Photo Retoucher [AQ-26048] — San Diego, CA

Partnering with a leading national pet specialty retailer, k9Cnae is seeking a highly skilled creative professional to elevate visual storytelling and brand integrity through world-class image editing. In this role, you will have a direct impact on how millions of customers connect with the brand, transforming standard product and lifestyle photography into aspirational, high-impact visual assets that drive engagement and sales.

The Opportunity

As a key member of the creative production team, you will be the ultimate guardian of visual quality, ensuring every image meets the highest standards of excellence. You will collaborate closely with photography managers, art directors, and key stakeholders to streamline post-production workflows, integrate cutting-edge AI tools, and establish color-correction standards. From creating seamless composites to mentoring junior talent, your expertise will shape the brand’s visual identity across digital and print mediums.

What You Will Do

• Establish and document advanced retouching techniques and color correction standards to align with brand style guidelines.

• Perform expert-level retouching in Adobe Photoshop to enhance quality, remove defects, and perfect high-resolution digital files.

• Color-correct images to match product samples, working within a Pantone-certified, color-accurate editing workflow.

• Create realistic, seamless photographic composites and realistic 3D renderings from flat Adobe Illustrator packaging files.

• Incorporate emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) software and tools to increase creative output, task efficiency, and rapid image enhancements.

• Manage digital asset workflows, including transparent cutouts, alpha channels, metadata indexing, and file versioning on internal archive servers.

• Utilize Adobe Workfront for online proofing, job tracking, and managing revision history to ensure absolute accuracy.

• Collaborate with studio managers, producers, and art directors to prioritize daily workloads and meet tight deadlines.

• Mentor and train junior editors to foster a highly capable, diverse, and collaborative post-production team.

What You Bring

• 8+ years of professional photo retouching and color-correction experience in a high-volume studio or agency environment.

• Expert-level mastery of Adobe Creative Cloud, specifically Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe InDesign.

• Advanced knowledge of color science, color profiling, and Pantone-certified workflows.

• Strong illustrative skills for complex compositing, realistic lighting, and shadow techniques.

• Proven experience training, mentoring, or guiding junior retouchers and reviewing vendor work.

• Excellent organizational skills, an uncompromising eye for detail, and the ability to work independently under minimal supervision.

• High School Diploma or equivalent.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Photography, Graphic Design, or a related creative field (or an additional 2+ years of equivalent professional experience).

• Familiarity with Adobe Workfront or similar project management and online proofing platforms.

• Active interest and research in current photo trends, advanced retouching techniques, and AI-driven creative software.