Improving the Image: The Benefits of Photo Retouching for Online Businesses

Ecommerce is growing nonstop and has boomed over the last few years. It’s estimated that consumers worldwide will have spent almost $3.46 trillion online in 2019, and it’s expected to grow even more in the future. In today’s competitive marketplace, digital photos play an important role in attracting businesses and representing the brand.

Images show off your products and services in a visually appealing manner. They go a long way in influencing the spending behavior of a customer while adding value to your brand’s appeal. Pictures can either make or break a sale, so it’s essential for you to emphasize the quality and desired message of every image you put online.

After all, with several businesses out there that offer the same products, you need to make sure that your target audience goes to you. This is where professional photo editing services play a role in your business.

Leaving Photo Editing to the Professionals

Having high-quality and attention-grabbing images encourages the customer to choose you over other companies with the same product. This makes picture retouching services an important part of any branding, communication, and marketing activity.

Using retouching services on your photos brings the following benefits to your business:

Improved brand awareness

Photo retouching services help differentiate your brand from your competitors. With experts using a variety of photo editing software and image editing techniques, you can give your photos a distinct look from the others. Focusing on a specific style of editing helps create brand recall and establishes a presence that makes you memorable to your target audience. For example, you can follow a cropping style or focus on specific parts of your product. Playing with the saturation of your photos helps give your brand a signature style, too.

Polished and professional product photos

It’s easy to take a photo of your product, upload the raw image on your site or other promotional materials, and wait for customers to buy the product. But when photos are dull and dark, they are less likely to draw customers in. Photo editing techniques make an image striking and encourage the target audience to make a purchase. Enhancing the brightness, color, and energy of your images also helps create a better impression of the photos in the eyes of the customer.

Improved business credibility and reputation

People tend to associate the quality of the business with the images they see on various marketing platforms. You can also generate trust from your customers if you display genuine images on your platforms. If you’re using raw photos, poorly edited images, or images that look like stock photos, customers are likely to lose interest in your store. With the help of photo editing experts, a photo that’s full of unwanted details can turn into an outstanding, authentic, and professional-looking image that boosts your brand’s reputation.

A better showcase of product specifications

According to a study by MDG Advertising, 67% of consumers cite the quality of an image as very important when deciding whether to buy a product. Customers rely on images to see the features of the product and decide if they’ll do business with you. Photo editing helps highlight the exact dimensions and details of the product, which is helpful in a customer’s decision-making process.

Enhanced efficiency

If you have a similar set of images, photo editors can simply process all of them by sorting them into groups and employing pre-defined editing settings. This easy tweaking of images helps save time that you can use for other aspects of the business.

Efficient social media engagement

Professionally altered photos improve customer engagement on social media, particularly on rich media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Better images capture the attention of your target audience and improve traction in terms of calls-to-action.

Easy use of images for multiple platforms

Just because a photo looks amazing online doesn’t mean it will have the same effect on social media, brochures or billboards. Photo retouching services help get the best possible look with the same impact across multiple advertising platforms.

High-quality and expert services

Photo retouching services are typically carried out by a team of expert photo editors, creative designers, and illustrators. They work together and put in their knowledge and expertise to deliver high-quality photos to their clients. Photo editing companies also use the latest professional tools and paid software to get the desired result.

Choosing the Right Image Editing Service

Although there are many photo image editing services available, choosing the right company can make your promotional materials attractive and appealing to your target audience. When outsourcing photo editing, here are factors to consider so you can do business with the right company:

• Resources

Photo editing services should have a dedicated team composed of photo editors, illustrators, and creative designers. Some companies also have relationship managers that coordinate with you to make sure you get your desired results. The company should also be using advanced software for their editing process.

• Portfolio

Check the company’s website and view their previous work. Usually, a company that offers photo editing services will have a gallery of photos before and after they were edited. This will give you a glimpse of how they work with raw images and if they match your business needs.

• Client Feedback

Ask around your network or industry for recommendations. It’s easier to work with a photo editing company that has good reviews from people you trust.

• Process

Choose photo editing services that provide easy processing of images. The process for photo editing usually involves a simple upload and transfer of images, after which you provide specific instructions. The company then sends back the edited photos for your approval.

• Turnover time

Consider hiring a company that understands the importance of their clients’ time. If you need your images as soon as possible, look for companies that can expedite their services for faster deliveries.

A perfectly edited image can successfully convey the desired message of your brand to your target audience. With photo retouching, the product and the brand can stick with your audience’s minds and encourage them to complete a purchase. Make sure to outsource professional image editing services that help boost your business by improving the online look of your product images, as well as your business image, overall.

Rebecca Van Ommen is the Executive Creative Director of Paper Boat Creative, a creative agency that specializes in high-end photo retouching, photo editing, and more. She was one of the youngest Art Directors for Getty Images in London. Her work has been published through some of the world’s largest advertising agencies including Mother, AKQA and BBDO London. Rebecca loves to exercise in her spare time. She also enjoys bringing her daughter to photoshoots for inspiration