How a Magazine Cover Gets Retouched
Published October 31, 2026
A cover is one image doing a lot of work, on a fixed deadline, with type on top of it. Here's the order the work usually follows. It's a general process, not one magazine's job.
Start from the layout
Before retouching starts, it helps to see the image with the masthead and cover lines in place. That shows where hair crosses the title, where the type needs a calmer background and where the barcode goes on a newsstand cover. Finding that out at the end can mean redoing work.
Make room
Covers are a fixed shape, and the picture often isn't. A background may need extending at the top for the masthead, or at the sides to fit the trim. If the head overlaps the title, hair has to be cut out cleanly, with a mask fine enough to hold up at print size. On set, an extra frame with more room above the head saves a lot of work here.
Skin, hair and clothes
A cover gets looked at closely, and at a larger size than most inside pages. Skin keeps its texture, as natural skin retouching explains, flyaways get cleaned without losing the shape of the hair, and clothes get the same care as on a fashion job.
Color for the stand
A cover has to work among other covers, so it often gets a little more contrast and color than an inside page. It's still a judgment call: too much and skin starts to look wrong in print. The publisher's art director usually decides how far to go.
Print files and proof
The final file goes to the publisher's specifications: profile, ink limit, bleed and format. Covers are often printed on different paper from the inside pages, so it's worth asking whether the specification differs. A proof before the press date is the last chance to catch a color problem. How to prepare retouched images for print explains each step, and our prepress page covers how we can help.
Digital and social versions
Most covers also run online, usually without print's bleed and with a different color file. Plan for those versions at the start instead of cropping the print file at the end.
Price and turnaround
$40 to $500 per image, depending on how complex the image is and what you need delivered. 24 hours to 2 weeks, depending on how many images there are and our workload.
Get a quote
Send us the number of images, a sample or link, what you need delivered and your deadline.
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