A Peek Behind the Edit: How I Retouch Your Family & Newborn Photos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zATe8xGQP4

A big part of the photography process happens long after I’ve left your home — the quiet, detailed (and very labour-intensive) work of editing. As a Sydney newborn photographer, I’m often asked what my editing workflow looks like, so I recently filmed a retouching walkthrough. Here’s a little summary of what goes into polishing your images while keeping them natural, timeless, and honest.

Before we dive in, it’s important to note: this video focuses on retouching only. It doesn’t show my earlier steps — things like global colour adjustments to achieve those creamy whites, warm skin tones, and consistent light. All of that happens first, along with image selection, cropping, orientation, and lighting adjustments. By the time I begin retouching, the overall feel of the image is already in place.

Step 1: Lightroom — The Gentle Clean-Up

Every image starts in Lightroom, where I manually remove tiny distractions like dry skin flakes, the odd pimple, milk dribble, eye crust (every newborn has it!), and any larger blemishes. I use a mix of the Remove tool and the newer AI Remove option. This step is especially important for close-ups and detail shots, where I want to preserve all the original texture and character of your skin — just without the temporary bits that don’t truly reflect you or your baby.

Step 2: Evoto — The Quick Polish

After Lightroom, I export the file into Evoto, a newer AI retouching program that’s quickly becoming a rival to Photoshop. It’s fast and powerful, but not quite refined enough for me to use on its own — which is why it works best as a complement to my Lightroom work. Here I give the image a gentle polish: refining skin texture, evening tones, removing any lingering blemishes, and adding subtle enhancements like lip tone. Think of it as the final glow on top of a carefully built foundation.

Step 3: Photoshop — The Finishing Touch (When Needed)

Not every image needs Photoshop, but some do. It’s where I handle anything more complex: tidying backgrounds, removing distracting objects, selectively sharpening or blurring areas, or fine-tuning elements that require a more hands-on, artistic approach.

Every photo you receive has been cared for with intention — cleaned where it matters, polished where it helps, and kept natural where authenticity shines brightest. As a Sydney newborn photographer and Sydney family photographer, my goal is always to deliver images that look like you, at your best, in the most meaningful moments of your story.