Photorealistic Headshot Retouching
Budget: $10 – $30 USD
You’ll receive a single AI-generated portrait of me. The goal is to finesse it into a believable, camera-shot head-and-shoulders photo suitable for LinkedIn or a company site. The image already looks close; what it lacks is the subtle realism that comes from fine skin detail, true-to-life light fall-off, and a lens-based depth of field.
Key creative notes
• Background: keep it neutral and non-distracting so the attention stays on the face. A hint of outdoor ambience is fine as long as it feels natural and muted.
• Skin realism: pores and light shadows matter most. Please avoid the over-smoothed “plastic” look—think gentle Dodge & Burn, frequency separation used sparingly, and texture-preserving noise.
• Lighting: mimic soft sunlight with believable highlights and shadows on both face and suit.
• Imperfections: introduce subtle wrinkles in the jacket, realistic eye reflections, and any tiny flaws that make the shot human rather than generated.
• Anatomy fixes: ensure ears, hairline, neckline, and collar blend seamlessly with proper proportions.
• Depth of field: replicate the bokeh a fast portrait lens would produce, not a uniform AI blur.
Deliverables
1. Final retouched JPEG (sRGB, 3000 px on the long edge)
2. One layered PSD showing your adjustment structure for transparency
3. A brief note on the steps and tools used (e.g., Lightroom, Photoshop, Camera Raw) so I can evaluate technique
To be considered, include a concise yet detailed project proposal outlining your approach to preserving texture and achieving natural light. Feel free to link one or two examples of similar work that showcase skin texture retention and realistic bokeh.
I’ll supply the source file upon awarding. Looking forward to seeing how you bring authentic life to this portrait.
Key creative notes
• Background: keep it neutral and non-distracting so the attention stays on the face. A hint of outdoor ambience is fine as long as it feels natural and muted.
• Skin realism: pores and light shadows matter most. Please avoid the over-smoothed “plastic” look—think gentle Dodge & Burn, frequency separation used sparingly, and texture-preserving noise.
• Lighting: mimic soft sunlight with believable highlights and shadows on both face and suit.
• Imperfections: introduce subtle wrinkles in the jacket, realistic eye reflections, and any tiny flaws that make the shot human rather than generated.
• Anatomy fixes: ensure ears, hairline, neckline, and collar blend seamlessly with proper proportions.
• Depth of field: replicate the bokeh a fast portrait lens would produce, not a uniform AI blur.
Deliverables
1. Final retouched JPEG (sRGB, 3000 px on the long edge)
2. One layered PSD showing your adjustment structure for transparency
3. A brief note on the steps and tools used (e.g., Lightroom, Photoshop, Camera Raw) so I can evaluate technique
To be considered, include a concise yet detailed project proposal outlining your approach to preserving texture and achieving natural light. Feel free to link one or two examples of similar work that showcase skin texture retention and realistic bokeh.
I’ll supply the source file upon awarding. Looking forward to seeing how you bring authentic life to this portrait.