Newborn Photography Retouching Made Easy: Evoto AI Photo Editing Review

Have you heard of Evoto AI photo editing software? It seems like it’s been popping up everywhere in photography circles lately, and for good reason.

For those who aren’t familiar, Evoto AI photo editing is a specialized software that uses machine learning to automate many of the time-consuming retouching tasks we typically do manually in Photoshop. Think skin smoothing, blemish removal, background cleanup, and facial feature enhancement – all powered by artificial intelligence.

I actually downloaded it months ago but never gave it a proper try… until recently. I kept hearing photographers rave about this AI-powered editing software, but I was skeptical. As someone who’s spent 20 years perfecting my Photoshop workflow for newborn photography, I wondered if this was just another shiny object promising more than it could deliver.

But the buzz kept growing, and I finally decided it was time to see what all the fuss was about. Let me share what I found after giving Evoto AI photo editing a real test run in my newborn photography editing workflow.

My Evoto AI Testing Approach

I decided to be methodical about this review. Instead of just playing around randomly, I focused on evaluating all the things I actually do for my newborn images on a daily basis – flake removal, red skin correction, background cleanup, helping new moms with wrinkles and tired eyes, flyaway hair, and more. I wanted to see how Evoto AI photo editing handled these real-world challenges compared to my standard Photoshop approach.

Real-World Testing Scenarios

As a Boise newborn photographer, I deal with specific editing challenges daily:

• Newborn skin imperfections and flaky patches
• Parent portrait retouching (tired eyes, wrinkles)
• Studio background cleanup
• Lifestyle session distractions
• Color consistency across galleries
• Quick turnaround times for client delivery

First Impressions of Evoto AI Photo Editing

Right off the bat, I was struck by how familiar the interface felt. If you’re comfortable with Lightroom or Camera Raw, you’ll recognize most of the adjustment panels immediately. The learning curve isn’t steep, which I appreciated as a busy photographer.

The skin retouching tools were impressive in their scope – options for everything from blemish removal to wrinkle reduction to makeup enhancement. But as I started testing, I quickly discovered that having lots of options doesn’t always mean having the right tool for the job.

Where Evoto AI Photo Editing Surprised Me

Let’s start with what genuinely impressed me about this AI photo editing software.

Outstanding Features for Portrait Photographers

Catchlight Enhancement: The catchlight feature is fantastic. Adding or enhancing catchlights manually in Photoshop can be time-consuming and tricky to get right, but Evoto makes it almost effortless. You can even move the catchlights to line up with existing ones, which creates a really natural enhancement rather than an obvious addition.

Wrinkle and Fine Line Reduction: These capabilities are outstanding for helping new moms look their best in those precious newborn photos. This feature alone might justify the cost for many portrait photographers. If I were still doing boudoir work, I’d be using this constantly.

Double Chin Correction: This absolutely blew me away. I wasn’t expecting much from this feature, but it handles subtle chin adjustments so naturally that it’s become one of my go-to tools for parent portraits.

Glasses Glare Removal: The glasses glare removal worked better than I expected – I tried it on a family photo where the daughter was wearing glasses, and the results were genuinely impressive.

Wrinkle Reduction: The clothing wrinkle reducer works great when dealing with parent shots where fabric isn’t laying perfectly. While it’s not fool proof, in certain circumstances it works great.

The Reality Check: Evoto AI Limitations

But here’s where things get complicated with Evoto AI photo editing. While it handles many tasks well, it doesn’t always handle them the way I need it to for my specific newborn photography workflow and standards.

Newborn Skin Challenges

Take flaky baby skin, for example. Evoto can smooth it out, but I found myself having to push the settings pretty high to get all the flakes to disappear (and sometimes the flakes didn’t fully disappear even when maxed out). The problem is that when you do that, everything else gets smoothed too. The baby ends up looking a bit too perfect, losing some of that natural newborn texture that I work hard to preserve.

There’s a healing brush tool in Evoto that could theoretically handle individual flakes, but if I’m going to click on each little spot manually, why wouldn’t I just do that in Photoshop where I have more control and can run an action that takes them away in just seconds?

Background Cleanup Issues

The background cleanup feature is another mixed bag. It works beautifully on solid, seamless backgrounds – the kind I use in my individual newborn portraits most of the time. But when I tested it on a more complex background, it made some decisions I didn’t like, including removing part of an older sibling’s hand that was in the frame.

For lifestyle images, it can’t remove distracting items like the vents in my studio floor or the playground you can see out my window. These are the kinds of detailed background distractions that still require traditional Photoshop techniques.

Color Consistency Challenges

One area where I really struggled using Evoto AI is color consistency. There’s an AI color match feature that theoretically should help maintain a cohesive look across a session. In practice, I found it hit-or-miss. It would do a beautiful job on one image from a set, then completely miss the mark on another image shot in the same setup with the same lighting.

This inconsistency is a real problem when you’re trying to deliver a cohesive gallery to clients. I need to know that my color corrections will work predictably across similar images, and Evoto just isn’t reliable enough in this area yet.

My Continued Evoto AI Experience

As I’ve kept using Evoto AI photo editing over the past few weeks, I’ve settled into a rhythm with it. I’ve identified the tasks it excels at and learned to work around its limitations.

My Favorite Evoto Features

• Clothing wrinkle reducer
• Glasses glare removal
• Double Chin reduction
• Catchlight enhancement
• Subtle eyelash makeup addition for moms
• Background extension for solid studio backdrops
• Blemish remover (when set to subtle amounts)
• Frequency separation options for evening out mottled skin
• Sky replacement (for outdoor shots!)

Features That Need Work

The flyaway hair removal feature is decent as a starting point, but it’s not precise enough for hairs that cross onto faces. It also seems to kind of gum up the edge where its removed the hairs leaving visible artifacts when you zoom in. Hopefully this is improved in future updates!

Practical Considerations for Photographers

Cost and Workflow Integration

Evoto AI photo editing charges per image exported, but if you edit the same image multiple times and export it repeatedly, you’re only charged once. However, if you modify the original photo significantly enough that Evoto sees it as a new image, you’ll get charged again.

For my workflow of about 100 sessions per year with an average of 30 images each, the annual Basic Plus plan works out to about $2 per session, which is reasonable. The key is being selective about which images actually benefit from AI processing.

Internet Dependency Limitation

One limitation I discovered is the internet dependency. Evoto becomes painfully slow when you don’t have a good connection since it needs to sync to process images. This could be a real limitation if you travel frequently or work in areas with poor connectivity.

I still think you’re better off doing final exports in Lightroom rather than Evoto. Lightroom’s export capabilities and catalog management are superior for creating multiple sizes, formats, and variations without additional costs.

How I’m Using Evoto AI Photo Editing Now

After all this experimentation, I’ve found a workflow that works for me. I’m essentially using Evoto AI as a Photoshop plugin rather than a replacement.

My Current Workflow

1. Process raw files in Camera Raw
2. Export as TIFFs
3. Run through Evoto for specific retouching tasks
4. Layer results back into Photoshop for final control
5. Handle tasks Evoto can’t manage well in Photoshop
6. Final Color and Exporting in Lightroom

This approach dramatically speeds up my workflow for certain tasks – particularly skin retouching, and parent images – but it certainly doesn’t replace the need for Photoshop entirely.

DIY vs Professional Implementation

For photographers: Start with the free trial to test specific features relevant to your niche. Don’t expect it to replace your entire workflow – think of it as an additional tool.

For Boise parents: If you’re curious about AI editing in your photos, know that professional photographers are still the best choice for consistent, high-quality results. AI tools like Evoto are meant to enhance our skills, not replace professional expertise.

Is Evoto AI Worth It?

I think Evoto AI photo editing is worth trying, especially with the free credits they’re currently offering. But go in with realistic expectations. It’s not a magic solution that will transform your editing overnight, and it’s not going to replace solid Photoshop skills.

Who Should Consider Evoto

• Portrait photographers who struggle with consistency
• Photographers wanting to reduce time on repetitive retouching
• Studios looking to speed up parent portrait enhancement
• Photographers comfortable with hybrid workflows

Who Might Want to Skip It

• Photographers happy with their current Photoshop workflow
• Those working primarily with complex backgrounds
• Documentary/Lifestyle photographers who don’t do a lot of cleanup/skin retouching
• Anyone with unreliable/no internet connection

Final Thoughts on Evoto AI Photo Editing

What Evoto can do is speed up specific, time-consuming tasks while maintaining reasonably natural results. The key is understanding what it does well, what it doesn’t do well, and how to integrate it strategically into your existing workflow rather than trying to make it do everything.

For more advanced editing techniques and workflows for newborn photography, check out our Newborn Photography Education resources.

Connect With Fellow Photographers

Have you tried Evoto AI photo editing in your own work? I’d love to hear about your experience and whether you’ve found solutions to some of the limitations I encountered. Join my BRAND NEW facebook group for Newborn Photographers called Editing for Newborn Photographers.

And because I really do feel like Evoto is a great tool to have in your back pocket, I’m currently adding a brand new module to my Newborn Editing Academy all about using Evoto within my workflow and how to use each of these tools to speed up your editing process. If you’re interested in learning more efficient editing techniques for newborn photography, I’d love to have you join us.

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Paige McLeod is the founder of Glean & Co Photography, specializing in newborn, maternity, and family photography in Boise, Idaho. For more photography education and business tips, visit our Photography Education Hub.

P.S. This isn’t sponsored content – I paid for the trial with my own money, and Evoto has no idea I’m even writing this review. Just wanted to be transparent about that.