Do You Need a Professional Photo Editing Service?

Any agent can benefit from a partnership with a photo editing service for real estate photos. It really doesn’t matter if you tend to contract a photography service, or if you prefer to take pictures yourself. Handing off the job to a professional photo editing service, whether that is a simple touch-up on a batch of photos or a full-scale virtual staging, just makes sense.

The truth is, you probably know that already. After all, there are certain responsibilities in the process of listing and selling a home that you would probably not consider to be yours. You might coordinate most of the items that need to get done, but you don’t process the mortgage, perform the title search, or facilitate the closing. You don’t dig up the septic tank or test for mold in the basement. Those responsibilities naturally fall at the feet of other professionals.

And yet, when it comes to a task like photo editing, many agents feel like they simply cannot sublet the responsibility of photo editing to someone else. “I can’t afford it,” they say. “I don’t want to give up that much control.” Or, “What would people think?”

What is included in a professional photo editing service?
Most people understand that photo editing is a process of altering a digital image after it has already been taken, during the post production phase of photography. Really, almost anyone with a mobile phone is aware that photos can be edited after the fact using an on-board app. For serious editing, though, digital image files are uploaded into editing software, such as Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom, where they can be cropped, adjusted, and altered.

But those editing features are merely the beginning of what is possible in post production. Lighting, color balance, and other image modifications are included, yes, but so are advanced services.

Here are some examples of the types of edits that might be done to real estate photographs:

• Basic photo editing. This can include anything from adjusting contrast, exposure, lens correction, color adjustment, resizing and cropping, and more.
  
• Object removal. Any unwanted items that were missed when preparing for a photo shoot, like a wayward sock on the bedroom floor or a cat that took an untimely walk in the background, can be erased from a photo.
  
• Virtual staging. Vacant homes have a tendency to sit too long on the market. And yet, traditional staging is costly and not always feasible. A home can be virtually staged after it has been photographed using this editing service.
  
• Twilight conversion. There is something stunning about a home photographed at the “golden hour” just before sunrise or after sunset. But that “hour” is only about fifteen minutes long – not too convenient for every photo shoot. Twilight conversion can take a regular photograph and make it look like it was taken at dawn or dusk.
  
• Blue sky replacement. As with twilight conversion, this service makes up for less-than-ideal conditions when capturing images of a home or property. A dull and cloudy day can be turned into a bright and cheery one with blue sky replacement.
  
• Green Grass. If the sky can be turned blue, why not green up the grass at the same time? 

Some of these services come standard when you send you photos to be edited. Others are add-on products to help you showcase your properties.

Photo-editing myths
Clearly, there are many things that can be done to enhance the images for your listings. Still, many agents choose to go it alone when it comes to photo editing. Why? Probably because they believe things that are not true about the service.

For instance, some people believe that it costs too much to send out pictures for editing. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Think about it. Photography takes time. Time to declutter. Time to prepare the kitchen and other parts of the house to make them photo-ready. Time to take the pictures. But the most time-consuming part of the process is post production. Editing. After everything else is done, someone has to sit at a computer and make ready the pictures for publication.

If you, the agent, are the one sitting for long hours at the computer, you are not doing the one thing that actually generates revenue for your business: selling homes.

It is like a commercial fisherman who finds himself cleaning, processing, packing, and shipping his own fish. All of those chores done on the land take away from his time on the water where he actually catches fish. That is where his time is best spent – in the boat, not on dry ground.

Is it not the same for an agent? Your time is best spent building and nurturing relationships with people, not with a software program.

Another myth that agents fall to is that they will lose control of the process if they hand it over to someone else. But is it really true? In order to “be in control” of the editing process, you need to have a thorough understanding and knack with each of the editing tools and techniques available. That takes more time and more money.

Handing off your photos to a professional editing service does not mean that you give up editorial say in the process, only that you do not need to be the expert of all things editing. Not to mention, the turnaround time for a professional editor is probably a lot faster than what you can do anyways. Leave the photo editing to the professionals. 

Finally, some agents want to project that they are in control of every operation, and so the idea of outsourcing is perhaps a bit unpalatable. What would your clients think if they knew you were sending their photographs out to an outside business?

Actually, they would probably be comforted. As long as you frame the discussion the right way, your clients will appreciate that you are providing the best service possible for their home.

Remember, a professional photographer or photo editor understands not only the technical process to achieve an adjustment to a photograph, but also possesses the artistic ability to make it look natural. Remarkable. Professional. 

Benefits of professional editing
Besides the fact that you can trust your photos to a professional photographer or editor who knows his or her craft, there are other benefits to professional editing.

• Better your photos. Since photos are the number one draw for a property – that makes them pretty important – the higher their quality, the better your sales
  
• Build your brand. Your photographs will also be a hallmark of your business. Again, the better their quality, the better the perception people will have of your business brand.
  
• Increase your credibility. Many listing photos reveal that agents across the country do not place the importance on photography that they should. Poorly framed and lighted cell phone pics do not lend a sense of credibility to a business. Professionally edited photos do.
  
• Re-purpose and multi-purpose your photos. Today, your listing photos need to do more than accompany the listing. You should be able to include them in your social media posts, on your website, and in your postcards or brochures. A professional editing service can optimize your digital photos for each platform – and for viewing on mobile devices.

With these benefits and more, it should be clear that, whether you take your own pictures or hire a pro, the job of editing those photos should be left to a professional editing service to save you time and money.