Could you tell us a little about yourself and how you got into retouching?

Retouching came into my life somewhat unexpectedly, almost as if fate had led me to it.

I’m a teacher by profession, but after leaving my last job, I started a journey of self-discovery. I had always loved art, but I didn’t know how to draw. So I began thinking about what creative field I could pursue that wouldn’t necessarily require traditional drawing skills.

That’s when I discovered retouching.

I started looking for tutorials and videos to understand more about it, and eventually found several retouching courses that became my foundation. From there came more courses, workshops and projects, both big and small.

I’ve been working as a retoucher since 2022, and what started as an unexpected discovery gradually became my profession.

How do you see the role of AI and new technology in retouching?

The world around us is changing very quickly, and a retoucher has to keep up with those changes too.

New tools, including AI, are emerging that can help us in our profession. But in my opinion, the best retouching is still done by hand and, most importantly, thanks to the retoucher’s trained eye.

Technology can help us, but it’s the person behind the image who makes the creative decisions.

When you open a source image for the first time, what do you look at first?

When I see a photograph for the first time, I always ask myself: What story did the photographer want to tell with this shot? How can I emphasise the main idea?

This can be achieved through lighting, colour, or a combination of both.

For example, if we can’t change the lighting, colour correction can help us influence how the image feels. Colour in a photograph can convey loneliness and despair, but it can also communicate joy and passion.

That’s why, in my opinion, colour correction during retouching is such a powerful tool. It sets the mood and helps determine how the viewer perceives the photograph.

Beyond technical skill, what really determines a lasting career in retouching?

The technical aspects of a retoucher’s work are important, but I think it’s even more important not to give up.

I would compare the profession of a retoucher to a marathon. Thousands of people line up at the starting line, but only hundreds make it to the finish.

Whether you’ve taken a course or searched for the necessary information yourself, you have to keep practising, gaining experience and looking for projects. And throughout that process, you continue improving and learning something new.

Every retoucher has difficult days when there are no projects, you feel discouraged, lose confidence and want to give up. But you can’t give up, because everything you’ve been striving for in this profession might already be within arm’s reach.

That’s why you need to be mentally prepared for the marathon. You need strong self-discipline and time-management skills, as well as the ability to build good relationships with clients and approach your work with quality and responsibility.

A final note from us

Zoriana’s story is a reminder that there isn’t one prescribed route into retouching.

Sometimes a creative career begins with curiosity rather than a carefully planned destination. What matters is what happens afterwards: continuing to learn, developing your eye, finding your own approach and, as Zoriana puts it so well, being prepared for the marathon.

Her thoughts on colour also highlight something at the heart of great retouching: technical skill alone isn’t enough. Every decision, from colour and light to texture and tone, has the potential to strengthen the story already present in the photograph.

We are glad to welcome Zoriana Galiuk as a participant in Retoucher of the Year 2026.