Hi everyone, I'm new here, thought I'd post a few questions about the fashion industry since I am totally clueless about how it all works.

I am interested in doing high end retouching and recoloring advertisements (clothing, makeup, perfume/cologne) for fashion magazines. I am interested in doing this for the top fashion magazines. First off, what would a position like this be called? Just professional retoucher, or in marketing is this covered under a more broad position title?

Is this handled more as an in-house sort of thing for the company of the marketed product, or does this generally get outsourced to high end marketing companies?

For the marketing or fashion companies, what do they generally want as far as education goes? Will a two or four year degree get me in the door a lot easier than an outstanding portfolio alone?

I'm sure there are questions I haven't even thought of yet, but I think that will set me on the right path to start. Thank you in advance for any and all input! :)

Welcome to RetouchPRO...

It's good to be asking questions of this nature now. Where are you now in terms of experience, skills, knowledge, etc.?

I'm a hobbiest at this type of thing, in other words I don't have exerience on which to draw for answers to your specific questions, so I hope the following links I found will help a little.

* http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/photo-retouching/18037-master-retoucher.html

...and this looks promising:

* http://www.gofreelance.com/design/articles/how-to-start-a-freelance-graphic-design-photo-retouching-career.html

Perhaps others will have ideas too.

I'm not entirely sure where I am now. I would say I have intermediate skills, but I really have no frame of reference for that. I have ten or twelve retouching examples in my deviantArt account, interspersed between the photomanipulation stuff: http://cfryant.deviantart.com/gallery/

I can do the basic stuff, and I suppose that in relation to retouching, my current methods are probably a little on the novice side. I'm also reading the Katrin Eismann's book, which I have heard sets you on the right path.

Thank you for the links by the way, I will definitely check them out. :)