How to retouch a profile picture without looking edited

What looks natural

• Softer light. Shadows under the eyes and around the nose a little lighter. It is what a better window would have done.
• Calmer skin, with its texture. Redness and a passing spot a little softer, pores still there. Skin without texture looks like plastic from across a room.
• Clearer eyes. A touch more light in the eyes. Not whiter whites, not a different colour.

What gives it away

• Skin that is smooth as a mask, or blurred at the edges of the face.
• A face shape, nose or jaw that is not yours. Friends notice at once, and strangers notice when they meet you.
• Skin made lighter or a different colour than it is. Your skin tone is yours; a photo should keep it.
• Freckles, moles, a beard or grey hairs gone. They are part of how people recognise you.
• Eyes that are brighter than the rest of the photo.

Five rules that keep it natural

1. Start with good light. A retouch finishes a photo; it does not rescue one.
2. Go a step less strong than you like at first. Look again in an hour.
3. Compare with the original at full size, side by side.
4. Change light and skin, never shape.
5. Ask: would a friend say "nice photo" or "what did you do"? Aim for the first.

How Dewshot does it

Dewshot is built on exactly these rules: softer light, smoother skin with its texture kept, clearer eyes, and the same face, skin tone, beard and body. You pick from five strengths, from Subtle to Radiant, and compare each with your original before you save. The first 3 retouches are free, without an account. It is made by the same people as this check.