How to hire a digital retoucher

How to hire a digital retoucher, step by step

Here's a step-by-step digital retoucher hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a digital retoucher job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new digital retoucher
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the digital retoucher you need to hire. Certain digital retoucher roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A digital retoucher's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, digital retouchers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of digital retouchers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Digital Retoucher	Description	Hourly rate
   Digital Retoucher		$11-51
   Photo Retoucher	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... Show more	$11-51
   Retoucher	Retouchers are skilled professionals who use advanced computer imaging software to change or modify the appearance of a photo or other digital image. These professionals must interface directly with clients to perform multiple image composition, color correction, and image manipulation... Show more	$11-51

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Adobe Photoshop
   • Retouch
   • Photography Services
   • Digital Images
   • RGB
   • Cmyk
   • Art Directors
   • Photo Shoots
   • Adobe Lightroom
   • Color Management
   • Product Images

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and organize photography and video productions and key personnel.
   • Edit and color correct food and drink compositions for magazine and web editorials including artistic desserts and exotic main courses.
   • Develop automate process for digitizing slides for museum archive using Photoshop.
   • Image retouching, color correcting, photo manipulation and silhouetting using Photoshop

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your digital retoucher job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A digital retoucher salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, digital retouchers' average salary in alabama is 57% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level digital retouchers earn 78% less than senior-level digital retouchers.
   • Certifications. A digital retoucher with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a digital retoucher's salary.

   Average digital retoucher salary

   $51,547yearly

   $24.78 hourly rate

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   Entry-level digital retoucher salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

4. Writing a digital retoucher job description

   A good digital retoucher job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a digital retoucher job description:

   Digital retoucher job description example

   Dolls Kill is a global fashion brand that empowers everyone to celebrate their individuality. We currently have over 10 million social media followers including some of the most influential personalities in music, art, pop culture and fashion. We're also backed by strong consumer-focused investors who share in our vision of building one of the world's next great consumer brands.
   
   Our team is growing quickly and we are hiring across many functions. We are looking for team members who are equally passionate about what we do and excited about joining the Dolls Kill crew.
   About us:
   Named "The Fastest Growing Retailer in the US", Dolls Kill is a fashion brand that boldly empowers young people to celebrate their individuality. With over two million followers on Instagram, we've become a cult favorite among DJs, celebrities and artists around the world.
   
   Based in San Francisco, we have an amazing team of retail leaders, scrappy hackers, creative marketers and fashion trendsetters who are fun to work with and serious about what they do. We're also backed strong consumer-focused investors who share in our vision of building one of the world's next great consumer brands. Look for our latest press mentions in Business Insider, Racked, TeenVogue, PopSugar, Elle, and more.
   
   About the Role:
   The Digital Image Retoucher is responsible for image correction and manipulation for both product and editorial style photographs in a high volume e-commerce setting. In addition the retoucher must have an artistic eye for 'presets' and color treatments. The Digital Image Retoucher is also responsible for image quality control and monitoring the prescribed workflow of images. Must be able to work in collaboration and be able to take art direction.
   
   This is an onsite position in our Los Angeles, CA studio.
   RequirementsBe available to work Onsite in our Los Angeles, CA studio Expert working knowledge of Photoshop, layers, masks, paths, color correction tools, actions and non destructive workflow.Expert working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, and Adobe Bridge. Experience in CaptureOne is a plus but not required.Strong knowledge of Mac based equipment.Ability to work efficiently in a high volume setting.Strong teamwork skills.Ability to perform basic editing tasks such as skin retouching, color correction, lighting adjustment, batch editing, texture blending, cropping, and cloning.Meticulous attention to detail.Strong organizational skills.Passion for fashion photography and image retouching.Ability to respond well to changing priorities, workflows and information.Portfolio demonstrating both retouching prowess.
   Key ResponsibilitiesRetouch a high volume of product photos on a daily basis.Quality control and inspection of digital images across various workflows Add color presets to Editorial style images.Upload and handoff images to our internal and external partners.Keep photos organized and distribute in a timely manner.Assist in product image retrieval.Clearly communicate with relevant partners in multiple channels on a daily basis.
   This is a full time onsite position at our LA office. Only applicants with link to their portfolio will be considered! All applicants will be tested.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right digital retoucher for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with digital retouchers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit digital retouchers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your digital retoucher job on Zippia to find and recruit digital retoucher candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit digital retouchers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new digital retoucher

   Once you've decided on a perfect digital retoucher candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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