Speeding up my retouching workflow with the Retouching Toolkit

When it comes to retouching, I usually engage in a round-trip workflow with Capture One and Photoshop.

I would usually import my photos into Capture One, then work out the basics – tweaking variables such as Exposure, Brightness/Contrast, Saturation, etc. But sometimes, I have to do composites or skin retouching and these are much more easily done in Photoshop.

For portrait photography, one of the techniques I use frequently (no pun intended) is frequency separation for retouching skin. It enables me to clean up the skin without losing textures that make skin believable.

Even though I try to get lighting right in-camera, a technique called dodging and burning helps a lot with getting the images the way I want them to. Highlights and shadows are usually tweaked this way.

Anyway, I am more a photographer than a retouching artist, and hence this is why I prefer to get the shots right in-camera to having to spend hours retouching. I just try not to rely too much on Photoshop to get the images I want. I would prefer to finish up a project immediately and move on to the next.

Recently, I added the Retouching Toolkit to my arsenal of plugins/extensions in Adobe Photoshop CC 2019. The latest version, 3.1, has a new addon that makes setting up for complex retouching on photos an easy task.

It’s perfect for setting up layers for masking automatically based on your retouching needs – frequency separation, dodge/burn, colour-grading, etc.

I’ve personally tried and bought a few addons prior to this to speed up my retouching workflow but this one really wins the trophy for being the most useful and helpful.

The Configurator software is lightweight, and helps you create all the actions necessary to achieve the looks you need/want. The Setup Wizard is pretty much straightforward and once the panels load up on Photoshop, you are good to go.

Best part? Organizing your workflow. They label everything for you in the Layers window in Photoshop (you can still customize them of course). I am usually lazy. Setting up frequency separation layers usually end up un-labelled or mis-labelled (haha).

I feel the Retouching Toolkit is perfect for commercial photographers who rely on speed for quicker turnarounds of projects that involve retouching portraits and product photography, among other genres and subjects.

I no longer need to create actions individually. Everything is available at the touch of a button.

Need dodge/burn masking layers set up? Easy. One button to create them complete within their folder, with labels all done for me.

Need additional stuff in the extension panels? Use the Configurator to add/remove things so it fits your workflow. Totally speeds things up when it comes to retouching!

See all those layers? I didn’t have to make them manually.

They were handled by the Retouching Toolkit panels instead. Just press those pretty buttons and the action scripts hidden in the back would handle everything else, including labeling the layers/folders so I can get things done faster and have my workflow better organized.

The team behind Retouching Toolkit has made bundles for the plugin so you get to pick and choose what you want based on your needs. Bundles start at USD$129 (Toolkit S) and go up to USD$299 (Toolkit XL). Of course, the higher the price, the more you will get (and save in the long run).

Best part of this deal? You will get a personal license which allows you to install the Retouching Toolkit on up to three personal computers (Mac and PC). The initial activation will require an internet connection. The entire package that you have selected will be delivered to you via digital instant download.

The team also offers a 14-day no questions asked money back guarantee. Win-win.

Conny Wallstrom and Stefan Kohler, the two gentlemen in charge of developing this plugin, have also provided hints that they will be adding on more stuff in the form of addons for the different bundles.

Toolkit XL will of course be the one to receive the most number of addons including the following:

•  Color Wheels Addon (MAY)
•  Color Mapping Addon (JUNE)
•  Luminosity Addon (JUNE)
•  Launcher Addon (MAY)
•  Export Addon (JULY)

Speaking of Conny and Stefan, they are also responsible for educating users on how to use the Retouching Toolkit by creating video tutorials on how to use the plugin effectively. They also run the Retouching Toolkit user group on Facebook that enables users to contact them directly for support.

Personally, I think the whole thing is amazing. There’s plenty to discover and plenty to do. Most importantly, I find that the more I learn, the more I get to do in a shorter span of time.

For more information on the Retouching Toolkit, head over to www.retouchingtoolkit.com.