RetouchUp Review 2024: Benefits & Hidden Cons

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RetouchUp Services

  • Rank
    (3.5/5)
  • Platforms: Web
  • Pricing: From $2.50/image
  • Free Trial: No
  • Bulk Order: Yes
retouchup logo

Verdict: From $2.50 per photo and $1.50 per clipping path RetouchUp prices are more than reasonable, but a lot of users complain about the quality of the delivered work, which is some of the lowest on the market.

RetouchUp works only with professional photographers, making it an unsuitable option for eCommerce business owners, amayeurs, and regular people who want to edit photos for their family photo albums.

Pros
  • Quick turnaround
  • Supports a broad range of file formats
  • Website provides pricing information
Cons
  • Result quality is among the worst on the market
  • Lacks a dedicated mobile application
  • Need to provide a lot of info
  • Image uploading takes a long time
  • Small number of image samples
  • One order = one level of editing
  • Possible issues due to a language barrier

1. RetouchUp Color Correction

The provided color correction service includes while balance adjustments, exposure and contrast tweaks, vibrance fine-tuning, and other similar edits. However, this service doesn’t involve retouching, which needs to be purchased as a separate project once the agency finishes the color correction.

* Color Correction Problems Reviews ★★★☆☆ 3/5

Poor result quality. A lot of clients state that the enhanced images they received from this agency look highly unrealistic. This might be a result of poor monitor calibration on the part of the editors, which can lead to unnatural colors and a huge disappointment on the customer’s end once they view the photos on a properly-calibrated screen.

Compatible with a broad range of formats. This RetouchUp service not only accepts JPEG images, but also a long list of RAW formats including .nef, .cr2, .dng, .orf, .raf, .pef, .arw, .srf, .sr2, .nrw, .ptx, .raw, .rw2, .rw1, and .srw.

Limited info about the service. Akin to most competing companies, this agency provides a standardized list of options but neglects to add a detailed breakdown of the service. To find more information, you'll have to visit the FAQ section and look for the answers that interest you.

No mobile application version. This service is available exclusively as an online solution, meaning the developers haven't created a separate photo editing app. This is a serious drawback since a lot of users prefer to save time by placing orders on their phones with just a couple of taps.

It should be noted that most competing agencies offer a dedicated app, so RetouchUp doesn’t stack up favorably in this regard.

2. RetouchUp Portrait/Headshot Editing

This agency is also known for its portrait and headshot retouching service. RetouchUp can perform item removal and get rid of facial shine, stray hairs, and blemishes while emphasizing the model’s eyes.

* Portrait Editing Problems Reviews ★★★☆☆ 3/5

Doesn’t provide any image requirements. Even though this might sound like a positive at first, such an approach also has its drawbacks. Since you don’t have any quality guidelines to follow and the agency will simply enhance any photo you send their way, it’s likely you won’t receive the best possible result unless you have a keen professional eye when it comes to image culling.

Convenient site. While the company’s site might seem dated at first, you’ll soon find that it’s very intuitive to navigate and use.

Small number of example images. RetouchUp doesn’t offer a dedicated portfolio section with samples of their previous projects. You can only view a small number of examples attached to each service package, most of which are of rather poor quality.

Subject’s skin can look artificial. Customers frequently mention this issue when ordering the airbrushing service. Not only do the colors look unrealistic, but the changes made by the agency's retouchers can also make the skin tone look plastic. The quality of the performed blemish and acne removal is also spotty.

Possible issues when uploading images. There's a chance of suffering from technical problems when uploading images to the website. Having to deal with such errors can be stressful and time-consuming.

3. RetouchUp Body Retouching

RetouchUp’s body retouching service entails the reshaping and slimming of the body, fat deletion, skin smoothing, breast enhancement, and other necessary edits.

* Body Retouching Problems Reviews ★★☆☆☆ 2.5/5

Convoluted order placement. You're greeted by a long webpage that has you filling over a dozen different fields including your legal name, address, occupation, place of work, and credit card info. Trying to deal with this form on your phone is incredibly inconvenient since it wasn't optimized for smartphone screens.

Non-destructive editing. The agency relies on a non-destructive editing workflow to preserve the original photo. Such a methodology makes it possible to make precise tweaks without affecting the model’s natural texture, skin tone, and various details that are needed for the final image to look realistic.

Upload image size cap. Even though RetouchUp enables you to upload your photo straight to their site, it can’t be larger than 50MB in size.

4. RetouchUp Product Retouching

RetouchUp’s product photo retouching service encompasses resizing, backdrop deletion/replacement, item removal, and several other actions. However, if you need some additional services, you’ll have to pay an additional fee.

* Product Retouching Problems Reviews ★★★☆☆ 3/5

Half-baked revisions. Several user reviews mention that RetouchUp doesn’t dedicate enough care to requested revisions. Even though customers can demand specific changes, the agency often neglects to satisfy those requests, making the final result fall short of expectations.

Quick turnaround. In terms of delivery time, this agency strives to complete orders as fast as possible. Most projects are completed within 24 hours or even quicker.

Not optimized for online platforms. The company’s employees don’t utilize any web optimization techniques. As such, you can't be certain if the delivered product photos are optimized for specific digital platforms. Generally, optimization is needed to improve the loading speed, enhance the user experience, and increase conversions.

5. RetouchUp Clipping Path

Clipping path services allow you to elevate your eCommerce photos to a new level by placing your products against a professional white backdrop. This service includes such techniques as background replacement, resizing, border addition, and so on.

* Clipping Path Problems Reviews ★★★☆☆ 3/5

Don’t follow customer instructions. User reviews mention the disappointing quality of the edited images as a result of the retouchers not listening to the client’s requirements. Such an approach and the unwillingness to ensure customer satisfaction are very disheartening.

Can’t be tested for free. RetouchUp lacks a free trial option that would enable potential customers to test a service before placing an order. This is very weird considering that these services are aimed at professional photographers who require top-tier quality results and need to be certain the agency they’ve chosen can deliver.

6. RetouchUp Photo Restoration

RetouchUp provides photo restoration services at a fixed price point of $36 per picture. The agency’s experts can deal with all types of damage, enhance faded colors, add color to black-and-white photos, get rid of smudges and dust, and much more.

* Photo Restoration Problems Reviews ★★☆☆☆ 2/5

Disappointing quality. Several clients state that the delivered images can look somewhat unrealistic. After going through the image restoration process, your photos can end up with an over-edited or fake look that will decrease the authentic appeal of the original.

Manual adjustments. The agency’s experts perform all adjustments manually rather than relying on the convenience of AI-based tools. Such an approach allows them to pay more attention to detail.

Subpar client support. The availability and dependability of the client support staff are disappointing and can make it hard for you to receive timely help when suffering from different issues or being unhappy with the result of the photo restoration process.

Works with digital oil paintings. If you pay $35.00 per photo, you can have it "hand-painted" with digital brush strokes. Such a technique is particularly useful for making a low-resolution photo suitable for wall-displayable prints.

7. RetouchUp Video Editing

RetouchUp also provides video editing services with impressive delivery times. Sadly, the agency doesn’t offer detailed information regarding what is included in these services, what kind of software it uses, and so on.

* Video Editing Problems Reviews ★★★☆☆ 3.5/5

Disrespectful managers. You can find a lot of RetouchUp review examples that mention the rude or disinterested communication style of the agency's managers. Such occurrences hurt the user experience and make it highly unlikely a client will order from this company again.

Tedious video uploading process. Several customers claim that it takes a very long time to upload a video to the agency’s website.

Offer discounts. Currently, you can get this service for $25 (instead of the full price of $50). To find out more about this offer, you'll have to go to the website of their new company which is focused entirely on video editing.

No refunds even if they make a mistake. Should the company's employees make a mistake when working on your order, they won't give your money back even though they claim the opposite. The fact that you can't hold them accountable for their errors can cause a lot of stress as well as make you lose your hard-earned money.

Small number of project samples. The official site doesn’t feature samples of their previous video editing projects. The lack of any visual references makes it impossible for you to know what level of quality you can receive from this agency.

RetouchUp Prices

RetouchUp offers only three prices for editing portraits - $2.5, $5, and $10, and this is a very large price gap, even though the first option may not be enough for you in terms of the range of provided services.

As for the prices for other services, be prepared to pay $0.15/photo for bulk color correction orders and $1.50/photo per subject for clipping path services. You can also RetouchUp coupons to save some money on your order.

retouchup pricing comparison

RetouchUp Alternatives:

FixThePhoto

  • Rank
    (5/5)
  • Platforms: Web
  • Pricing: From $0.2/image
  • Free Trial: Free $12 credit
  • Bulk Order: Yes
fixthephoto logo

Verdict: FixThePhoto provides a broad scope of editing services including wedding photo editing, newborn photo retouching, background deletion, color correction, and many others. This agency has managed to gain an edge over the competition while being showered with positive reviews, while RetouchUp has received a lot of negative feedback for its services.

FixThePhoto provides a 15% discount for any orders over $600. If you're a return customer who has been collaborating with this agency for more than 6 months and has spent over $2000 total, you'll get 30% off for any orders within the next half a year.

fixthephoto portrait photo editing fixthephoto portrait photo editing service

WeEdit.Photos

  • Rank
    (5/5)
  • Platforms: Web
  • Pricing: From $0.25/image
  • Free Trial: No
  • Bulk Order: Yes
weedit photos logo

Verdict: WeEdit.Photos seem to be superior to RetouchUp in multiple aspects. User reviews constantly praise the quality provided by WeEdit.Photos, while the latter tend to get mixed reviews. This agency also offers a completely transparent pricing policy, doesn't have any hidden fees, and provides discounts for large orders.

In terms of pricing, if your order total comes down to over $300, you’ll receive 15% off. Moreover, if you end up with a project that costs more than $1,500, WeEdit.Photos will offer 30% off.

weedit photos portrait photo editing weedit photos portrait photo editing service

Image Salon

  • Rank
    (3/5)
  • Platforms: Web
  • Pricing: From $0.35/image
  • Free Trial: No
  • Bulk Order: No
image salon logo

Verdict: This agency was established by a couple of photographers, hailing from Montreal, Canada. They have been collaborating since 2007 and decided to create The Image Salon in 2014. In contrast to RetouchUp, this agency lets you enjoy 25% off on the first order you place.

The official website offers an aesthetically pleasing UI but makes it just as hard to find before/after image examples as RetouchUp. The process of creating an account and ordering is fast and hassle-free. You simply have to type in the relevant personal/business info, create the order, upload the images, and wait for order confirmation.


Ephotovn

  • Rank
    (3/5)
  • Platforms: Web
  • Pricing: From $0.5/image
  • Free Trial: Yes
  • Bulk Order: Yes
ephotovn logo

Verdict: Ephotovn provides background deletion, clipping path, high end photo retouching and various other services, and has already fulfilled the orders of over 3000 customers while enhancing more than 5 million photos in the process. This agency also offers a free trial option for one of its services, which isn’t the case with RetouchUp.

Ephotovn also doesn't limit the number of revisions you can request until you're satisfied with the quality of the enhanced photos. If you're still not happy with what you got, you can ask for a refund.


ShootDotEdit

  • Rank
    (3.5/5)
  • Platforms: Web
  • Pricing: From $119 per month
  • Trial: Yes
  • Bulk Order: Yes
shootdotedit logo

Verdict: ShootDotEdit is extremely proficient when it comes to editing portrait and wedding photos. While RetouchUp is mostly known for its expansive list of services that encompass background removal and photography restoration, this agency is in high demand among photographers who need stylish wedding photo gallery sites.

ShootDotEdit lets you choose between multiple rather expensive subscription packages (Rollover Plan for $119 a month and Unlimited Plan for $299 a month). You can also take advantage of the 30-day free trial to check if this service is up your alley.


Color Experts International

  • Rank
    (3/5)
  • Platforms: Web
  • Pricing: From $1.5/image
  • Free Trial: No
  • Bulk Order: No
color experts international logo

Verdict: Color Experts International is among the biggest companies on the market that provide photo manipulation, 3D modeling, video editing, ad design, and pre-press publishing services. The official website greets you with samples of enhanced images, a pricing breakdown, and an explanation of the order placement process, which isn’t something you’ll find at RetouchUp .

When creating an account, you simply have to provide your email, password, and name before you can begin uploading photos to the agency’s platform.


Pixc

  • Rank
    (3/5)
  • Platforms: Web
  • Pricing: From $20 per 10 images
  • Free Trial: No
  • Bulk Order: No
pixc logo

Verdict: Clipping Factory primarily provides manual photo isolation services that entail clipping paths, photo masking, and other similar techniques, which is a far more narrowed focus compared to RetouchUp. The portfolio of example photos here is also rather uninspiring.

Akin to RetouchUp, this agency’s pricing policy is rather convoluted, as it’s comprised of different categories and extra options. Additionally, Clipping Factory doesn’t provide a free trial that would allow you to evaluate their work before committing to a purchase.


Pixelz

  • Rank
    (3/5)
  • Platforms: Web
  • Pricing: From $0.95/image
  • Free Trial: No
  • Bulk Order: No
pixelz logo

Verdict: Pixelz is best known for its services aimed at eCommerce businesses. You simply upload your photos for editing or background replacement and get the results within 2 business days, which is slightly inferior to RetouchUp’s turnaround of 24 hours.

The range of possible edits encompasses cropping, border changes, and vertical alignments. The agency also lets you request different kinds of editing for a single image so that you can later publish it on various sites. That said, the drawback here is that Pixelz asks you to not only pay for the photo editing but for a monthly subscription as well.


Photza

  • Rank
    (3/5)
  • Platforms: Web
  • Pricing: From $3/image
  • Free Trial: No
  • Bulk Order: Yes
photza logo

Verdict: Photza has higher prices than most alternative companies on the market. On the plus side, it provides a broad range of services for you to pick from, including image restoration.

When choosing between Photza and RetouchUp, you should consider going with the latter if you’re interested in a more personalized approach since Photza simply lets you pick one of the three pre-determined editing packages.

* The photo reviews in the galleries above were selected to show you all possible issues you may encounter when ordering such work from freelancers and services. These are the most common problems that require extra attention to ensure professional final results.

Tata Rossi

Content Editor

Tata Rossi is a photographer-advisor, key contributor at FixThePhoto, sharing her expertise about photography and 55% of photos you see at our blog are taken by her. She is a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

Read Tata's full bio

Tetiana Kostylieva

Head Editor

Tetiana Kostylieva is the Head Editor and Content Creator of all FixThePhoto blog articles, bringing years of creativity and expertise to the team. Her career started in 2013 as a caricature artist at events in New York, where she honed her eye for detail and her ability to connect with people. Now, she leads our editorial team, testing new ideas and ensuring every piece of content is both helpful and engaging.

Read Tetiana's full bio

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