As a graphic designer, you will most likely find yourself working with photographs for various projects, from advertising to editorial layouts. Graphic Designers are required to have some image editing skills, also known as (Creative Retouching).

Today we will share ten astonishing Creative Retouching ideas used for advertising that are both captivating and tell a visual story.

1. This campaign represents how it feels to have Lung disease by Garrigosa Studio. Click here to see full project details!

2. Heinz has always applied creative thinking towards their adverts, intending to show that they use fresh grown Tomato for their Ketchup!

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3. ​These compositions are a personal favorite. It tells us the visual story of how the ice-cream is made and gives us the clarity that the product is from fresh produce!
4. Another clever advert that represents how 'fast' the Asprin works! It is a simple yet powerful advert that only uses two images. See full project
5. A brilliant concept to show how you can see better with wearing Glasses.
6. This example is a great way of combing visual effects with Photography. Love the paint and see-through effect for Nike advert! See full project
7. Lego is exceptional at making cleaver adverts; these adverts are aimed at adults (the parents who have the buying power), but it will instantly be recognized by children too.
8. Another personal favorite is the Tabasco source adverts. These adverts are simple, effective, with a clear vision to represent the 'hot' product. These posters are also an example of how copywriting is crucial to advertising.
9. These tea adverts represent the origins of the tea flavors through the plane windows. Again great concept and very impactful!
10. Good advertising is also crucial to raising social awareness and making a difference! These examples are efficient in promoting the harmful effects of smoking.

As you can see from the above examples, Retouching requires a lot of creative thinking, attention to detail, and, importantly, strong technical skills in Adobe Photoshop. 
Many designers who love Photoshop even choose to specialize solely in Creative Retouching as a profession.

Luckily Adobe Photoshop is also now available on the iPad, meaning you can now create stunning compositions freely and no longer bound to your desktop. We are excited to share two original designs for you to try using Photoshop on the iPad!

Don't worry if you don't have an iPad; You can still use the desktop version of Photoshop.

Here is a checklist to consider for your next Creative Retouching project:

  • Don't combine too many images - try to avoid using more than 4/5 images.
  • Colour correct your images - use Levels to add highlight and shadows
  • Learning to Mask like a pro is vital, take your time and refine edges to make it look realistic
  • Think outside the box and only combine images that represent a visual story
  • Add depth to your compositions - avoid flat looking layout
  • Create a holding box on your layout
  • Retouching can be very time-consuming so don't rush the process

  • We hope you enjoyed this post and feel inspired to work on Creative Retouching layouts, be sure to tag us #yesimadesigner on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter and show us what you are designing.


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    About the author 

    Shumi Perhiniak

    Shumi is a self-taught graphic designer and illustrator who has worked for Toni&Guy, Renaissance Learning, Baker Ross, and many others.

    Additionally, she owned a brick-and-mortar stationery shop selling her art prints and now sells wholesale to retailers and online shops under the brand name www.herdesignworld.com.

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