In a studio retouch workflow, which step typically follows correcting exposure and color?

• A. Apply frequency separation.
• B. Export with sharpening.
• C. Change exposure.
• D. Remove dust and scratches to clean the image.

Answer: (D)

After you’ve corrected exposure and color, the next move is to clean up the image by removing dust and scratches. This creates a clean base for all subsequent retouching, ensuring that fine defects don’t distract or complicate later edits like texture work or healing. Dust and scratches are most noticeable once the image is brightened or color-balanced, so addressing them early makes the rest of the workflow smoother and more precise. Other options belong to later stages or would undo the global corrections, so they aren’t the typical immediate next step after fixing exposure and color.