Color Correction vs. Retouching: Understanding the Difference
Professional Wedding Photography Editing
When you receive your wedding photos, you’re not just receiving images—you’re receiving memories, emotions, and moments that deserve to be preserved with intention and care. One of the most common questions couples ask (often without even realizing it) is: What actually goes into editing our wedding photos?
As an Eau Claire wedding photographer, I believe in complete transparency and education. Two terms that are frequently used interchangeably, but are very different, are color correction, editing, and retouching. Understanding the difference helps you appreciate the artistry behind your images and sets realistic expectations for what professional photo editing truly entails.
At Andrew Samplawski Photography, every wedding gallery is crafted with a refined, timeless approach that elevates your story while keeping your images authentic, emotional, and true to you.
Let’s break it down.
What Is Color Correction Editing?
Color correction is the foundation of professional photography editing. It is applied to every single image you receive in your final wedding gallery.
The Purpose of Color Correction
Color correction ensures that:
Skin tones look natural and consistent
Colors are true to life (not overly warm, cool, green, or magenta)
Exposure is balanced
Whites are white, blacks are rich, and contrast feels natural
Images match cohesively from start to finish
This step is essential, especially in wedding photography, where lighting conditions change constantly throughout the day.
From bright outdoor ceremonies to dimly lit receptions, from overcast Wisconsin skies to golden-hour portraits, each environment affects color differently. Color correction brings consistency and polish to your full story.
What Color Correction Includes
At Andrew Samplawski Photography, color correction typically includes:
Adjusting exposure and brightness
Correcting white balance
Enhancing contrast and depth
Refining highlights and shadows
Balancing skin tones
Applying signature style tones
Ensuring gallery-wide consistency
This process is not automated. Every image is carefully reviewed and adjusted by hand to maintain a cohesive, editorial look that feels elevated, but never over-edited.
Why Color Correction Matters for Wedding Photography
Wedding days move fast. Lighting is unpredictable. Moments happen once.
Professional color correction ensures:
Your dress stays white (not yellow or blue)
Skin tones look flattering and natural
Photos feel emotional, warm, and timeless
Your gallery tells a visually cohesive story
This is especially important when working with an experienced Eau Claire, WI, wedding photographer who understands how Midwest lighting, venues, and seasons impact photography.
What Is Retouching Editing?
Retouching is very different from color correction and it is not automatically applied to every image.
Retouching is a more advanced, detailed process that focuses on refining specific elements within a photo, rather than correcting overall color and tone.
The Purpose of Retouching
Retouching is designed to:
Enhance portraits
Remove temporary distractions
Refine details for albums or wall art
Polish hero images
It is selective and intentional, and should be used sparingly.
What Retouching Includes
Professional retouching may include:
Temporary blemish removal
Skin smoothing (without removing texture)
Under-eye softening
Flyaway hair cleanup
Teeth whitening
Reducing redness or blotchiness
Removing distracting objects in the background
Refining clothing lines or wrinkles
Retouching does not change who you are. It does not alter body shape, facial structure, or defining features. At Andrew Samplawski Photography, retouching is done with restraint—so you still look like you, just on your very best day.
Why Most Wedding Galleries Focus on Color Correction
A typical wedding gallery includes anywhere from 300 to 700 images, all depending on how long we are there as a wedding photographer. Applying full retouching to every photo would not only be unnecessary, it would strip away authenticity and emotion. This would also increase collection pricing due to the time it takes, and cause a longer delay in getting your entire wedding gallery back to you as a client.
Wedding photography is about storytelling:
Real laughter
Real tears
Real movement
Real connection
Color correction enhances the story. Retouching refines select moments.
When Retouching Makes Sense
Retouching is most often used for:
Engagement pictures for your save-the-date cards or wedding invitations
Bridal portrait or boudoir sessions
Wedding album images that are being printed because you love them
Wall art and prints that you’re hanging in your home are most often your absolute favorites
Featured blog or publication images that are being showcased locally or nationally
These are the images you’ll display large, revisit often, and pass down for generations.
As an experienced Eau Claire wedding photographer, I guide my couples on which images benefit most from retouching and which ones are perfect just as they are.
The Andrew Samplawski Photography Editing Philosophy
My editing approach is intentional, refined, and timeless.
I believe:
Your images should feel natural, not trendy, such as filters
Skin should look like skin and not pasty white or orange-toned like an Oompa Loompa.
Emotion matters more than perfection
Editing should enhance, not distract
Every wedding is edited in-house with extreme attention to detail to ensure your gallery feels cohesive, elevated, and true to the day you lived, not a version filtered by passing trends.
Why Editing Style Matters When Choosing a Wedding Photographer
When couples search for a wedding photographer in Eau Claire, WI, they often focus on price. Other details to really consider are availability and personality, but editing style is just as important.
Two photographers can capture the same wedding and yet deliver completely different results; sometimes, the difference comes down entirely to their editing approach. I’ve been fortunate enough to witness this firsthand, and it’s been both humbling and rewarding. On multiple occasions, couples have chosen our natural, timeless editing style, expressing their appreciation for the authentic, true-to-life feel of their images. In contrast, the alternative photographer offered a very different style, and sadly, the couple left feeling disappointed, realizing that the polished, over-styled edits didn’t resonate with their vision or the story of their day. Moments like these reinforce why thoughtful, intentional editing is such a crucial part of what I do.
Understanding the difference between color correction and retouching helps you:
Set clear expectations
Appreciate professional artistry
Choose a photographer whose style aligns with your vision
Editing Insights to Keep In Mind…
Color correction and retouching are both essential tools in professional photography, but they serve very different roles.
Color correction ensures your wedding story is cohesive, emotional, and timeless. Retouching adds refinement to select moments that deserve extra attention.
At Andrew Samplawski Photography, every image is edited with purpose… so your wedding photos don’t just look beautiful today, but still feel meaningful decades from now.
If you’re searching for an Eau Claire, WI, wedding photographer who values authenticity, artistry, and timeless storytelling, I would be honored to tell your story. Let’s connect, and I’d be happy to answer any additional questions!