Compare retouching with the original
What you will do
Section titled “What you will do”Create a local retouching preview for one full-resolution portrait, compare the preview with the original over the same face area and at the same displayed scale, and then export a separate JPEG. This separates three different things: the unchanged source photograph, the temporary preview shown in Arams, and the file written during export.
Before you start
Section titled “Before you start”- Sign in and use Local processing. The prepared scenario requires Heal to be installed, activated, and selectable; it does not download, purchase, or activate a plugin.
- Create a practice project and import the authorized, full-resolution maxine-01.jpg and maxine-02.jpg fixtures. Both files must remain at 6064 × 4040. Do not resize them.
- Work with disposable copies and export to a new, uniquely named subfolder. Do not overwrite either source photograph.
- Select only maxine-01.jpg for the comparison. Check the filename and the 1 selected counter before processing.
For details about choosing a tool and creating a local preview, see Choose retouching tools and settings and Understand and verify local processing.
Inspect before and after at a useful magnification
Section titled “Inspect before and after at a useful magnification”- Open the retouching panel, choose Local, and select All.
- Clear any tools that are already selected, then enable Heal and set its value to 75 for this practice comparison.
- Choose Retouch preview and wait for processing to finish. The missing-preview indicator beside Heal should disappear. Hover over the now-unavailable preview control and check for Preview is already available for all active plugins.
- Double-click maxine-01.jpg to open the larger viewer. Wait until Loading… disappears and the photograph is visible.
- Position the pointer over the face and zoom beyond 100%. Note the percentage shown in the viewer and choose a scale at which eyes, skin texture, and hair edges are readable without losing orientation in the portrait.
The displayed percentage is a viewing aid. It does not establish the dimensions or quality of an exported file.
Compare face and skin details
Section titled “Compare face and skin details”- In the preview, inspect the same face area for retained eyelashes, hairline and facial edges as well as changes to small skin marks and texture.
- Hold the before/after control at the lower right of the image to show the original. Keep holding it while you inspect the face; releasing the control returns to the preview.
- Confirm that the displayed zoom percentage has not changed. Compare the same eyes, cheeks, forehead, nose, lips, and hairline rather than panning to a different part of the photograph.
- Release the control and repeat the comparison if necessary. A completed preview is not, by itself, proof that the retouching is suitable: look for lost texture, halos, blurred edges, or changes outside the intended area.
Distinguish the preview from saved output
Section titled “Distinguish the preview from saved output”- Return to the gallery with only maxine-01.jpg selected and open Export settings.
- Choose Hard drive and export the selected photograph to the original files folder with Put in Subfolder enabled. Enter a new, unique subfolder name.
- Under the naming options, add -retouched to the filename. Enable Add to Current Project, leave Resize to fit off, and choose JPEG.
- Choose Export and wait for the operation to complete. Do not treat the visible preview as evidence that a file has been saved.
- Open All Folders and confirm that maxine-01-retouched.jpg appears as an additional photograph. The source maxine-01.jpg should remain present.
- Open the saved JPEG outside Arams. Confirm that it decodes, shows the expected portrait, and is 6064 × 4040. Compare it with the preview visually, but do not expect a JPEG export to be byte-for-byte identical to either the source file or the on-screen preview.
Check the result
Section titled “Check the result”At the end of the workflow, the viewer should provide an original and a retouched preview of the same photograph at the same displayed magnification. The face area should remain recognizable and free of obvious corruption in both states.
The export should create a separate maxine-01-retouched.jpg file at 6064 × 4040, add that copy to the project, and leave both full-resolution source fixtures unchanged. Verify the saved file directly; the preview-completion message confirms only the preview state.
If it does not work
Section titled “If it does not work”- The preview does not start: wait until the imported photograph opens fully in the larger viewer, return to the gallery, then check Heal and Retouch preview again. If processing still does not begin, preserve the exact visible status or error instead of claiming a result.
- Heal is unavailable: confirm that the local plugin is already installed and activated for this account. Do not purchase or change account settings as part of this workflow.
- The before/after control is unavailable: confirm that preview processing completed and that Heal remains selected. Do not substitute two unrelated screenshots or compare different zoom levels.
- The face moves between states: release the before/after control, return to the same face area and displayed percentage, and repeat the comparison without panning.
- No saved copy appears: check the export history and the unique destination subfolder. A finished preview does not mean export succeeded.
- The output has unexpected dimensions: confirm that Resize to fit is off and repeat the export into another new subfolder. Do not overwrite or delete the source photographs while troubleshooting.