I am writing this post to show you how our jewelry retouching process works. This piece took a long time, as every part of the metal needed to be retouched. I had to remove all deformities, bad reflections, harsh shadows, and imperfections.
The client gave me this picture without any specific instructions; they just asked me to “make it better.” They didn’t need to provide details because I knew exactly how to fix a piece like this.
I browsed the Tiffany site for inspiration, knowing the stones needed to look perfect. Usually, we cut out the item and place it on a new white background with a subtle shadow or reflection. However, in this case, I wanted to keep the original canvas. The hand had to stay.
Simply cutting out jewelry with the pen tool is easy, but this particular image required more specialized tasks.
As you can see, the lighting wasn’t perfect when the photo was taken. It was likely shot in natural light with a regular smartphone. You can notice how the stones have dark areas and shadows that are less than ideal. Additionally, the diamonds aren’t as sharp or as bright as they should be.
I had to use all my knowledge for this one. It took me well over 2 hours. I even retouched the background, straighten the shirt, wall etc. But my client usually have quite large budgets so I was not limited by time.
I had to use all of my expertise for this one. It took well over two hours of meticulous work, as I even retouched the background—straightening the shirt, cleaning up the wall, and so on. My clients typically have substantial budgets, so I wasn’t limited by time; I was able to focus entirely on perfection.
I manually painted over the metal and did extensive cloning to get that perfect finish. I even used a Tiffany sample for reference to ensure the reflections and textures were world-class.
I honestly have to say, this is one of the best pieces of work I’ve produced in my entire retouching career.
Here is the result
Can you see how much better it is compared to the original? Which version would you prefer to own: the before or the after?
I love this piece. A huge thank you to Abdi and his jewelry company for sending us high-quality images on a regular basis!