AI in photography is a hot topic. They range from pure workflow tools to portrait retouchers and even full-fledged creation tools. According to a survey of 363 photographers who use AI as part of their workflow or actively utilize AI retouching tools, the majority believe AI should assist and not take over creative control.
Retouch4me, a maker of AI-powered photo and video editing software, asked 363 photographers working in Europe and the US how they use AI in their work and what are the limits of AI retouching.
Most respondents said they already use AI as part of their workflow, which comes naturally to working photographers, and only want AI to handle the “repetitive, mechanical aspects” of photo retouching.
78% of respondents said they would like AI to handle “up to 70-80% of their retouching.” Only 24% of photographers surveyed who use or plan to use AI as part of their workflow said they would be willing to give AI full creative control over retouching.
Photographers consistently say that natural-looking, almost invisible retouching is a priority, and authenticity is a key part of their photos. Respondents want portraits to preserve what makes faces human, such as imperfections, wrinkles, and other features that tend to be erased by AI if left alone.
“People are getting tired of artificial perfection and the pursuit of standards that don’t exist in reality,” says Polish photographer Lukasz Spichara.
“Photographers don’t want their photos to look like they were created by AI. They still want to be perceived as a photography practitioner, not a protographer.”
84% of survey respondents said the main reason for using AI in post-processing workflows is to save time and streamline repetitive and tedious tasks.
“Time saved on retouching = time spent taking more photos or working with clients,” says Atlanta-based portrait photographer Mike Glatzer. “AI isn’t worth using if it doesn’t allow you to grow your business or spend more time with your loved ones.”
Approximately one in five respondents said that extensive post-processing and retouching is physically draining, and this is where AI tools could help some photographers.
“The amount of money I’ve invested in office supplies to make my editing sessions more comfortable is laughable,” says Glatzer. “Retouching isn’t just hard on your body, it’s also hard on your brain. I want to spend more time outside with friends, family, and my camera.”
Companies like Retouch4me are navigating a rapidly changing and challenging landscape. How useful is AI, how much is too much, what are working photographers looking for, and where should the limits of AI be? These are important questions, and finding the right balance between developing useful tools for working photographers and creating software that can go too far and effectively replace human creativity can be difficult.
“I feel a responsibility to maintain a great deal of control over the process and ultimately the end result of my work,” says photographer Joseph Correa. “AI has become a tool to help with the heavy lifting, but it doesn’t do all the work for us.”
Clearly, Retouch4me as a company has a vested interest in developing AI tools that are compelling enough that photographers will actually want to buy and use them. All the major companies in this sector are dealing with the situation in their own way. Evoto had a very bad experience earlier this year when it showed off an early version of a tool that essentially replaced a real photographer. Just last week, Aftershoot publicly committed to involving real photographers in product development. As for Retouch4me, we are committed to putting artistic and creative decisions in human hands and developing AI that focuses on tasks photographers need assistance with.
Image credits: Retouch4me
