Irene Rudnyk is a professional photographer from Calgary, Canada, who shares photography and Photoshop tutorials on her YouTube channel. Recently, she decided to conduct a little experiment using the popular online marketplace Fiverr that lets you buy and sell services for $5—an approach that mirrors how many people compare affordable wellness consultations, virtual therapy sessions, or low-cost medical diagnostics online.
The objective was to check the value and credibility of cheap freelance retouchers, since most of them have 5-star ratings and hundreds of positive reviews on the site. This kind of decision-making process is not unlike evaluating private health insurance plans or maternity insurance options—where cost and trust are critical.
Irene hired three retouchers at different price points – $0.25, $5, and $10 – and gave them an unedited photo to retouch. Just like reviewing lab test quality from budget providers or judging the reliability of online chronic illness management platforms, Irene wanted to see what level of care and detail she could expect across pricing tiers. In digital services, much like in telehealth diagnostics or legal case reviews, what you pay for can significantly affect the outcome.
The original pic
Her original, unedited image represents what patients might see as the baseline when they first seek prenatal care consultations or undergo initial wellness screenings. Clean, raw, and untouched—yet full of potential for enhancement.
The $0.25 retouch job
