Believe it or not, one of the most time-consuming parts of my job is to edit the listing photos. You may think that after I download the photos, all I need to do is select the best, making a few tweaks here and there. Oh, if it were only so simple!
Photo editing can be quite time-consuming. In general, I find the time I spend editing is at least equal to the time I spend in the field. You may be curious about what’s involved in the editing, and I’m happy to share.
Distortion Correction – I use a wide-angle lens, and when I take an image that’s fairly wide, I’m going to get some distortion. Have you ever seen photos of kitchen cabinets where they look like they are bowing backwards? Or a skewed door or window frame? That’s distortion. Almost all interior shots need distortion correction.
Contrast Correction – This involves lightening a shadowy or shady area or dimming highlights (such as strong light coming in through a window or the glare from a bathroom light).
Color Correction – Sometimes a room may have a strange “color cast” that needs to be fixed. This can be caused by the paint color of the room or the color of the light from outside (which may be green if the yard is full of trees).
Specialty Editing – Sometimes mother nature doesn’t cooperate, giving us a gray sky or a green pool. Here I will find myself replacing the sky with a more cheery vista, or restoring the pool water to a more appealing aqua blue. And then there’s my nemesis – mixed lighting, including fluorescent. Evening out and/or replacing the lighting to make the photo more natural really helps improve the image.
Below is a before and after shot which shows a typical edit. Notice the doorway and cabinet on the right. Subtle straightening makes the picture look much better!
I’ve recently been taking courses in photo editing techniques because I want to give you a photo set that helps portray the home in the best possible light. I thought you’d appreciate knowing that I’m working hard to improve my techniques to give you photos that your clients will love and that buyers will be attracted to!