Compare retouching with the original
What you will do
Section titled “What you will do”Export a retouched portrait as a separate JPEG and check the saved photograph. If you want to judge the retouching before export, you can first compare a preview with the original at the same magnification. The preview can reveal lost skin texture, soft edges, or changes outside the intended area, but it does not save a file.
Before you start
Section titled “Before you start”- Sign in, import a portrait into a project, and select it. If you plan to compare fine detail, choose a photograph in which you can clearly see skin texture, eyelashes, and hair edges.
- This route uses Local processing with Heal installed and activated. Keep every retouching tool you want in the saved photograph enabled; do not turn off wanted retouching to match the example. Some local plugins use a separate pre-export workflow instead of the ordinary preview and export route.
- Protect the original by using a new filename in a separate subfolder for the exported copy.
For details about choosing a tool, see Choose retouching tools and settings. If a wanted tool is unavailable, activate it or follow its documented workflow before exporting. Prepare files for delivery explains the supported choices for other local processing combinations.
Open the retouching panel, choose Local, and select All. Enable Heal and choose a value that reduces distracting marks while retaining natural skin texture. Keep every other tool you want in the saved photograph enabled.
Inspect before and after at a useful magnification
Section titled “Inspect before and after at a useful magnification”This preview is optional. Use it when you want to judge the effect before saving; otherwise, continue to the export procedure below.
- Choose Retouch preview and wait for processing to finish. The missing-preview indicator beside Heal disappears when its preview is ready.
- Double-click the portrait to open the larger viewer. Wait until Loading… disappears and the photograph is visible.
- Position the pointer over the face and zoom until you can inspect the eyes, skin texture, and hair edges. Note the displayed percentage so you can compare both views at the same scale.
The displayed percentage controls only the view. It does not change the dimensions or quality of the exported file.
Compare face and skin details
Section titled “Compare face and skin details”This comparison completes the optional preview check.
- In the preview, inspect one 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. Releasing the control returns to the preview.
- Without changing the position or displayed zoom percentage, compare the same area in both views.
- Release the control. If you see lost texture, halos, blurred edges, or changes outside the intended area, reduce the relevant correction and create a new preview before exporting.
Distinguish the preview from saved output
Section titled “Distinguish the preview from saved output”- Return to the gallery with the portrait selected. Review the selected retouching tools and keep every tool you want in the saved photograph enabled, then open Export settings.
- Choose Hard drive. Under Photos to Export, choose the selected photograph and confirm the count.
- Choose Original Files Folder, enable Put in Subfolder, and enter a new subfolder name so the export stays separate from the source.
- Under Naming and Overwriting, choose Add to the Name: -retouched, then choose JPEG.
- Leave Resize to fit off to keep the source pixel dimensions. Add to Current Project is optional; enable it only if you also want the exported copy in the project for comparison or organization.
- Choose Export and wait for All Photos Exported. A finished preview is not evidence that export has completed.
- If you enabled Add to Current Project, open All Folders and find the additional JPEG with the -retouched suffix.
- Open the saved JPEG from the destination subfolder and inspect the face. Confirm that the wanted retouching is present and the photograph opens normally. JPEG is compressed, so the saved file will not be identical to the source bytes or necessarily to its on-screen rendering.
If it does not work
Section titled “If it does not work”- The optional 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, use the visible status or error to troubleshoot it.
- Heal is unavailable: confirm that the local plugin is installed and activated.
- The before/after control is unavailable: confirm that preview processing completed and that Heal remains selected.
- 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 destination subfolder. If you expected the copy in Arams, also confirm that Add to Current Project was enabled before export. A finished preview does not mean export succeeded.
- The output has unexpected dimensions: confirm that Resize to fit is off and export again into a new subfolder. Do not overwrite or delete the source photograph while troubleshooting.