zapped and splooged. If the image is a good image, you done good. If it's not, you try again. Jun 09 10 08:54 pm Link Natalia_Taffarel wrote: Jess Marii wrote: +1 Jun 09 10 11:21 pm Link Bryce Chapman wrote: Natalia_Taffarel wrote: +1 Jun 09 10 11:46 pm Link Natalia_Taffarel wrote: I've never thought about this either. Jun 10 10 12:22 am Link Pictures can be edited too. For example, take that recent picture of the activist holding a knife while the wounded Israeli soldier was being held down. Rueter's news service conveniently edited out the knife to make it appear the activists were unarmed. They were called on it and later published the uncropped image to reveal the full uncensored image. Cropping is editing, but not retouching. Jun 10 10 12:37 am Link I don't see any major problems with using the more general meaning of edit. It only matters if the person you are trying to communicate with will do the wrong thing based on their interpretation of the meaning within the jargon of their profession. For example, I asked a film processor in India to push my film one stop, assuming they would understand what "push" means in photo lab jargon. They did not, and ruined my film. Turns out that they thought push meant that I wanted it expedited. i still can't figure out how you expedite by a stop. Jun 10 10 12:50 am Link Editing means, "I DON'T CARE." Retouching means, "I CARE EVEN LESS." Why someone would appoint themselves the "proper-photoshop-verbage-police" is beyond me. Jun 10 10 12:57 am Link I don't logout before I answer, but answer for/as my other account "R E T O U C H I C" - #1671527 For me are simple light or colour adjusment and crop an image; editing. Removing hair and other things and manipulation; change/move the object "physically", use filtering or blur; retouching. Jun 10 10 01:11 am Link In terms of photoshopping an image, I've always thought of editing, to be removing or adding something from the original image. I.e. changing the background/setting, removing, an object accidentally left on set, adding an item/object into a models hand, etc. For retouching, I've thought of it more as skin tone/smoothening, more or less exposure/lighting, taking care of red eye, etc. More of a 'touch-up,' if you will. Jun 10 10 01:25 am Link Welcome to English, a living language defined by usage. In five years your opinions on the subject won't matter. Shizzle Nizzle. Jun 10 10 01:26 am Link In Photoshop there is a dropdown menu called Edit . Thats where Content Aware stuff is, Free Transform and other image-altering processes hide. Someone should inform Adobe Jun 10 10 02:51 am Link Natalia_Taffarel wrote: Agreed... Jun 10 10 03:08 am Link Let's see...... re·touch â â/v. riËtÊtÊ; n. ËriËtÊtÊ, riËtÊtÊ/ Show Spelled[v. ree-tuhch; n. ree-tuhch, ree-tuhch] Show IPA âverb (used with object) 1. to improve with new touches, highlights, or the like; touch up or rework, as a painting or makeup. 2. Photography . to alter (a negative or positive) after development by adding or removing lines, lightening areas, etc., with a pencil, brush, or knife. 3. to dye, tint, or bleach (a new growth of hair) to match or blend with the color of an earlier and previously dyed growth. ânoun 4. an added touch to a picture, painting, paint job, etc., by way of improvement or alteration. 5. an act or instance of dyeing new growth of hair to blend with previously dyed hair. and..... ed·it â â/ËÉdɪt/ Show Spelled[ed-it] Show IPA âverb (used with object) 1. to supervise or direct the preparation of (a newspaper, magazine, book, etc.); serve as editor of; direct the editorial policies of. 2. to collect, prepare, and arrange (materials) for publication. 3. to revise or correct, as a manuscript. 4. to expunge; eliminate (often fol. by out ): The author has edited out all references to his own family. 5. to add (usually fol. by in ). 6. to prepare (motion-picture film, video or magnetic tape) by deleting, arranging, and splicing, by synchronizing the sound record with the film, etc. 7. Genetics . to alter the arrangement of (genes). 8. Computers . to modify or add to (data or text). ânoun 9. an instance of or the work of editing: automated machinery that allows a rapid edit of incoming news. According to these definitions, when using Photoshop it would be more appropriate to use "edit" when working on images. To me, it doesn't matter. I always think of "Retouch" as being for film, though, and not for digital work on an image. Jun 10 10 03:11 am Link I agree with you editing is selecting the pics retouching is any Photoshop work that is done. Jun 10 10 03:14 am Link If you really believe there is an important distinction, I suggest you stipulate in all your contracts that you will edit all of the photos taken for the client. I for one won't be doing so, as I recognize that the meanings of words change in the public consciousness. Jun 10 10 03:29 am Link SRB Photo wrote: Exactly. Professionals I respect have very specific wording in their contracts. Trying to nail a client with ambiguous wording is not professional I would respect. Jun 10 10 08:21 am Link Paul Byun wrote: I always take both terms to be just what you've described. Can't imagine there's any other definitions that make sense. Jun 10 10 09:32 am Link I always thought that "retouching" was used to emphasize work done on the skin, pores, blemishes, etc. The obvious imperfections and flaws of the face and/or body. And "editing", manipulations done to enhance the overall image: saturation, curves, contrast, etc. *shrugs* I guess it all depends on the type of image or the subject  Jun 10 10 09:39 am Link A client has fifteen 20 meg files for you to work on. If he says, "Please edit these photos for $1000.00 (whatever the going rate is)." You really going to "correct" him? Come one. Retouching IS editing, BY DEFINITION! Websters: Main Entry: 1ed·it Pronunciation: \Ëe-dÉt\ Function: transitive verb Etymology: back-formation from editor Date: 1791 1 a : to prepare (as literary material) for publication or public presentation b : to assemble (as a moving picture or tape recording) by cutting and rearranging c : to alter, adapt, or refine especially to bring about conformity to a standard or to suit a particular purpose 2 : to direct the publication of 3 : delete âusually used with out â ed·it·able \Ëe-dÉ-tÉ-bÉl\ adjective Jun 10 10 09:48 am Link Thank you all for sharing your thoughts. Jun 10 10 10:24 pm Link Editing costs less than retouching... :p Jun 11 10 08:14 am Link If I have a paying client ask me, "Can you edit these images?" I am not going to correct their use of terminology. I'll simply retouch them, or post-process them, and collect my cash, moolah, greenbacks. English, as with any living language, evolves/devolves quite rapidly and constantly. Deal with it. Jun 11 10 08:23 am Link Squares and rectangles... All retouching is editing, but not all editing is retouching. Jun 11 10 08:31 am Link this is how i think about it and how i've seen portrait photographers discuss it in their price lists but clearly from this thread there are other ways to see it. NinaLux Photography wrote: Jun 11 10 08:37 am Link Editing is culling, retouching is altering the appearance of an artwork. Culling may alter the appearance of a body of works, but not an individual piece. That's what retouching does. Jun 11 10 10:19 am Link Paul Brecht wrote: Shock value is lame. It's a cheap way to get attention. Jun 11 10 10:19 am Link |
