Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between certified photo specialists and photo retouchers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a photo retoucher has an average salary of $51,529, which is higher than the $51,515 average annual salary of a certified photo specialist.
The top three skills for a certified photo specialist include mental illness, rehabilitation and role model. The most important skills for a photo retoucher are adobe photoshop, product photography, and style guides.
A photo specialist usually works at photography shops where they operate photo processing machines, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. Although their duties vary upon their company of employment, it usually involves printing or developing photos from negatives, handling equipment according to guidelines, organizing and storing supplies appropriately, and maintaining records. They may also take the clients' photos and assist them by answering inquiries, providing cost or time estimates, facilitating photoshoots, and giving them instructions while maintaining courteous behavior.
A Photo Retoucher retouches the assigned digital photos to the client's standards. They communicate with the production team and digital imaging manager to ensure each task complies with the highlighted standards. Besides using natural-looking results to edit beauty images and skin photos, photo retouchers also review the clients' notes and specifications about execution and photo retouching. They prepare photos for client delivery, deliver their services according to the required procedures, and highlight work processes to meet the desired results.
Certified photo specialists and photo retouchers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Certified Photo Specialist | Photo Retoucher | |
| Average salary | $51,515 | $51,529 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $107,000 | Between $24,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | Brockton, MA | - |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | - |
| Best paying company | GradyHealth | - |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | - |
There are a few differences between a certified photo specialist and a photo retoucher in terms of educational background:
| Certified Photo Specialist | Photo Retoucher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between certified photo specialists' and photo retouchers' demographics:
| Certified Photo Specialist | Photo Retoucher | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.6% Female, 55.4% | Male, 53.0% Female, 47.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% Asian, 12.8% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 14.9% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 15% |