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How we score retouching and AI editing software
10 tools, one public rubric, public information only.
Who publishes this ranking
retouchingsoftware.com is created by SGM Creative (MB SGM Creative). SGM Creative also makes RetouchLab Skin Pro, which appears in this ranking and is listed first by the publisher. Every other tool is ranked by its score on the rubric below.
What we score
Our angle is the working photographer: retouching depth, a cost you can predict, and how well it fits a Photoshop or Lightroom workflow. Each tool gets points from public information only: the vendor's own website, documentation and price pages, plus public review platforms. Anything that is not publicly documented scores 0. Scores add up to 100 and are shown out of 10.
Skin retouching depth: 30 points
Skin retouching, blemish removal, dodge and burn, manual brush control and layer output (6 points each).
Predictable cost: 25 points
A public price (5), a monthly option (5), a lifetime or one-time option (5), no per-photo credits needed (10).
Fits a pro workflow: 20 points
Works inside Photoshop or Lightroom (10), batch editing (5), presets or AI profiles (5).
Try before you buy: 10 points
A free trial or free version.
Platforms: 10 points
Mac and Windows (6), native on Apple Silicon (4).
Kept up to date: 5 points
A new version or update in 2026 (5) or 2025 (2).
Tiers
Leader from 8.5, Strong from 7, Solid from 5.5, Basic below 5.5.
What we do not do
- No company can pay to be listed, to move up or to change a score.
- We do not use affiliate links.
- We do not rate products on a single angry or glowing review.
Updates and corrections
Every tool is re-checked every two weeks and shows the date its data was last verified. If a fact is wrong, send a correction with a source and we will fix it at the next check.