Photography · Retouching · Colour grading
A lighter touch.
A stronger image.
Beginning with a softly lit portrait, the project combines detailed retouching, colour grading and tonal reconstruction with editorial design. The finished image retains the subject's natural expression and texture while gaining the clarity, depth and visual impact needed to carry a model-led magazine cover.
Project details
The useful
particulars.
- Client
- Next Top Models
- Role
- Retoucher & editorial designer
- Status
- Completed
- Year
- 2026
- Place
- Krasnodar, Russia
- Disciplines
- Portrait retouching · Colour correction and grading · Skin, hair and fabric refinement · Editorial cover design
The problem
The source portrait had attractive natural light and a strong expression, but its muted colour, uneven tonal balance and surrounding distractions limited its editorial impact. The edit needed to feel visibly more polished without making the skin artificial, oversaturating the hair or losing the delicate texture of the lace garment. It also needed enough clarity and presence to work convincingly as a magazine cover.
The approach
The image was rebuilt through selective rather than global adjustments. Colour temperature and exposure were balanced first, followed by local shaping of highlights, shadows and facial contrast. Skin was refined while retaining natural texture, individual strands and tonal variation were restored to the hair, and the lace was clarified without becoming harsh. The finished portrait was then placed within a custom editorial cover layout, using scale, typography and negative space to turn the retouched photograph into a complete publication.
The result
A cleaner, richer and more controlled portrait that still feels recognisably natural. The comparison reveals substantial improvements in colour, depth, focus and finish, while the magazine demonstrates how the final image can move beyond retouching and function as the centrepiece of a confident editorial design.