The client asks for more retouching. In your professional judgment, the image already feels balanced. You could push it further. It would look cleaner and more polished - but also less natural.
What do you do?
A. Follow the request exactly. It’s the client’s image.
B. Explain why I think the image should stay as it is.
C. Make the requested changes, but more subtly.
D. Prepare both versions and let the client choose.
B. Explain why I think the image should stay as it is.
C. Make the requested changes, but more subtly.
D. Prepare both versions and let the client choose.
My take
I would choose B - explain why I think the image should stay as it is.
For me, being a retoucher doesn’t mean silently agreeing with every requested change. If I believe pushing the retouch further will take something important away from the image, I think it’s part of my job to say so and explain why.
Of course, the final decision belongs to the client. If needed, I can show another version so we can compare rather than argue about something abstract.
There is another important point here: a single image often can’t be judged completely on its own. If it belongs to a series, consistency with the approved references and the rest of the images matters too.