AI Meets Retouching: Claude Interviews Renowned International Retoucher Matt Supple

AI interviewing a human about AI – it had to happen eventually. Claude sits down with renowned retoucher Matt Supple to talk workflow, ethics, and the tools reshaping the industry.

 

Q1: How do you see AI image generation enhancing your workflow as a retoucher?

I’ve been using AI heavily in my workflow lately, particularly on a job I just wrapped up that ran about two months. AI image extensions were incredibly useful throughout that project, though it took time to refine my prompting to get consistently efficient results.

Object removal was another major strength. With very large, high-detail files, resolution becomes a real challenge, so sometimes I’d work in smaller segments and then upscale to match the quality of the rest of the image. And in cases where AI couldn’t deliver the detail I needed, it was often quicker and more reliable to composite in plates instead.

“AI image extensions were incredibly useful throughout that project.”

Q2: How are you currently using AI tools in your day-to-day work?

Claude is great for stepping back and objectively assessing a problem or image I’m working on. On the generation side, ChatGPT and Firefly (built into Photoshop) are both solid, Firefly for extends, and ChatGPT now has a quality-improving upscale feature that’s impressive too.

Staying inside Photoshop is ideal for my workflow, but I’ve noticed ChatGPT sometimes takes a different creative approach to a difficult extend. So if I’m stuck or not happy with a result, it’s worth jumping over and trying it there.

“If I’m stuck or not happy with a result, it’s worth jumping over and trying it there.”

Q3: Which parts of a retouching project do you still insist on doing entirely by hand, and why?

AI absolutely needs me as the assessor. Making the final call on what actually goes into an image is something I never hand over. One technique I’ve found valuable: including “do not” in my prompts, when extending an image, AI will often try to insert objects I don’t want, and being explicit about what to exclude cuts that down significantly.

Grain matching is another area that demands close manual attention, I always check AI-generated sections at 100% zoom. And when it comes to retouching people, knowing exactly how much skin detail to retain is something I’ve refined over years of international experience. That judgment call is still very much a human one.

“AI absolutely needs me as the assessor.”

Q4: Do you see AI eventually replacing retouchers, or reshaping the role instead?

When I first started experimenting with AI, there was a lot of fear and hype around it for me personally, but I was genuinely surprised by results that looked usable and were so much faster than my usual methods. Now that I’ve built real experience using it in my workflow, that fear has gone. I’ve learned that human expertise and AI together create real time savings and efficiency, and every now and then, AI surprises you with a result you wouldn’t have thought of yourself.

The flip side is that retouchers need to stay vigilant. I once needed to generate a hand that had been cropped out of frame, with no plate shot available. It looked convincing to me, but the Art Director caught that the thumb was missing. It’s a good reminder of how valuable a fresh set of eyes is on any image, no matter how advanced the tool, that human check still makes the difference between good and great.

“A fresh set of eyes is always so incredibly valuable.”

Q5: What would you say to a retoucher or designer who’s reluctant to bring AI into their workflow?

Don’t be fearful at all. My latest bit of wisdom is that it all starts with the first prompt, what’s the harm in being curious if you’re unsure about a result?

For designers, it’s great for creating a rough mock-up before final retouching happens. And because AI makes certain tasks faster, designers can be far more confident asking for a much larger extended area of an image, giving them ideal zoom and positioning, with room for copy lines and branding to sit exactly where they need to. It also changes the income conversation: time saved on larger extends means I can charge appropriately for my expertise rather than losing income on a project.

“It all starts with the first prompt.”

Q6: Where do you draw the line ethically when it comes to AI-generated or AI-assisted imagery?

I align closely with my biggest advertising clients on this. At the top of any major agency group, there’s a clear stance that AI image-gen platforms built on scraping the internet are unethical. I agree, I don’t want to take shortcuts by using someone else’s work and taking credit for it.

Some scraping-based platforms have refined their process to the point where the source material isn’t recognizable. But that’s not enough justification for me. It’s not about avoiding detection or copyright infringement, for me, it comes down to personal ethics.

“For me, it comes down to personal ethics.”

Q7: What’s a moment AI image generation genuinely impressed you? And one where it fell short?

Impressed: removing objects with subtle gradation, work that would traditionally take considerable time built up through many low-opacity paint strokes, AI now handles in a fraction of the time. Extensions are the other standout: where you genuinely don’t know what exists outside the visible frame, AI sometimes produces a shockingly accurate interpretation of what should logically be there.

Where it falls short: extends can also go badly wrong. I’ve told everyone I worked with on my last big job about the time I requested an image extension and got back an upside-down, mutated baby in the generated area. Resolution is another real issue, high-end work needs to hold up at billboard scale, and human body parts and faces in particular still can’t reliably match that standard, even with upscaling. AI also can’t be trusted near logos or branding, which always needs close monitoring.

“I once requested an image extension and got back an upside-down, mutated baby.”

Q8: Has AI changed how clients brief you or set expectations for turnaround time?

Yes, absolutely. Clients now brief with more confidence, often asking, “What do we think about using AI on this part of the process?” That collaborative framing has an interesting side effect, it actually brings the retoucher closer to the Art Director and designer, which hasn’t always been the case in this industry.

On my last big job, I actually preferred working directly within the agency environment for exactly this reason, AI gave us something to converse about, even joke about, like the upside-down baby story. Getting to know the team better made me far more relaxed and confident, which let me deliver results more in tune with what they’d pictured in their own minds.

“AI gave us something to converse about, even joke about.”

Q9: Are there specific AI tools or plugins you’d recommend to other retouchers?

For now, I’m sticking with Photoshop. Select Subject has improved massively, what used to take 30 to 45 minutes of manual masking can now be roughed in within 2 to 3 minutes, though a hero shot still needs manual refinement. Object removal has also come a long way, rebuilt using a diffusion model that’s noticeably better at removing stray objects and blemishes without hallucinating new content.

I also tested a newer tool called Harmonize, which matches color, light, and tone when compositing an element into a scene. It doesn’t yet nail the result to the level I need, but it did widen my perspective on the lighting a composite actually requires. It’s got me wondering if it might be more valuable for Art Directors putting together early client mockups. Has anyone reading this used Harmonize for early-stage presentations? Drop your experience in the comments.

“The AI gives you a much better starting point, but the finishing pass still needs an experienced eye.”

Q10: How do you handle client concerns about authenticity when AI is part of the process?

I always feel confident addressing it directly. I’ll walk clients through what AI genuinely does well, often to the point of being undetectable, and where it can still fall slightly short, like a visible transition where an extended area meets the original image.

When that happens, it’s not a dealbreaker. I’ve developed my own way of taking it that extra step, blending the transition until it reads as if it was shot that way from the start. I won’t give away the full method, that’s my own secret sauce, but it’s exactly that blend of technology and years of hands-on expertise that gets a client a result they can fully trust.

“I won’t give away the full method, that’s my own secret sauce.”

Q11: What skills do you think will matter most for retouchers in an AI-driven industry?

Having an open mind is one of the most powerful tools a retoucher can have. Through years leading teams, I’ve noticed a common misstep, people become fear-driven and immediately say, “you can’t do that, it’ll never work.” My philosophy, one that’s taken me to the top of this industry, is simple: try it before you rule it out.

Just last week, I saw this play out at the agency. Another retoucher used AI to create an extension that an external retoucher had already said couldn’t be done. He solved it with a single prompt, and every producer and creative on the job was thrilled, the room applauded him for it. That’s exactly my point: he gave it a go.

“Best tool ever.”

 

Matt Supple is an international retouch artist based in New Zealand, with 25+ years of experience across New York, Sydney, and New Zealand. As founder of Fred NY, he delivered high-end retouching for global fashion and beauty clients, and his work has spanned campaigns for brands including Absolut Vodka, Estee Lauder, Calvin Klein, Versace, eBay, Visa, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Whittaker’s, and Serato.

These days he’s focused on integrating retouching, compositing, and AI workflows, and is actively looking to take on more sports, people, and composite work, along with high-end colour grading. If that’s your world too, get in touch.

Website: www.mattsupple.com
Instagram: @mattsupple
LinkedIn: nz.linkedin.com/in/matthew-supple-b49189a

 

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