SkinFiner: Fast Batch Skin Retouching as an App or a Photoshop and Lightroom Plugin
SkinFiner is a skin retouching program from Photo-Toolbox for Windows and macOS that finds the skin in a portrait with an AI-assisted mask, smooths it while keeping its texture, evens out redness and reduces eye bags, and does it to whole batches of photos. It runs on its own or as a Photoshop and Lightroom plugin. The Home License lists at $59.95 (up to 3 personal computers) and the Commercial License at $79.95 (one computer), both one-time purchases, and both are 30% off at checkout during the vendor's autumn sale. It's for wedding, event and portrait photographers who retouch skin on dozens or hundreds of frames.
After a wedding, the last thing you want is to brush skin by hand on 300 photos. SkinFiner's pitch is the opposite: set the sliders once, save a preset, and let the batch run.
Quick facts
- Version: SkinFiner 5.8 for Windows; 6.0 for macOS, with a new skin-tone matching algorithm and AI mask model
- Developer: Photo-Toolbox (Chengzhu Li)
- Platforms: 64-bit Windows 10 or later with DirectX 11.1; macOS 12 Monterey or later on Intel or Apple silicon
- Runs as: standalone app, Photoshop filter plugin (smart filter supported), Lightroom export filter and external editor
- Opens: 8/16-bit images, RAW files and HEIF/HEIC; saves with a chosen ICC profile, including Display P3
- Price: Home $59.95 list, $41.96 at checkout in the autumn sale; Commercial $79.95 list, $55.96 in the sale; one-time payment, lifetime license
- Refunds: within 30 days with a valid reason, not for a change of mind
- What we checked: the Windows installer (150,790,616 bytes, product version 5.8, valid code signature) downloaded from the vendor, and $41.96 for the Home License and $55.96 for the Commercial License, both lifetime, on the order page on November 11, 2026. We didn't retouch photos with it ourselves
Download Free TrialBuy Home LicenseBuy Commercial License
Overview
SkinFiner does one job: skin. It opens a portrait, builds a skin mask automatically (excluding eyes, brows and lips if you tick the option), and gives you a short stack of panels: Skin Details for smoothing, Skin Imperfections for redness, yellow areas and eye bags, and skin tone and lighting controls. A before/after split view shows the result, and Apply Preset at the top makes repeat work a single click. In Photoshop, the Output buttons let it return the result as a new layer or mask for further compositing.
SkinFiner in split before/after view: the skin-mask color range at the top right with "Exclude facial features automatically" ticked, Smoothing sliders and Portrait Size below, and the Skin Imperfections panel with eye bag and redness sliders.
Features
An automatic skin mask
SkinFiner finds skin areas on its own, using AI-assisted detection since version 5.3, with options to restrict the mask to human body areas and to leave facial features out. You can still refine it with brushes, and adjust the color tolerance, feather and opacity. The macOS 6.0 release added a new skin-tone matching algorithm and AI model for more accurate masks.
Smoothing that keeps texture
SkinFiner smooths with an overall Amount plus Fine, Medium and Coarse detail sliders and a Balance control, and a Portrait Size setting (Auto or Custom) scales the effect to how large the face is in the frame. The aim is fewer blemishes and softer skin while pores and texture stay visible, so faces don't look plastic.
Redness, uneven tone and eye bags
SkinFiner's Skin Imperfections panel recognizes red and yellow areas on the skin and evens them out with a few sliders, and a single Reduce eye bags slider brightens and flattens the under-eye area of detected faces, including faces in profile since version 5.7. Skin tone controls change skin color and lighting, with shadows, highlights, brightness and contrast.
Plugins for Photoshop and Lightroom
SkinFiner works as a Photoshop filter, including as a smart filter, with three output options for composite work in Photoshop CC 2017 and later. In Lightroom (2.0 or later) it works as an export filter and as an external editor, so you can retouch on export without leaving your catalog. It also fixed compatibility issues with PaintShop Pro in version 4.1.
Batch processing with presets
SkinFiner retouches many photos in one run, using built-in presets or your own, and saves batch configurations as presets too. Processing is 16/32-bit and color managed throughout, and the Mac version uses GPU acceleration for speed (with an option to turn it off).
Benefits
- Hours back after a shoot. One preset across a whole event replaces frame-by-frame brushing.
- Stays in your workflow. Use it from Lightroom on export or as a Photoshop smart filter you can revisit.
- Consistent skin across a set. The same settings give a gallery an even look.
- No subscription. A one-time license, and the Home License covers up to three of your own computers.
Real-World Uses
- Weddings and events. Run a gentle smoothing and redness preset on the whole delivery from Lightroom's export.
- School and corporate headshots. Even out skin on hundreds of similar portraits with one batch.
- Beauty work in Photoshop. Apply SkinFiner as a smart filter, mask it, and fine-tune later without starting over.
- Tired eyes on long days. Pull down eye bags on a set of conference speaker photos.
Who It's For, and Who Should Skip It
It's for photographers who retouch skin on many photos at a time, especially Lightroom and Photoshop users, on Windows or Mac.
Skip it if you want to reshape faces, whiten teeth, enhance eyes or recolor lips: SkinFiner works on skin only, and the vendor's PT Portrait covers the whole face. If you retouch a few portraits a year, the vendor's cheaper PT Portrait Standard may be all you need. And businesses must buy the Commercial License, one per computer, since the Home License is for non-commercial use only.
Usage Guide
- Install. Download the Windows (about 144 MB) or Mac installer and run it. To use the plugins, follow the user guide's Install Plugin steps for Photoshop or Lightroom.
- Open a portrait. Open it in the standalone app, or start SkinFiner from Photoshop's filter menu or from Lightroom.
- Check the mask. Look at the auto-detected skin mask, tick "Exclude facial features automatically" if needed, and refine with the brushes.
- Retouch. Set smoothing in Skin Details, then redness, yellow areas and eye bags in Skin Imperfections, and adjust tone and lighting.
- Save a preset. Save the settings to reuse them.
- Batch. Open batch processing, add the photos, choose the preset and output, and start.
Before you buy
- Pick the right license. Home: up to 3 personal computers, non-commercial use only. Commercial: one computer each, for anyone who earns money with it, which includes working photographers.
- The sale price isn't permanent. The autumn 30% discount brings Home to $41.96 and Commercial to $55.96 at checkout; regular prices are $59.95 and $79.95.
- Refunds need a reason. The vendor considers refunds within 30 days when the software doesn't work as advertised or doesn't meet expectations, but not for a change of mind.
- Windows and Mac versions differ. The Mac version is at 6.0 with the newer mask model; Windows is at 5.8.
Where it falls short
- Skin only. No face reshaping, teeth, eyes or lips.
- Masks aren't perfect. Skin-colored backgrounds, hair or clothing can end up in the mask, and the vendor keeps improving mask accuracy release after release; check a few frames before a long batch.
- Strong spots may need a healing tool. Smoothing and tone sliders even out skin, but isolated large blemishes may still need a spot-healing brush in your editor.
- The Commercial License is per computer. A studio with several retouching PCs pays for each.
What Users Say
Few published reviews
SkinFiner has been developed since its early 1.x versions, but there are almost no English user reviews in public: SourceForge and Slashdot list it with no ratings. Don't confuse it with PortraitPro, Retouch4me or RetouchMe, which appear next to it in comparison listings but are other companies' products. The free trial on your own photos, including some difficult ones with blemishes or skin-toned backgrounds, is the best test.
Comparisons
SkinFiner vs. PT Portrait
Both come from Photo-Toolbox. SkinFiner is skin-only and built for speed and batches, with a Lightroom plugin. PT Portrait retouches the whole face (skin, eyes, teeth, lips, face shape) with a guided three-step workflow and a Photoshop plug-in in its Studio Edition. Many frames: SkinFiner. A few portraits needing full retouching: PT Portrait.
SkinFiner Home vs. Commercial
The program is the same. Home covers up to three personal computers for non-commercial use; Commercial covers one computer and allows commercial use.
Editions and Pricing
| License | List price | At checkout, Nov 11, 2026 | Computers | Use | Buy |
|---|
| Home | $59.95 | $41.96 | Up to 3 personal computers | Non-commercial only | Buy Home |
| Commercial | $79.95 | $55.96 | 1 per license | Commercial use allowed | Buy Commercial |
Both are one-time purchases with a lifetime license. Each Buy button orders that license directly: pick Home for personal use, or Commercial if you earn money from your photos.
FAQs
Can I use the SkinFiner Home License for paid photo shoots?
No. SkinFiner's Home License is for non-commercial, personal use only. If you earn money from your photos, you need the Commercial License, one for each computer you install it on.
Which Lightroom versions does SkinFiner work with?
SkinFiner works with Lightroom 2.0 and later, as an export filter and as an external editor, on both Windows and Mac.
Does SkinFiner run natively on Apple silicon?
Yes. SkinFiner's app and plugins have run natively on Apple silicon Macs since version 4.1.1, and the Mac version needs macOS 12 Monterey or later. Version 5.8.2 fixed crashes on macOS 26.
Can SkinFiner edit RAW and HEIC files directly?
Yes. SkinFiner opens RAW files and HEIF/HEIC images in the standalone app, and the vendor adds newer camera models in its updates.
Does SkinFiner need a powerful graphics card?
No dedicated card is required. SkinFiner for Windows needs DirectX 11.1 or later and uses the GPU for the interface when it can; the Mac version uses GPU acceleration for its heavier processing and lets you turn it off.
Can I get a refund for SkinFiner?
Only with a valid reason. Photo-Toolbox considers refund requests within 30 days of purchase when the software doesn't work as advertised or doesn't meet expectations, and doesn't refund a change of mind.
System Requirements
- Windows: Windows 10 or later, x86_64, DirectX 11.1 or later; Photoshop CS or later; Lightroom 2.0 or later
- macOS: macOS 12 Monterey or later, Apple silicon or Intel; Photoshop CS6 or later; Lightroom 2.0 or later
- Windows installer about 144 MB
Conclusion
SkinFiner is worth it for photographers who retouch skin on many photos, especially from Lightroom; at $41.96 (Home) or $55.96 (Commercial) during the sale, it pays for itself after one big shoot. The reason to buy it is batch speed with natural-looking skin and plugins that fit Lightroom and Photoshop. The main reason not to is its narrow scope: skin only, with masks you should spot-check, so for full-face retouching on a few portraits PT Portrait is the better fit. Test it on your own difficult frames before you buy, since public reviews are scarce.
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