Celebrating a decade back in NZ: Retoucher Matt Supple reflects on AI’s role in advertising

It has been ten years since New Zealand-born retoucher Matt Supple returned home after a remarkable 15-year career in Manhattan. During his time in New York, Supple co-founded and ran Fred NY, one of the city’s leading retouching studios between 2002 and 2009. Now, working from his home studio in New Zealand, he continues to offer remote services to global clients while exploring new creative frontiers in 3D and AI image generation.

Supple’s career began long before the digital era transformed the industry. He recalls the painstaking and hazardous processes of hand retouching in the darkroom, where chemicals such as sulphuric and acetic acid were commonplace. “It was dangerous work,” he says. “If you didn’t get the timing right, you could burn a hole in the transparency. Many great hand retouchers left the industry when digital arrived, but for me, it was a welcome change, it made things safer and more efficient.”

Today, the conversation has shifted again, this time to artificial intelligence. Supple has been testing platforms such as Photoshop AI, MidJourney, Lux, and Magnific AI, and he offers a candid assessment of their strengths and limitations.

“Photoshop can deliver quite surprising results with simple, concise instructions,” he explains. “The word remove is the most powerful. But the frustration is that it only works at 1000px square. For billboard or large display work, that’s nowhere near enough. You end up having to do small segments individually, which is time-consuming. And now, with the new pricing model, you quickly run out of credits unless you pay extra for Firefly.”

MidJourney, he says, was initially exciting but remains inconsistent. “Images can look a little cartoonish. You can describe lighting and angles, but if it’s not in the internet database, you won’t get the result you need. I’d say I’ve had success maybe two times out of ten.”

Lux, meanwhile, offers more control but produces overly airbrushed results. “The more you describe, the more phoney things look,” Supple notes. Magnific AI, designed to upscale low-resolution images, has also disappointed him. “It works best if the original image was created in MidJourney. Otherwise, the results are underwhelming.”

Despite these frustrations, Supple sees potential in combining AI with traditional retouching and 3D modelling. “The great thing about 3D is that you can light, angle, and position to perfection. It has its place in high-end image production, especially when paired with retouching.”

Yet he remains sceptical about AI’s ability to replicate human authenticity. “You can put in a picture of yourself and ask to look younger, and social platforms love this. But humans can detect when something doesn’t ‘look quite right.’ The biggest giveaway is the lack of soul behind the eyes. AI will never nail that. It has no place in capturing genuine human emotion.”

For Supple, the takeaway is that AI is still evolving, and its role in advertising remains uncertain. “AI doesn’t create imagery by itself, it pulls from billions of images online. You’d think it could create anything, but I’ve had more fails than wins when trying to match angles, lighting, and resolution. Sometimes it works for small parts, but overall it’s still a developing tool rather than a complete solution.”

As he celebrates a decade back in New Zealand, Supple continues to push boundaries, blending his decades of retouching expertise with emerging technologies. His message to the industry is one of cautious optimism: embrace the tools, but don’t lose sight of the human touch that makes images truly resonate.

To get in touch with Matt or view Matt’s portfolio, click here.

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