Real estate agents and home sellers know how important it is to shoot the best real estate photos possible of a property. Many different things go into taking real estate photos, including lighting, composition, angle, and more. People often wonder whether or not they should edit their real estate photos before uploading them to a site like Zillow or Realtor.com.
In this article, we will discuss some pros and cons of editing these types of images to make an informed decision on how much photography work is worth your time as a professional photographer in general and specifically for those who shoot property listings!
Pros Of Real Estate Photo Editing
Get better photos by editing
You have tried your best to get the best real estate photo, but what do you when there are flaws in your image? What about things like light and shadows that make for some poor-quality shots? You can edit those problems away with editing software! Editing real estate photos allows you to correct these mistakes or omissions so that you get better pictures every time.
Remove clutter and unwanted objects
It’s not always possible to make a real estate photo attractive and appealing without removing clutter or unwanted objects from the background. For example, let’s say you’re taking pictures of a kitchen. Sure it would be nice if there no dishes and utensils lying around, but no such luck! If you take out those distracting objects, then your property becomes more visually pleasing (and more straightforward for viewers to see what they’re looking at!).
Add furniture and decor with virtual staging
A well-furnished and decorated room is always going to look more appealing than a blank, empty room. For example, let’s say you’re taking a photo of an empty living room with no furniture in it. This is going to be boring for viewers because they don’t know what they are looking at, and possibly they will find it harder to visualize themselves in that room! So instead, suppose you add in some comfortable-looking chairs and a sofa, a television and some artwork on the wall, a rug and a coffee table. In this case, the room becomes more visually appealing and inviting, and homebuyers will not struggle to use their imagination on the possibilities of what can be done with the room.
Add virtual dusk and dawn to real estate photos
Twilight photos are captivating and can show your property with an eerie vibe. Photos taken at dusk or dawn show a feature of the property not captured during the daytime. You need the right set of conditions to get twilight photography right. However, with the right editing skills, you can add a virtual twilight to your photos.
Cons Of Photo Editing For Real Estate
High-quality photo editing takes time and skill
The time it takes to edit a single image can vary anywhere from minutes to hours. This is a real drawback for those agents who want to take their own photographs and still show a home in its best light. For multiple photos, this can result in hours lost.
In addition, to make professional-looking edits you will need to use professional software, such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. Both of these do have a steep learning curve and take time to master. For this reason, it is best to hire a professional and experienced real estate photo editor who not only will have the software but will know how to use it to make property photos look their best.
Photos can look unrealistic
Property photos that are edited can look unnatural or too perfect, which might make potential buyers feel like they’re in a fake environment. It’s essential to be transparent about what you’re doing and present the property as-is.
Professional real estate photo editors can make real estate photographs look more realistic. The final product will be a high-quality, appealing image for real estate viewers.
Choosing the wrong real estate photo editor can be a mistake
If your chosen real estate photo editor’s skills aren’t up to par, this could lead to embarrassing mistakes such as making the sky purple instead of blue!
Potential buyers may feel deceived
Potential buyers may also reject your listing if they find out that you’ve been photo editing without telling them upfront – so honesty is key!
Benefits Outweigh The Drawbacks
The benefits outweigh the drawbacks of photo editing through software such as Photoshop-taking care with all aspects from basic adjustments such as a color correction to more advanced techniques that require skillful retouching skills (such as removing dust specks). However, there are exceptions: if you’re shooting real estate photos for a seller, it’s important to be transparent about what you’re doing and present the property as-is.
It is recommended that real estate photographers edit their real estate photographs before uploading them due to the many benefits! Moreover, higher quality photos increase viewer engagement as real estate agents will get more real-time feedback on their listings.
Do you need a professional real estate photo editor?
Some people think they don’t need professional photo editing. Most have a DSLR camera with WiFi capabilities or an iPhone with great photography apps like VSCO Cam or Instagram, which has filters built into their app. Sure, you could add touches to your photos – but only up to a point. After that, your phone’s camera can do some basic edits like cropping and rotating (or even more advanced functions like enhancing color). Still, there are many other things that real camera and photography skills can bring to the table.
Professional Real Estate Photo Editing
Editing real estate photos can be a daunting task for some, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right editing software and tricks of the trade, you can get better pictures every time! The best part is that your customers won’t know anything about how much work went into getting those perfect shots. They will just see what a fantastic property you were able to show them.
Our team at Photo Home has been doing this since we know all the ins and outs of photo editing. If you need help with any edits or create stunning virtual staging in post-production, let us know! We would love to partner with you on either one of these projects or both!
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