5 Basics of Photo Editing and Why You Need Photo Editing Services

Our article, How to Build A Strong eCommerce Brand Through Product Images, delves deep into how your product images can impact a customer’s buying decision. It cannot be emphasised enough the criticality of high-quality product photos for eCommerce brands. Without clear visual representations aiding customers to comprehend your product’s use or function, there’s a high chance of losing a potential customer.

You see, your online store should be able to mimic the in-store experience customers are used to. And since it’s online, it’s far more challenging to replicate that as the customers can’t physically touch or feel the product. This is where your product photos come in—they should be able to give shoppers a good idea of what the product looks and feels like in real life.

While we believe that every eCommerce business should invest in professional photography, we understand that it’s not always possible—especially for small businesses or those just starting out.

With product photo editing, you can turn good quality photos into great ones. And even if you do have professional photos, there’s still a lot you can do to improve them. For example, you can make sure all your photos have a consistent look and feel, which gives your store a more polished and professional appearance.

In this guide, we will discuss the different techniques our very own product photo editing experts use in enhancing our clients’ images and what impact it has on their customer experience. We will also discuss your options on whether or not you should outsource this task to a professional product photo editing company like ours.

In this guide:

• What is the Importance of Photo Editing for Products?
  • Is Photo Editing Hard?
• 5 Basic Photo Editing Techniques for Better Product Photos
• How Can I Edit My Photos Like a Professional?
• eCommerce Photo Editing Service from Pixel by Hand

What is the Importance of Photo Editing for Products?

Before we dive deep into the techniques, let’s first discuss the importance of photo editing for products.

As we’ve mentioned earlier, photo editing is crucial for eCommerce as it turns plain product photos into images that could help persuade shoppers to buy from you. It also improves your branding and ensures that you have a consistent look and feel across all your product photos.

Additionally, photo editing can also help you save on space as you can store all the photos in one folder instead of keeping the originals and the edited ones separately. And since most product photo editing software is cloud-based, you can access it anytime, anywhere.

1. Photo Editing Helps You Create Professional-Looking Product Photos
One of the benefits of photo editing is that it helps you create professional-looking product photos—even if you don’t have a background in photography.

Remember that first impressions matter and that shoppers will base their decision on whether to buy from you or not on how your products look. If your product photos look unprofessional, shoppers will think your business is also unprofessional.

On the other hand, if you have great quality product photos, shoppers will perceive your store as credible and trustworthy. This is why it’s important to invest in photo editing, even if you don’t have professional photos.

2. Photo Editing Enables You to Consistently Brand Your Store
Another benefit of photo editing is that it enables you to consistently brand your store.

When shoppers see a consistent look and feel across all your product photos, they will start to associate that with your brand. This way, even if they see your products on other websites, they will still be able to recognize that it’s from your store.

3. Photo Editing Saves You Time and Money
Photo editing also saves you time and money in the long run. For example, if you have had the background removed from your product images, you can use these product photos across your marketing assets, such as social media posts, newsletters, and even in print. Since they don’t have a background, you can easily repurpose them instead of setting up a new photoshoot.

If you outsource product photo editing to a professional company, they will be the ones responsible for ensuring that all your photos have a consistent look and feel. This way, you can focus on other aspects of your business.

4. Photo Editing Improves Your Customer Experience
Last but not least, photo editing also improves your customer experience. Imagine a shopper interested in your products but decided not to buy just because your display image is blurry or does not provide enough details.

With photo editing, you can make sure that all your product photos are high-quality and provide enough information about the product. Photo editing also allows you to zoom in on the product or even create lifestyle images to give shoppers a better idea of what they’re buying. You can also use photo editing to add a text overlay or even create infographics—whatever will help improve your customer experience. This way, shoppers can be confident in their purchase and will not have buyer’s remorse later on.

Is Photo Editing Hard?

Both yes and no. If you’re a beginner trying to learn the basics of photo editing, it will definitely be challenging at first. But once you get the hang of it, it will become easier and even enjoyable.

At Pixel by Hand, our creative editors have years of practice in product photo editing. We can confidently say that we’ve mastered this craft and have learned techniques that would make the photo editing process easier. This is the reason why we’re able to deliver so much in such a short amount of time.

We’ve been doing this for years, and we’re always trying to find ways to improve our process. And the best part is, photo editing is our passion. We absolutely love what we do, and it shows in our work.

5 Basic Photo Editing Techniques for Better Product Photos

When it comes to photo editing for eCommerce products, these are the five basic techniques you need to know. Whether you’ve decided to do it yourself or hire a photo editing service like ours at Pixel by Hand, learning the different techniques involved in making your product photos perfect can help you understand what your business requires.

1. Cropping
One of the most basic but essential photo editing techniques is cropping. This involves cutting out unnecessary elements in the photo so that the focus is on the product.

For example, if there’s a lot of empty space in the photo or if there are distracting background elements, you can crop them out. You can also use cropping to focus on a particular product detail, such as the texture or material.

Cropping is also a great way to create different versions of an image—such as square, vertical, and horizontal photos. This technique is helpful, especially if you’re planning to use the same image across your marketing channels.

To crop your photos, you need a photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, or even GIMP (which is a free alternative to Photoshop). Once you have the software, open the image you want to edit, and use the crop tool to select the area you want to keep. Then, hit enter/return, and your cropped photo will be saved as a new file.

2. Resizing
Another basic photo editing technique is resizing. This is important because the size of your product photos will affect how they look on your website or online store. If the photos are too small, they might appear pixelated or fuzzy. On the other hand, if they’re too big, they might take too long to load.

To avoid these issues, it’s important to resize your product photos to the correct dimensions. This way, they’ll look sharp and clear on your website or online store.

To resize your photos, you need to open the file in your editing software and go to Image > Image Size. A new window will pop up, and you can enter the width and height you want for your photo. Make sure the units are set to pixels, and then hit enter/return.

3. Color Correction
Color correction is another essential photo editing technique, especially if your product photos look dull or yellowish. With color correction, you can adjust the photo’s hue, saturation, and even brightness to make the colors pop.

This is important because the right colors can make a big difference in how your products look. Color correction also helps in ensuring your products look as realistic as possible. For example, if you’re selling clothes, you want the colors to be exactly what your photographers see while shooting your products. This way, shoppers can see exactly what they’re buying and won’t be disappointed when they receive the product.

To color correct your product images, you need to open the image in your photo editing software and go to Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation. A new window will pop up, and you can adjust the hue, saturation, and lightness of your image. You can also experiment with the other color correction options in your software until you’re happy with how the colors look.

4. Clipping Path
Clipping path is a photo editing technique that involves isolating the subject of the photo from the background. This is often done with photos with complex backgrounds, such as those with multiple elements or busy patterns.

With clipping path, you can remove the background completely or replace it with a different color or image. This is a great way to make your product photos more eye-catching and focus on the important details.

For example, if you’re selling jewelry, you can use clipping path to remove the background and focus on the piece itself. Or if you’re selling furniture, you can use clipping path to remove the background and focus on the wood grain or fabric texture.

Clipping path is mostly used in eCommerce as it helps create photos that look more professional and polished. It’s also a great way to make sure that the background doesn’t take away from the product.

5. Background Removal
Background removal is a similar photo editing technique to clipping path. However, instead of isolating the subject of the photo, background removal involves removing the background completely.

This is often done with photos with busy backgrounds or product photos that need to be put on a white background. With background removal, you can make your product photos look cleaner and more professional.

Some shopping platforms also require product photos to have a white background. If you have wrapped up your photoshoot, but the image background is not white, you can use this technique to change it. This helps save you money and time from having to do a reshoot.

To change the background from a product image, you need to open the file in your editing software and go to Layer > New Layer. A new window will pop up, and you can select the color you want for your background. Hit enter/return, and your new background will be applied to the photo.

You need to go to Layer > Matting > Remove Background to remove the background. A new window will pop up, and you can select the color you want to remove. Hit enter/return, and the background will be removed from the image.

These are just some of the basic photo editing techniques you can use to make your product photos look more professional. There are more techniques used by professional photo editors like us during post-production depending on your needs.

For example, if you want to add a vignette or change the perspective of the photo, we can do that for you. We can also help with color matching if you need assistance picking the right colors for your product photos. Some clients would request help creating lookbooks, which requires a lot of photo editing to create a cohesive look.

At the end of the day, your business requirements and how you wish to use your images dictate how your product photos will look like. If you’re looking to enhance images for your product page, the ending result should be a clean and polished photo that accurately represents your product. If you’re looking for images to use for your social media campaign, the result should be on the artistic side with a strong representation of your brand image.

How Can I Edit My Photos Like a Professional?

If you’re not familiar with the technical terms and jargon, it might be confusing trying to understand what goes into post-production. Additionally, some photo editing techniques require advanced software like Photoshop. If you don’t have access to these tools or knowledge of how to use them, you might not be able to achieve the results you want.

We say, don’t risk it and leave it to the pros. At Pixel by Hand, we’ve edited millions of product photos for clients worldwide. We know exactly what it takes to create beautiful and polished product photos. We also offer many other photo editing services like retouching, color correction, image manipulation, and more. No matter what you need, we can help you achieve your vision for your product photos.

However, we understand that some businesses prefer to do their own photo editing. If you’re one of those businesses, we’ve put together a helpful guide on how you can achieve professional-looking product photos.

• Use the Right Tools

The first step to take if you want to edit your product photos like a professional is to use the right tools. If you don’t have access to advanced software like Photoshop, you can use free online photo editors like Canva or PicMonkey. These editors are fairly user-friendly and offer a variety of features that can help you edit your product photos.

Canva, for example, has tools like photo filters, cropping, image resizing, background remover, and more. You can also download your edited photos in high resolution, which is great if you plan to use them for print.

While using these tools does not produce the same quality Photoshop does, it can be a great quick-fix solution if you need to edit your photos in a pinch.

Taking a great photo right at the start will make your job much easier during post-production. Here are some tips on how you can take photos like a professional:

• Find Inspiration

If you’re not sure what kind of photo you want to take, browse through some inspirational photos online. There are many product photography tips and tutorials available online that can help you take better photos.

You can also try and find inspiration from other businesses in your industry. This will give you an idea of the different types of photos you can take and how you can style your own product photos. Pinterest is a great platform to use for this as you can simply search for terms like “product photography” or “food photography” and get started.

• Set Up a Mini Studio

If you want to take high-quality product photos, you’ll need to set up a mini studio in your home or office. This doesn’t have to be anything fancy – a simple white backdrop will do the trick. You can also use a sheet or even hang a white piece of fabric if you don’t have a backdrop.

• Use Natural Lighting

Whenever possible, try to use natural lighting for your product photos. This will help make your photos look more polished and professional. If you’re taking photos indoors, set up your mini studio near a window so you can take advantage of the natural light.

• Choose the Right Background

The background of your product photo can make or break the image. A busy or cluttered background can be distracting and take away from the product itself. Conversely, an empty white background might make your product look flat and uninteresting.

When selecting a background for your product photos, make sure it’s simple and not too busy. A plain wall or a piece of fabric is usually a good choice. You can also experiment with different colors and patterns to see what works best with your product.

If you’re selling on an eCommerce platform like Amazon, they have specific product photo requirements that you need to follow. For example, photos must have a pure white background with no shadows.

eCommerce Photo Editing Service from Pixel by Hand

There are many benefits to outsourcing your product photo editing requirements to professionals like Pixel by Hand. Firstly, you can be sure that your photos will be edited to meet the specific requirements of your eCommerce platform.

Secondly, you can save a lot of time and effort by letting someone else do the photo editing for you. This is especially helpful if you have many product photos that need to be edited, even if you have an in-house photo editor. It can be quite time-consuming to do all the photo editing yourself. Not to mention, it could easily burn out your team.

Thirdly, you can be sure that your photos will be edited professionally and to a high standard. At Pixel by Hand, since we’ve worked with hundreds of eCommerce brands around the world, we are already familiar with what they are looking for in terms of product photos. Each business has its own specific requests, so we make it a point to understand these before starting the photo editing process.

Last, but not the least, you can focus on other aspects of your business while we take care of the photo editing for you. No need to worry about bottlenecks in image processing. If you or your team is not familiar with the basics of photo editing, it will take you much more time to produce the required amount of images which will cause delays in your business.

Working with a professional gives you the confidence that your product photos will be edited and delivered in the scheduled time so you can quickly get them up on your eCommerce site or social media platforms.

At Pixel by Hand, we offer a wide range of eCommerce photo editing services to help businesses take their product photos to the next level. These include:

• Background removal
• Color correction
• Photo enhancement
• Image retouching
• and more!

Contact us today to learn more about our eCommerce photo editing services and how we can help you take your business to the next level. Get started on your FREE Trial today!