Countless images you see on social media channels have been modified to some degree. The idea is to have the images reflect a professional look for the brand. More so, with photo editing, brands can build a consistent brand image across all platforms. However, having an employee complete the photo editing tasks is costly and, for some companies, out of reach. The alternative is to outsource your photo editing to a remote assistant who can complete this type of task for you. This article will explore how outsourcing photo editing services can assist your brand.
What is photo editing?
Photo editing, or postproduction, is not merely adding an attention-grabbing photo filter over an image. On the contrary, photo editing is a technical process in which adjustments are made to images using a photo-editing program. This process can convert an acceptable image into one that looks outstanding. Naturally, photo editing will only be applied to the best images from a photoshoot. This sort of editing involves great technical skills. Hiring a professional photo editor can be an investment for a company. However, having a virtual photo editing assistant on demand makes much more sense in terms of costs and convenience.
What is the benefit of photo editing?
Photo editing has a number of benefits, including:
Improving image quality:
Photo editing can be used to enhance the overall quality of an image by adjusting things like exposure, brightness, contrast, and color balance.
Removing unwanted elements:
Tools like the clone tool and the healing brush can be used to remove unwanted elements from an image, such as blemishes, dust spots, and unwanted background objects.
Adding special effects:
Photo editing software can be used to add special effects to an image, such as filters, textures, and frames, making the image look more artistic and creative.
Creating composites:
Photo editing software can be used to combine multiple images into one, creating a composite image. This can be useful for creating panoramic shots, group photos, and other types of images.
Enhancing the composition:
Photo editing software can be used to adjust the composition of an image, such as crop, straighten, and adjust the perspective.
Preparing images for print or digital use:
Photo editing software can be used to prepare images for different types of media, such as print, web, and social media. This can include optimizing the image size, resolution, and format and adding watermarks.
Professional use:
Professional photographers, graphic designers, and other visual artists use photo editing software to create high-quality images for professional use, such as in magazines, billboards, websites, and social media.
Therefore, photo editing can be used to improve the overall quality of an image and make it more visually appealing, and it’s a powerful tool for visual artists, photographers, and graphic designers.
Can I hire someone to edit my photos?
Making use of a virtual assistant for photo editing. When you outsource your work to a virtual assistant working remotely from their own home office, you do not drop your standards. On the contrary, you can gain access to high-level talent that you would not have been able to afford on a full-time basis, sourced locally. A virtual assistant will adapt to your photo editing style to maintain the consistency of the work completed.
Let photo editing enhance your message
If you look at luxury brands, you will note that they operate on a high level of sophistication. And that they use photo editing to ensure that the message their images convey echoes of aspirational values, a lifestyle, and a brand that clients want to indulge in. This does not happen overnight − instead, it’s a process that is built up over time. Consistency in applying the brand’s image gives the brands the luxury value they want clients to experience. Although much of the work for luxury brands are in the hands of photographers that will plan the color, style, story, and emotion of the photographs, the images still need to be edited after the shoot to look extraordinary. The number of clients will then be boosted, allowing you to stand out from the competition.
Techniques a virtual photo editor can use to enhance your images
Various methods can be used. These include changing the background creating one that is eye-catching. If the image is for an eCommerce business, you would want to have a white background. Additionally, more than only changing the background, editing can assist in building your style. Therefore editing becomes your way of aligning the images with your brand. Images will be seen as unique (to your business) rather than commonly applied Shutterstock images that were bought online.
Other techniques include correcting colors (especially if the lighting was not absolutely opposite) and retouching to remove blemishes. Cropping and resizing images to suit different platforms can also be performed. Changes can be made to the brightness and the contrast, restoring images and adding shadows.
Give your images a second chance
Hiring a professional photographer is expensive. If alternatively, you took a shortcut by hiring an amateur photographer, you run the risk of wasting money. Photo editing, however, can give those images a second chance and thereby save you from having to reshoot everything. That is, if the images are good enough to be edited. What is more, if the images were taken with a mobile phone, the quality would never be high-resolution. And you will not be able to use these for your digital marketing campaigns. The only place you may be able to use them is on channels that require smaller-sized images, such as on your social media channels − Instagram, Facebook, Twitter − mostly your Instagram and Facebook stories, and on Pinterest.
The value of images
As mentioned above, images can boost the visual appeal of your brand. Images communicate a message to your audience. The goal is to reach more people, thereby expanding your market. Think of the images used by Gucci. They tell a story – more than being simply aspirational and exclusive, they link directly to the brand and its identity. You can clearly see these as Gucci images rather than Prada or Etros images. Viewing their Instagram posts, each image appears more as an art piece than as a commercial photo. This reifies the notion that the products promoted by means of the images are luxurious and exclusive.
The bottom line
If you want your images to speak loudly, state your brand’s values and its identity when you consider editing your photos. Photo editing is a skilled job, and it can be time-consuming. Once accomplished, it can take an image to the next level. Hiring an onsite photo editor can be unaffordable for many businesses. Many larger international companies that have the funds to spend are nevertheless outsourcing their photo editing. This is where a virtual photo editing assistant or virtual photo editor comes in. Going the outsourcing route is a cost-effective staffing solution. Moreover, it comes without the added fees you would have had to pay an onsite staff member. A virtual assistant works as a consultant rather than an employee of a business. Furthermore, with digital marketing, you want to maintain low spending to increase your rate of return. Hiring a virtual assistant is thus a great solution for completing such tasks, having your images stand head and shoulders above the crowd.