This weekend I saw a video on photo retouching and how it is used everyday by celebrities.

Tim believes that 99.9% of images used in magazines are retouched. But how many of us really know that?

When I had the idea for Photolate I wasn’t really aware of the extent to which photo retouching is used in the beauty & fashion industry or the reasons why. I was approaching photo retouching from a photographers point of view and because I was unable to find the time to colour correct my travel and landscape photos (and these didn’t even have people in!).

Of course I’m a lot more aware now of how photo retouching can be used having studied the topic for the last 8 months! However before starting Photolate, although I knew that magazine covers were airbrushed I did not really know. More on this in future blog posts…

According to Tim a lot of celebrities have staff or freelancers on demand to retouch every photo of them; not one photo of them is released without their permission. They want to be viewed by the world to have this perfection. That’s the reality of it.

Knowing this, I also want my photo retouched! It was wanting to see what I would look like having my photo airbrushed, and how it made me feel, that led me on this journey of founding Photolate.

I’d love to hear from you on this topic. How does knowing that a probable 100% of magazine photos are retouched, make you feel?

Since Photolate’s launch just one month ago, we have happily received over 100 photos to retouch.

From the feedback given to us so far it seems you are very impressed with the results. One customer has even written a full review on the new website and retouching services that Photolate offers. Check it out on his blog!

Of Photolate, Rob wrote, “Overall a pretty good service at an amazing price. A few teething problems but they’re improving bits all the time. I would highly recommend this service.”

Rob chose to have a special photo of him and his wife retouched, which was spoilt by red eye, sunburn and unsightly plasters. The before and after Photolate is shown below.

I was asked the other day why I thought photo retouching is so popular.

For decades, models and celebrities have been driving the airbrush trend. All the advertising or magazine photos we see these days have been digitally enhanced.

But now it seems 75% of us retouch our pics before putting them online.

According to the Kodak’s Photo Futures Report, 75% digitally enhance our photographs. This compares with just 46% of Germans, 40% of Italians, 38% of Spaniards and a mere 28% of the French.

And British men it seems are twice as likely as women to airbrush their shots!

A Kodak spokesman said: “Over the last two years, we’ve seen a real leap in the number of people digitally enhancing their images.”

On second thoughts, it makes sense in a world where so much of our networking and business is done online that we want to make a good first impression still.

Photo retouching allows you to create a photo where you look your best.

Have a look at Photolate’s retouching packages to find the right retouch for you!

Airbrushing it seems is not only for the girls.

Men too like a little help from the digital darkroom if George Clooney’s latest blockbuster posters are anything to go by.

As rightly noticed by the Daily Mail,” the 46-year-old actor appears to have been given a careful polish in new promotional images for his upcoming film Leatherheads”.

Great work and pretty natural huh?

Anyone else spent holidays wrestling with their bikini top to avoid strap marks? It’s either that, go topless or live with the suntan marks.

I say live and let live! Holidays should be relaxed and enjoyed. However, if you do have a photo that you wish wasn’t spoilt by sunburn, upload it and let Photolate do its magic. Here’s a photo we recently retouched to remove strapmarks.

This retouch was the natural package with a bespoke add-on treatment costing just £5.50.

It’s just like using an airbrush tanning kit isn’t it?

“I like a certain amount of retouching, like anybody” was Liz Hurley’s quote last week as she launched her latest Mango swimwear range.

Confessing that she now relies on “nice photographers” and retouching for swimwear shoots, she said she didn’t mind being made to look a “bit thinner and a bit younger” through the use of digital enhancement.

Like anybody, Photolate’s photo retouching can now also give you this look.

Been interviewed by The Sunday Times, Liz said, “We all like to get rid of spots and shadows under our eyes. I’ve always been quite particular – I don’t like my face to be retouched.

Often, people will want to correct one’s face, and with me, they always want to change my nose and I’m like, ‘No, no, no, I can’t look like that. I don’t mind if you want to make me a bit thinner and a bit younger, but you can’t give me a different jaw or eyebrows.

But the vanity retouching – well, who wouldn’t?”

Yes Liz, we think that’s what Photolate’s natural retouch package is all about.

Interestingly, as her roadshow moved onto Munich, we don’t see her posing in a bikini with the rest of the girls.

Could it be that she wasn’t prepared to pose in a two-piece without any digital help?

…your photo retouching specialists!

Photolate is a photo retouching service for everyday photos.

As experts in airbrush techniques we aim to open the door of photo editing to everyone who has ever wondered how celebrities and models achieve THAT look! It’s also a service for photographers whose cameras (or possibly photographic skill) have let them down.

Who hasn’t got a photo spoilt by red eye and shine caused by camera flash?

Or if you’re like me, I’m often caught off guard when having my picture taken and not always looking my best. Photolate can rescue these photos and aims to give you image confidence.

So welcome to Photolate!

As the founder of the company and the voice behind this blog I’m keen to hear what you think about photo retouching and the service we are providing.

Here’s a retouch I made earlier of myself!

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