The Art of Newborn Photography Editing: Creating Timeless Portraits

Newborn photography isn’t just about capturing those fleeting early days—it’s also about refining and enhancing each image to create soft, beautiful portraits that highlight your baby in the most natural way possible.

Professional editing plays a key role in transforming raw images into polished, timeless keepsakes. In this guide, I’ll walk you through my approach to newborn photography editing, including what I adjust, what I don’t, and why subtlety is key to preserving those precious first memories.

Why Does Newborn Photography Editing Matter?

Newborns have the most delicate skin, often with tiny blemishes, flaky patches, or a little redness from birth. These are all completely normal and we’d all have them if we’d been underwater as long as they have but gentle editing allows me to create images that reflect how you see your baby—peaceful, perfect, and beautifully soft. My goal is to enhance, not change, so every image remains a true representation of your little one without making them look like plastic dolls.

Some of the most common edits in newborn photography include:
✔️ Softening skin tones for a dreamy, even look
✔️ Reducing temporary blemishes, scratches, or flaky skin
✔️ Adjusting colour tones for a warm, natural finish
✔️ Perfecting composite images for safety-first posing

While these refinements enhance the final portrait, I always keep my editing natural and delicate—your baby is already perfect just as they are!

What Kinds of Edits Are Included?

I always strive for a true-to-life yet polished finish in my newborn portraits which retains their natural skin texture while really showing off their natural beauty. Here are the types of edits you can expect as part of your newborn photography session:

1. Skin Softening & Colour Balancing

Newborn skin can sometimes appear blotchy or red due to birth, hormonal changes or generally getting use to life on the outside. I use gentle techniques to even out skin tone while preserving the natural texture of your baby’s skin—no plastic-like filters or over-smoothing here!

2. Reducing Temporary Blemishes

Common newborn blemishes like milk spots, baby acne, or little scratches (often from those tiny fingernails which you can never quite get the spiky bits off!) can be softened or removed. However, permanent birthmarks or unique features will always be left untouched unless specifically requested.

3. Flaky Skin & Dry Patches

Peeling skin is common in newborns, especially on their hands, feet, and around the tummy. While this is a completely natural part of their early days, I can gently reduce dryness while keeping the image looking natural.

4. Composite Editing for Complex Poses

Some of my most intricate newborn images—such as those featuring babies propped on their hands or nestled in  items like police, motorbike or firefighter’s helmets —are actually created using composite editing. This ensures that your baby is always safe and supported, as a parents hands will be holding them in place. These are then digitally blended together to create the final image to create the illusion that the were alone – but don’t worry, they never were! Safety first always…

5. Colour & Lighting Enhancements

Lighting and colour grading play a huge role in creating that soft, glowing look you see in my newborn portraits. Every image is individually adjusted for brightness, warmth, and tone to match my signature style while keeping a natural, organic finish.

What I Don’t Edit

While gentle refinements are included in my newborn editing process, my approach is all about enhancing and removal of temporary marks on your baby’s skin, not altering. Here’s what I won’t change:

🚫 Your baby’s natural features – Birthmarks, dimples, or any features that are unique to your baby will always remain untouched.

🚫 Facial expressions – I love capturing natural moments, so smiles, sleepy expressions, and even little yawns stay just as they are.

🚫 Body shape or size – Your baby is already perfect, and my job is to showcase them exactly as they are, in all their newborn perfection.

How Long Does Newborn Editing Take?

Newborn photography is an art that takes time, and that includes the editing process. I carefully hand-edit each image to ensure the highest quality and attention to detail. You can expect to receive your final images in around 2-3 weeks after your session, delivered via a private online gallery where you can choose your favourites.