Portrait Professional Review

I just downloaded the trial version of Portrait Professional.  I love it!

I try a lot of different photography software and most of it ends up uninstalled and not purchased, since I usually find that what I already have is better.  At this point my entire arsenal of photography software includes:

Photoshop CS6

Adobe Illustrator CS6

Lightroom 4

Topaz Bundle Plugins

Oloneo PhotoEngine

Photomatix

Being reasonably happy with the above collection, I didn’t think that I could possibly feel hugely impressed with anything new.  I was very wrong.

Portrait Professional is the best thing I have ever tried in the realm of portrait editing software.  It is incredibly versatile and can create a subtle or very dramatic enhancement in a portrait, all while maintaining realistic skin texture.  This is something that I have struggled with in Photoshop at times, although I have learned a few “tricks” over time that have made a big difference in my retouching skills.  However, the results I am able to achieve in about 20 to 30 minutes of work in Portrait Professional, would take me hours in Photoshop.

Portrait Professional Opening Screenshot

Portrait Professional Review

The following portrait images can be viewed at full size by clicking on them.

First, I tried out a self-portrait in the trial version.  Here I am swallowing my pride, and letting my bare, freckly and imperfect skin be seen by all who pass this way in the “before” photo, as well as the enhanced “after” me.  I tried to create a realistic (no facial sculpting) but enhanced result.  You can see to the right that as you move the pointer over the various sliders, little windows pop up describing what they do:

Natural Portrait Before and After

This next portrait is of a young Asian female.  This time my goal was to more dramatically enhance her face.  I used some face sculpting to alter her features, changed and lightened up her eye color, enhanced her skin and lips:

Asian Female Portrait Before and After

Next, is a very old woman who has a lot of wrinkles and skin damage.  I wanted to see what result I could come up with on a face like this!  As you can see, she still looks older than dirt, but perhaps a bit cheerier:

Old Woman Portrait Before and After

I debated over what treatment to give to the following image.  I happen to really like freckles and think they shouldn’t be covered up.  However, not everybody feels this way.  Also, this is a good demonstration of just how good Portrait Professional is at preserving texture and color, while removing so called “imperfections”:

Original Photo Found on Flickr

I love this result!

Redhead Portrait Professional Before and After

Next, I decided to work on a male face.  Since men tend to look better with a more  “rugged” appearance (my opinion), I didn’t want to over-process the photo.  I subtly enhanced his skin, slightly softened wrinkles, and brightened his eyes.

Original Portrait on Flickr Male Portrait Retouch Before and After

Finally, I decided to try my hand at a more fantastical portrait.  I decided upon a stock image from the lovely faestock on DeviantArt.  She is already beautiful and almost flawless, but I wanted to create a more surreal lit-up look.  Here is my final result:

Fantasy Portrait Enhance Before and After

In conclusion, I hope you find Portrait Professional to be as amazing as I do!