Retouchup Blog

Placing an order with a ‘Rush’ puts your photos to the front of the editing line. You can think of it kind of like a FastPass at Disneyland – you skip the biggest part of the line and then have a much smaller wait to get on the ride. When you’re in a time crunch we would highly recommend that you ‘Rush’ your order.

However, PLEASE KEEP IN MIND, if you need to rework your ‘Rush’ order and the artist is not immediately available, it’s going to take some time for it to be completed. ‘Rush’ orders and reworks will be worked on first by our artists, but our artists do sleep and take breaks. We’ll do everything we can to help you meet your deadlines. We appreciate your patience and are just a call or email away if you need to talk about your order.

Revisions are a normal part of the retouching process. We have recently made a change to the rework procedure to simplify the process. To rework an order, select the “REWORK ORDER” tab on the order page.

This will now bring up a new option for you to rework either specific individual photos or ALL PHOTOS in the order.

If you select “Rework Individual Photos” you will be able to add notes under the photo or photos you wish to return. Any unmarked photo WILL NOT be returned. 

Within the individual photo rework option you can use the Markup Image feature to highlight a specific request. This tool can be used to circle or mark specific areas to be addressed. Please add all supporting text in the text box NOT on the markup. The text must be added before using the Markup tool.

If you select “Rework All Photos” you will get one text box to add general instructions that will apply to ALL photos. This should only be used when general instructions can be applied to an entire order.

In the rare case you feel an order should be started over, we prefer that you reach out to Customer Service and they can work with you on how to proceed. We always have the original un-retouched images on file so there is no need to place a new order. 

Please reach out to us directly if you need specific help with the rework process or any other questions about our system. We are here to answer your questions and help you any way we can.  

1. Default Notes

In your account, under MY TOOLS, you can create “default retouch notes”. Whatever you type in this field will automatically be populated in the instruction box when you create a new order. These are general retouching instructions that apply to most of the photos within an order. You can always add to these notes or remove them for a specific photo/order. To remove them temporarily: highlight the notes, delete and type new instructions. The default notes will appear again on the next order.

It works best for our artists if your instructions are simple bullet points rather than paragraphs. Task based instructions work best instead of trying to describe a mood or feel you want. If you need help creating default notes, please reach out to our Customer Service team! customerservice@retouchup.com

2. Reference Photos

All uploaded images default to “RETOUCH” status. However you can add an image to be used as a reference for head swaps, open eyes, or as an example photo. Just click “REFERENCE” under the desired photo. This will allow the artist to see the image and use part of it if needed. These images WILL NOT be retouched or returned. You will NOT be charged for reference photos. 

3. Add a Reference with Rework Request

Reworks are a normal part of outsourcing and you may need to add a reference photo for more clarity. You can send a reference after an order has been completed by clicking the link at the bottom of the order page. This allows you to add a reference, or add an additional reference, if you need to rework an order. 

If you have any questions about reference photos or how to request an unusual task, our Customer Service team is here for you!

– Your RetouchUp Team 

We understand that you rely on our retouching services through out the year and especially during the holiday season! It’s a busy time of year spent juggling everything from your clients needs to your family needs, so we’re happy to help give you some time back so you can step away from your computer and share it with those you love!

Our goal turnaround time throughout the year is 24 hours, if you’ve been a customer with us for some time you know that it’s often half that time or less!

Although a 24 hour turnaround is always our goal we do not guarantee 24 hours for any order due to many factors which may include reworks/revisions, order size, level of difficulty, corrupt file, additional information needed, price change request, or artist availability.

Here are some helpful tips to help your orders get back to you as soon as possible during the holiday season!

Choose the correct retouching level. 

By choosing the correct retouching level before your order is placed will help ensure that your order goes to the appropriate artist from the very start. Sometimes orders are sent in as Complete Retouches with Complete Plus or Special Service edit requests such as head swaps or removing big objects. These types of images are handled by artists that have that clearance level to handle those more difficult edits. Choosing the correct category helps insure your order doesn’t get stuck in temporary limbo going from one level of artist to the correct level.

By Passing “Favorite Artist”. 

Selecting a “Favorite Artist” can delay your order as it gets added to their work queue and worked on in the order in which it was received. If you are in a tight deadline we suggest that you do not select Favorite Artist and let your order go to another skilled artist that can pick up your order as soon as possible!

Make sure all images are in your order.

Including any reference files that might be needed for eye glass glare, head swaps, replacing backgrounds or rebuilding backgrounds. We have seen some orders get held up because the artist doesn’t have all the images necessary to complete the edits requested. Please make sure to select “REFERENCE” below the uploaded thumbnail so that you are not charged for the reference files. 

Give Simple, Straight Forward Instructions!

Try: “Remove hand above boy’s shoulder in the red sweater.” Instead of: “This shoot was a nightmare! First the clients came late and then the little sister wouldn’t keep her hands to herself and kept messing with her brother. LOL The mom tried to shoo away the girls hands over and over. This is the shot they chose and you can see the mom’s hand awkwardly trying to shoo away the sister right before this was taken. Can you please please please remove the mom’s hand and get it back to me asap. The mom wants to send out her Christmas cards ASAP!! Thank You so much!!!” We get these types of instructions a lot. It’s a lot to read. And sometimes there’s more than just one instruction like this example. It really helps the artists if you give your instructions, simple, straight forward like a list.

Give Yourself Time. 

You’re busy. Your clients are busy. We’re all busy! Busy is good! It means strong business for those in the photography industry. We gear up during the holiday season with more artists who can accept more work every year. We see a great influx of orders during the holiday season and that impacts our turnaround time. Make sure to allow extra time for returned images when you talk to your clients. This helps images get through our system, any reworks or tweaks needed and then back to you and your client!

Thanks For Learning about our RetouchUp’s Holiday Turnaround Time!

Please note that: All charges on the cardholder monthly statement will be from “Hollywood Fotofix Retouchup Co”.  Hollywood Fotofix is our parent company.

Billing FAQ:

Q. Is there a monthly fee? 

A. No, there is no monthly fee or contract to sign to use RetouchUp.com. We only charge for orders that you have submitted. If you do not use us within a given month your card on file is not charged.

Average turnaround time fluctuates throughout the year. Our goal is to have a 24 hour maximum turnaround time. This can be impacted by holidays and our reduced weekend schedule.

We do offer a RUSH service with a goal of maximum turnaround time being 12 hours or less. You made add this option on the last screen where you name your order and instructions. Our RUSH service fee is 50% of the order total.

We do not guarantee 24 hour turnaround time at any time due to many factors which may include reworks/revisions, order size, level of difficulty, corrupt file, additional information needed, price change request, or artist availability.

If you are under a tight deadline please email us at customerservice@retouchup.com or give us a call at 888-700-3686 and we’ll attempt to expedite your order.

Our Color Correction Team would love to help you get the best color results from your images! After they are through with them you can turn them over to our Retouching team for further editing if needed.

If you have any other questions about the Color Correction + Retouching process please feel free to email us at customerservice@retouchup.com or call us at 888-700-3686. Thank you!

We wanted to post some tips for giving retouching instructions that can help our artists better understand your needs and in return provide you with the best service possible.

After sign up you will now be able to log into your RetouchUp.com user account and submit your first order.

On your dashboard you will be able to see an overview of your account – the Upload Order option is located in 3 areas for your convenience. There is a large green “Upload New Order” button on the main screen. You will also be able to select it on the top tool bar and left hand dash bar under “My Orders” – any of these options will deliver you to the Upload Order Screen.

Here’s some great tips if you need help logging into your RetouchUp.com account.