Agreeing what retouching can and cannot change

Almost everyone has a photograph they would like to improve slightly. A shadow across a face, a bag on a chair, a spot on a collar. The question is where reasonable improvement ends and a different kind of change begins. Settling this early avoids disappointment on both sides.

What counts as a routine correction?

Routine corrections adjust how the photograph looks without changing what it shows. They include brightness, contrast, colour balance, straightening and sensible cropping. They are applied as part of ordinary editing.

Some small tidying, such as a stray mark on a wall, may sit between routine and larger changes. Ask us whether it is part of your delivery. We confirm it in writing for your event. See edited photographs, retouching and RAW files for how these terms differ.

What counts as a larger alteration?

A larger alteration changes something in the scene or about a person. Examples are removing a person, reshaping a body, changing a face, replacing a sky or adding something that was not there.

These changes take more time and raise questions the routine corrections do not. Does the person shown agree? Does the photograph remain a fair record? Will it be used in a place where accuracy matters, such as a report or a news item? Each of these questions needs an answer before the work starts.

Why does consent matter?

A photograph shows real people. Changing how a person appears can be unwelcome even when it is meant kindly. Some people do not want to be altered at all. Others want light adjustments only.

Respect for the person shown comes first. Where the request affects one person's appearance, it is best to ask that person. Our guidance on respectful photo direction and appearance concerns explains how these concerns are better dealt with at the time of capture.

Which limits should you agree?

A short list of limits protects everyone. Settle these in writing.

1. What counts as routine editing in your delivery.
2. Which larger changes, if any, may be requested.
3. Who may request them, and who approves the result.
4. How many revisions the agreement allows.
5. Whether the unretouched version is kept.

Capability is confirmed per event. We do not state here that any particular alteration is or is not offered. The quotation records what applies to you.

How does use affect the limits?

The place where a photograph will appear matters. A family album can accept light cosmetic care. A company report, a press release or a sponsor evidence pack should show what happened. Heavy alteration there can mislead readers.

If the photographs will be published, read photographs suitable for press use. If you plan to change them after delivery, read cropping, retouching and modifying photographs after delivery.

A worked example

For example, imagine a bride's father asks that a cluttered cable on the floor be removed from a group photograph. The request is small and affects nobody's appearance, so it is a reasonable one to put to the delivery contact.

Now imagine a guest asks that another guest be removed because of a family disagreement. That is not a cosmetic request. It changes who was at the event. It needs a careful conversation, and our page on asking to remove a person from an event photograph explains the questions involved.

How should a request be worded?

A clear request saves a round of questions. Name the photograph by its file name or its position in the gallery. Say what you would like changed and why it matters. Say whether the person shown has agreed, if the change affects them.

For example: "In photograph 0142, a cable crosses the floor in front of the family. Could this be tidied, if it is part of the delivery?" That is easy to answer. A request such as "make it look better" is not.

What should you do when you are unsure?

Describe the result you want, not the technique. Say what bothers you, which photograph it is in and what the photograph is for. Then let the delivery contact tell you what is possible.

Keep the original version of any photograph that is changed. A change can be redone from the original, but the reverse is not possible. Use the photo delivery acceptance checklist to log requests, and return to event photo delivery, editing and preservation for the wider process.