How To Outsource Photo Editing For Photographers

How To Outsource Photo Editing Service For Photographers

Several elements must be taken into account as a photographer when deciding on the ideal company to entrust with your image editing services.

There is the cost to consider of course, it’s the first thing on most people’s mind as at the end of the day we all need to make a profit in order to survive. When it comes to cost it’s important to consider that is not just the amount of pennies you are spending per image. Time is also a critical aspect. You may save a few dollars on the cheapest image editing company but what happens if they start eating into your time for other jobs like generating new clients. Ask yourself what hassles am I likely to get by working with this service?

So having discussed cost what are the other factors to consider? Communication, image management, the efficiency of the workflow, editor experience, image quality, turnaround time, are the ethical in their work practices etc.

What this means is if you are paying 5 cents per image, and the results are at junk – for example, images delivered late, taking hours to correct mistakes, poor communication etc. Then the overall cost is actually much higher than the initial 5 cents you are paying.

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Most ecommerce businesses start their search for photo editing service by comparing the lowest prices available. This is perhaps one of the biggest mistakes you can make.

So what is the simple answer to the question – How to outsource photo editing for photographers like me?

Take your time. This is a very important decision. If the photo editing company seem to be in a rush to get working without asking your questions properly then strike them of your possibles list straight away.

Ask questions. Lots of them. These questions should cover 5 main areas, they are –

1) Communication

2) Consistency

3) Technology

4) Experience

5) Staff

We go in depth below:

Key Questions To Ask When Outsourcing Photo Editing Service

Communication

1. How do I make contact with you to get started and in the future once work has started?
2. How easy is it to make my requirements clear and understood?
3. What is the native language in which you communicate?

4. How quickly do you respond?

5. What methods can I contact you by? Phone, Email, Whats App?

Consistency

1. What ensures consistent image quality?
2. How do I know that images will be delivered on time, every time?
3. Can you grow with my needs?

4. How do you quality check images? How many times?

Technology

1. How do I send and receive images from you?
2. Do you have any upload/download issues or internet downtime?
3. Does your system have a human element?

Experience

1. How long have you been in business?
2. Who are you working with?
3. Are you experienced in e-commerce product imagery?

4. What if an experienced editor leaves, how do you replace him/her?

Your Staff

1. Are you a socially responsible employer? 
2. Who will be editing our images?
3. Can I visit you?

4. What skills do your editors have? Clipping paths, retouching? 

What Answers Should We Get When We Look To Outsource To An Image Editing Company?

Communication

It should be simple and easy to contact your image editing service should you have any requests or problems. The last thing you want when you have a rush order is to be waiting a day or two for an email response. Communication methods are rapidly evolving and your partner should be embracing these methods.

Communication is key when you are setting out your requirements and also if you have any requests once the image editing process starts. An over technological system may leave you frustrated just as much as a company simply not responding.

Fast responses to questions and requests are essential. You should be able to contact the image editing service through any means you choose if they are truly dedicated to your needs.

The issues you may encounter include not being able to contact a real person directly, language issues and miscommunication. Communication may not seem that important initially, but it can cause huge issues further down the line in terms of wasted time and frustration.

Consistency

Ensuring consistent image quality should be a priority for the image editing service. After all, you don’t want to be checking every single image for inconsistencies. They should have a clear method for quality checking each and every image. If an image is missed, then a simple and fast method for re-editing it should be in place.

How do you know that images will be delivered on time, every time? Your chosen image editing service should be able to provide average delivery times and also examples of rush orders they have performed. They should also illustrate examples where turnaround times are not met and how they dealt with the delay.

A major part of consistent image quality and delivery times involves the photo editing service being able to cope with large spikes in demand. Spikes in image volumes should not affect delivery times or image quality.

By being able to communicate easily with your Image editing company you can discuss scaling your Image editing requirements at short notice. They should also cater for any increases in volume by not overstretching their editing team and maintaining a healthy balance between the number of Staff and the predicted amount of images per day, per week, per month etc.

Technology

You should be able to send and receive images with your chosen provider quickly, simply and without delay.

Speed of internet connection varies across the World. You may have a fast connection based in Europe or the US for example but the provider is based in a country with poor internet connection and speeds. Ensure both ends of connection are lightning fast.

When you share your images you need to know that the sharing solution is private and secure. It should also be very straight forward to use. 

Always ask what backup methods do they have for internet, sharing and technology breakdowns.

Experience

The amount of time that a business has been working specifically in photo editing tells you the great deal. Methods of image editing have developed but primarily remain the same. Each and every website has its own feel and brand image. Experienced editors will have seen the best and the worst examples of product images for e-commerce. This experience can be directly translated into how your images should look.

Some BPO services try to be everything to everyone. Image types vary greatly across different photography disciplines. E-commerce has it’s own niche in terms of how products are displayed. It is advisable to use a specialist agency that focuses solely on e-commerce.

If the image editing company can provide examples of who they are currently working with then it is also appropriate to know how long they have been working with them. If they have been working with clients long-term then it bodes well long term, and same to you going through the selection process again.

Editing Staff

Fashion retailing and e-commerce have been through a period of negative publicity caused by exploitation of employees in third world countries. This is especially important if the client you are working with is based in either of these fields. It is essential that your product image editing partner has a record of being socially responsible (see eCommerce image editing examples here). It is still quite common to see exploitation taking place in terms of the number of hours worked, the environment in which editors work in and the amount they are paid.

You need to be clear on how they treat their employees in terms of their well-being and also your brand and the brand of any client you may be working with.

Research into a company is relatively simple. You also need to know if you can visit them, review their policies and also ask questions such as:

Who is actually doing the work for us?
What is your employee retention rate?
What happens to your former employees?

Most image editing services have a fast turnover in employees as they usually plan short term. Staff are unhappy and usually underpaid with no prospects of promotion. You want the image editors working with you to be happy and feel valued. Motivation is a key aspect of quality work being performed.

Finding The Best Service To Outsource Photo Editing To

This is not where we give you the big sales pitch how you should use our photo editing service. We don’t think this is necessary if you ask all the questions in this article and answer them honestly. The solution will present itself to you.

If you do need any help if you have any further questions on our services feel free to contact us.

About Pixelbyhand

We are a professional product photo editing service. We work with businesses across the globe perfecting their images for eCommerce websites.

If you run an online business and would like to improve on your current product images then complete the simple form below. (We will only use your email to contact you directly regarding any inquiry you make. We promise to never send you spam or any unwanted mail).