Capture One recently introduced a new AI facial retouching feature, presenting an intriguing tool for speeding up your workflow. Here’s how well it performs.
Coming to you from Prince Meyson, this informative video keys in on Capture One’s newly released “Retouch Faces” functionality. While fairly new, the tool already shows real promise in automating certain retouching steps, notably blemish removal. Meyson demonstrates the blemish reduction function on a portrait, delivering decent results right off the bat, but don’t expect complete perfection. It still misses smaller imperfections that you will need to handle manually in Photoshop. This hybrid approach—using Capture One first, then finishing touches elsewhere—allows you to cut significant time without sacrificing quality.
One particularly insightful segment of Meyson’s demonstration illustrates clearly why he favors limiting the AI tool to blemish removal. Although the “Even Skin” and “Contouring” functions sound appealing, Meyson finds they produce some unnatural-looking outcomes. The smoothness tends to look overly artificial, and the AI-driven contouring has odd results that don’t align with natural skin textures. He advises sticking to the blemish tool and steering clear of the rest, emphasizing that a truly polished final image currently requires human oversight and manual adjustment. Meyson verifies this by showing his manual approach in Photoshop with focused dodge and burn techniques, demonstrating fine nuances that automated features cannot replicate convincingly.
The most valuable portion may be Meyson’s simple, practical demonstration of micro dodging and burning—these subtle adjustments help maintain the natural look and structure of a face, particularly considering how gravity affects different facial features. His method clearly shows you not just what to do, but precisely why you are doing it—a useful bit of clarity that can meaningfully improve your edits, especially with close-up portraits. Included along with these tips is Meyson’s advice on actions he personally uses for retouching efficiency, which he merges smoothly into his workflow, jumping between Capture One and Photoshop seamlessly.
What’s appealing overall is Meyson’s practical evaluation of the AI-supported retouching process and his reliable workaround strategy: automated help where possible, then manual fine-tuning for critical adjustments. He emphasizes maintaining full personal control over your output, ensuring the resulting image stays true to your artistic vision. If you’ve wondered how you might integrate early-stage AI portrait edits into your manual retouching routines, Meyson’s candid breakdown offers a measured approach and realistic perspective, helping you make informed decisions about software tool use. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Meyson.
