I’ve been a Brisbane wedding photographer for more than twenty years, and during that time I’ve learnt a lot about photo editing and retouching. I was immediately interested when I first saw the ‘Creative Retouching for Weddings’ masterclass advertised. I went into it expecting a few cool Photoshop tricks to drop into my editing workflow. What I got was a complete reframe. Creative retouching isn’t just about tidying up an image. In wedding photography, editing can do more than polish an image. For me, it can create a depth of emotion that couples will treasure.

PhotoWhoa Masterclass Review: Creative Retouching for Weddings

PhotoWhoa has developed a reputation for offering wedding photographers powerful new skills and techniques in editing and retouching. In this course, you’re in the hands of Luca Storelli, an Italian photographer and retoucher, with a style and reputation for fine-art commercial photography. A skilled traditional photographer in his own right, Luca has carved out a niche for himself as a retoucher who can take simple studio images or even candid outdoor portraits and transform them into gallery-quality work without losing their authenticity and emotion. The two-hour masterclass shows Luca going through his full workflow, from tools and processes he used in the early ‘manual’ days of compositing and masking through to modern techniques using Photoshop’s Generative Fill feature, MidJourney for AI-inspired backgrounds, Magnific AI for image upscaling, and transparent PNG overlays.

Live Editing

Luca works live with a number of real-world wedding images in Photoshop. You see him handling challenges from studio setups, harsh outdoor lighting, the complexity of veils, and the challenge of working with flat studio backdrops.

Many of the tools he uses in his workflow are Photoshop, Infinite Color Panel, FS3 for frequency separation, Bella Kotak’s actions, and Jessica Drossin’s overlays. What I found inspiring is the way Luca works with them to transform an image. He might start with a simple white backdrop in his studio, but by the time he’s done, it has become a painted, fine-art portrait. Luca walks you through every step of the process, from masking, adding layers, integrating textures and overlays, then finishing with subtle colour grading. You get to see how each creative choice builds and adds to the overall mood. Retouching is not just about removing flaws or distractions, but about using your creativity to reinterpret and reimagine the photograph.

The Instructor

The first thing I noticed about Luca as he started and set the tone for the masterclass was his accent. I found this endearing. Luca is engaging and easy to follow. He’s clearly passionate about his craft. He experiments live, making changes and trying new things rather than presenting you with already-polished, pre-prepared examples. He lets you see him work through his ideas in real-time. My favourite takeaway from the course was Luca’s comment about creativity: “Your creativity is infinite”. It’s a line he uses early in the class to set the tone, but it resonated with me throughout the rest of the session.

Video and Platform

The video quality was high, with crisp imagery, and the audio was clear. Photowhoa’s platform itself was simple and intuitive to use. I was able to pause, rewind, and rewatch any section or part of the class I wanted without losing my place.

Content and Practicality

As someone who photographs weddings for a living, I have to say that as far as content goes, I was surprised at how applicable this class was. While not every bride is looking for butterflies and ethereal overlays on her wedding photos, there is a lot of helpful content here. The fundamentals, like masking, dodging and burning, frequency separation, and swapping out backgrounds with AI, can be used in wedding images too. Watching Luca fix up a veil by masking and blending it into the background was my lightbulb moment. If you’re into wedding, portrait, or editorial photography, you can learn plenty of tips and techniques from this class. If you’re a beginner, you might need to hit pause and try some of Luca’s techniques for yourself as you go. There’s something here for all levels.

Uniqueness and Value

What really makes this class stand out for me is that Luca offers a bridge between the pre- and post-AI world. He goes back to explain how he retouched photos before these new AI tools were available. Then he shows you exactly how much more efficient and creative the workflow can be with Photoshop’s Generative Fill and AI-inspired backgrounds created with MidJourney. I found that dual perspective really valuable. If I had to choose one moment from the class that really stood out and that I can take away and apply to my work, it was Luca’s canvas stretching technique to elongate the wedding gown in one of his edits. It’s such a simple and quick step, but it has a massive impact. The bride looks longer, more elegant, and the whole image is elevated.

Conclusion: Worth It?

Yes. 100%. If you want to take your wedding photos beyond clean and basic and start creating art, then the PhotoWhoa Masterclass Review: Creative Retouching for Weddings is worth your time. I would say this class is best for intermediate to advanced Photoshop users. If you already know your way around layers and masking, this class will help you take your retouching to a new level. Beginners will benefit, but they will likely need to hit pause and try some of Luca’s techniques as they watch. As far as my takeaways are concerned, the big one for me is that retouching doesn’t have to be conservative and restrained. The retouching work we do, as photographers, has the potential to create magic. When we start thinking like that, our work has the power to set itself apart.

Final Verdict

You can find the full PhotoWhoa Masterclass on Creative Retouching for Weddings here.