Automatic smoothing vs brush control - an honest look at how each one retouches skin.
SkinFiner is a fast, affordable auto-smoothing tool ($59.95 home / $79.95 commercial) that works in Photoshop, Lightroom and standalone. RetouchLab Skin Pro is priced similarly (€79 lifetime) but takes a different approach: instead of smoothing detected skin, it gives you a brush with frequency separation, dodge & burn and tone evening - so you decide exactly where and how much, and keep real texture. Similar price, more control and more techniques, inside Photoshop.
| RETOUCHLAB SKIN PRO ✦ | SKINFINER | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | €79 lifetime (one-time) | $59.95 home / $79.95 commercial (one-time) |
| Approach | Brush - you paint exactly where MORE CONTROL | Automatic skin detection + smoothing |
| Techniques | Freq sep + dodge & burn + tone MORE | Skin smoothing + tone |
| Skin texture | Preserved via frequency separation BETTER | Smoothing-based - can flatten if pushed |
| Control | 7 sliders, targeted with a brush BETTER | Sliders applied to detected skin |
| Runs in | Adobe Photoshop | Photoshop, Lightroom, standalone |
| Best for | Control, dodge & burn and natural texture | Fast automatic smoothing on a budget |
SkinFiner's job is skin smoothing - it detects skin and softens it with a few sliders, fast, at a low price. For quick, casual jobs that's convenient, and it works in Lightroom and standalone too.
The trade-off is control. Automatic smoothing applies one idea to the whole face, and pushed too far it flattens skin into that soft, processed look. RetouchLab Skin Pro hands you a brush instead: frequency separation to even tone while keeping pores, dodge & burn to fix shadows and blotches, and tone evening - painted exactly where you want.
The prices are close, so this isn't about cost - it's about how you retouch. If you want a one-click softener, SkinFiner is fine. If you want real, controlled retouching that still looks like skin, that's what RetouchLab is built for.
Both are one-time purchases at a similar price - the difference is the approach:
Similar price - but RetouchLab adds dodge & burn, frequency separation and brush control, not just smoothing.
You want control over how you retouch - frequency separation, dodge & burn and tone evening, painted exactly where you choose - and natural results that keep real skin texture.
You want the fastest, cheapest automatic smoothing, you're happy letting the tool decide, and you sometimes work in Lightroom or standalone rather than Photoshop.
Get it for €39 (6 months), or go lifetime for €79 - one payment, all future updates included.
GET SKIN PRO — €39 →Available on Adobe Exchange · Instant download · Works in Photoshop 2022+
Comparing other tools? See vs Portraiture, vs Retouch4me, and our full roundup of the best Photoshop skin retouching plugins.
SkinFiner automatically detects skin and smooths it with sliders. RetouchLab is brush-based: you paint exactly where you want, using frequency separation, dodge and burn and tone evening, so you keep control and real skin texture instead of overall smoothing.
They are similar in price - SkinFiner is $59.95 (home) or $79.95 (commercial), RetouchLab is €79 lifetime. The real difference is approach: RetouchLab adds dodge and burn, frequency separation and brush control, not just smoothing.
SkinFiner is a smoothing tool, so pushed hard it can flatten skin. RetouchLab uses frequency separation, which separates texture from tone, so pores and real detail stay intact while you even out the skin.
No - RetouchLab runs inside Adobe Photoshop. SkinFiner also works in Lightroom and as a standalone app, so if you need those, SkinFiner has the edge; if you retouch in Photoshop and want more control, RetouchLab is the fit.