Tidy Beard Edge

Tidying a beard edge in a photo means removing the stray hairs outside the beard line, usually on the cheeks, under the jaw and around the mouth, so the beard looks freshly groomed without changing its shape. In this example, a man in his early thirties, wearing a brown leather jacket on a lakeside boardwalk in autumn, had a friend take his new dating profile photo on a phone. The beard itself suits him, but the cheek line was ragged, a patch of coarse hairs crept down the neck, and a few strays stuck out around the mouth. They read as untidy at full size.

What changed in this photo, and what stayed the same?

• Cleared: the loose hairs above the cheek line, the scattered hairs on the neck below the jaw, and the few strays around the mouth.
• Kept: the beard's overall outline, length and density, his mustache, expression, the leather jacket and green sweater, and the lake and boardwalk behind him.

Where should the beard line be?

The editor follows the edge the beard already has, not an ideal one. Moving the line higher or sharpening it into a hard curve changes the shape of the jaw and makes the face look different to people who know him. Only the hair clearly outside his usual line is removed. The edit is done on the whole picture, so skin texture and beard texture can come out slightly smoother than in the original, and both are checked against it.

What this edit does not do

• It does not fill thin or patchy areas inside the beard. That is a separate request.
• It does not change the beard's length or style. To preview a different look, see try hairstyles on your photo.
• Stubble on a clean-shaven face can be smoothed too, but say how much shadow you want to keep.

What should you send?

The original file, plus a note if you have a preferred neckline, such as "one finger above the Adam's apple". Without a note, the editor keeps your current line.

Other edits for profile photos: straighten a tie and collar in a headshot and remove dark circles. See all hair retouching examples.

Private: recreated on our own images, not customer photos

The before/after shown here is recreated on images created or licensed for this site — never a real customer's photo. Your upload is seen only by the editor working on it, and the edit comes with free revisions within 14 days of delivery if anything needs adjusting.