Apex
A free desktop shell and plugin that processes each image in the cloud using credits, then lets you preview and combine a broad set of available retouching modules. Photoshop can receive layered results.
Retouch4me review · AI portrait and video tools
Retouch4me builds focused AI tools for skin, tonal work, facial details, clothing, backgrounds, culling and selected video-cleanup tasks. The strongest use is not replacing a retoucher—it is accelerating the repeatable first pass while leaving the final decisions in experienced hands.
Simon’s experience
“Retouch4me is most useful as a controlled first pass. It removes hours of repetition, but I still decide what belongs in the finished portrait.”Simon Songhurst · Professional photographer
I began using Retouch4me because too much editing time was disappearing into repeatable work: small skin cleanup, tonal evening, shine control and the same adjustments across a set. Combining tools such as Heal, Skin Tone and Dodge & Burn can move selected portraits much closer to a finished starting point.
The important distinction is that the software produces an interpretation, not an unquestionable result. I review faces individually, adjust strength, protect natural texture and complete the creative colour and detailed finishing myself. At its best, the automation creates time for the decisions that need a photographer or retoucher.
Try the demo on difficult real files. Test different skin tones, ages, lighting conditions, close crops and group photographs. That reveals far more than a polished sample image and helps you choose only the tools that solve a recurring problem.
Three ways into the ecosystem
A free desktop shell and plugin that processes each image in the cloud using credits, then lets you preview and combine a broad set of available retouching modules. Photoshop can receive layered results.
Buy focused tools such as Heal, Dodge & Burn or Fabric for supported local workflows. Many are sold as perpetual licences with free updates, but requirements and activation terms differ.
Arams supports analysis, culling and batch retouching locally or through cloud services. The Photoshop Panel brings multiple tools into Photoshop with layer-oriented processing options.
Where the time saving appears
Heal, Dodge & Burn, Skin Tone, Mattifier and Portrait Volumes address separate parts of portrait finishing, making it possible to build a restrained sequence rather than apply one generic beauty effect.
Eye, teeth, hair, fabric, backdrop and dust tools target small but time-consuming corrections common in beauty, fashion, headshot, product and studio production.
Retouch4me also offers video retouching and colour tools for specific hosts, including OFX applications, Premiere and Final Cut variants. Compatibility must be checked product by product.
Retouch4me plugin guides
A sensible evaluation
Measure where time actually disappears. If skin blemish cleanup dominates, begin with Heal. If the manual bottleneck is tonal correction, test Dodge & Burn. For high-volume studio work, Clean Backdrop or Fabric may recover more time than another facial tool.
Run the demo across a representative set and compare at normal viewing size as well as 100%. Look for repeated errors, halos, lost texture, changed features and inconsistency between frames. Record the time saved after review and corrections—not merely the initial processing speed.
Finally, check the processing model. Apex uses cloud credits and requires an internet connection; individual plugins may run locally and use perpetual licensing; video products require specific hosts and hardware. Privacy, upload policy, GPU resources and delivery deadlines can all affect the right choice.
Retouch4me questions
Use SIMONSONGHURST20 for an eligible 20% discount through Simon’s promotional link. If Retouch4me is running a larger sale, compare the final totals because offers may not combine.
There is no single answer across the range. Many dedicated plugins are sold with perpetual licences and free updates, while Apex is a free application that uses cloud-processing credits. Check the current licence shown for the exact product.
Apex prepares results from multiple retouching modules in one cloud processing pass and charges one credit per processed image. Individual purchased plugins can provide focused local tools where supported. Apex requires internet access; product-specific requirements vary.
Apex is currently listed as a standalone application and plugin for Photoshop, Lightroom and Affinity Photo. Other products may support Photoshop, standalone use or different hosts. Always inspect the exact product page before purchasing.
Retouch4me provides demos for many individual tools, and its Apex page currently offers free starter credits. Test on your own files and hardware because suitability and performance vary by workflow.
Yes. The current range includes retouching and colour tools for supported OFX hosts, Adobe Premiere and Final Cut. Dust OFX, for example, supports DaVinci Resolve and other compatible hosts, subject to version and hardware requirements.
They can automate substantial repetitive work, but they do not replace judgement. Professional results still require image selection, strength control, artifact review, colour decisions and manual corrections where necessary.
Ready to test your first workflow?
Try the relevant demo on your own work, then use Simon’s link and code SIMONSONGHURST20 when you are ready to purchase.
Visit Retouch4me →