Comparing Real Estate Photo Editing Companies to Freelance Real Estate Image Editors
Real estate image editing comes as important as the boom in the digital age. There have been studies where more and more people shift to online mediums to look for their next property purchase. It goes without saying that as the trend moves to ward this behavior, the demand for more real estate photos with better quality increases. The entire game is driven by the rise of competition as well, as real estate companies continue to jock for online presence and prominence.
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In the eyes of the real estate company, a photographer’s name and reputation is the point of contention when it comes to selection whether it is a freelance real estate image editor or a real estate editing company. However, some companies might have the edge because of their vast resources and manpower availability contributing to speed, or a freelancer may have the edge because of the cost competitiveness of the service. In this article we will see what the differences are and what tips we can share so whether you are a freelancer or a professional company, the photos you produce will be competitive out there in the online real estate market.
Freelancers versus Professionals
Now don’t be pressured if you aren’t a company because you do not have people working for you or a registered name for your business under a large entity. Being a freelancer, you can still perform real estate image editing at the highest level. Here are some of the advantages of being a freelance real estate image editor:
- Learn at your own pace – Everyone has a different learning curve and speed. Sometimes when we are forced by institutions to learn we get overwhelmed with the amount of information we need to digest because that is simply the pace dictated. By choosing to be a freelancer, you can choose to take several short courses and space them evenly or do self-learning at your preferred time to master a concept before moving ahead.
- Building your own brand of creativity – As a freelance real estate image editor, the bounds of creativity are limitless. This is because individually, you are free to mix and match techniques to create new ones, and continuously offer something new without the bureaucracy of having other people approve your work. As long as the client loves it, it is good to go.
- Flexible working arrangements – As a freelance real estate image editor, you are a real estate client’s source of photos, but it doesn’t stop there. Now when a real estate editing company’s capacity is beyond their means, then as a freelancer, you might just get an additional job to augment their needed capacity.
Being a real estate editing company has its own characteristics. No doubt that more people means more heads thinking creatively and more hands producing the work faster. Whether you are the owner of the company or choosing to work for one, here are the things you can expect:
- Managing people up and down the organization – Even if it is just a team of 5 including the owner, there will always be the need to work in harmony with people and thus making sure that even when pressure strikes from the client, everyone is poised to meet the deadlines.
- Larger capacity – More people means more output which leads to more contracts. Now think of building a real estate editing company as an investment where each person hired has a quota of edited photos per month. In order to make a profit out of the entire contract, you have to make use of the capacity each person and maximize it without burning them out to get the most out of what you are paying them. This also paves the way for more people thinking of more styles. A diverse group of people will bring in more creativity and style for the team!
- Better chance of landing a long term contract – Companies come with a notion of stability, real estate companies will want to have a steady flow of real estate image editing services especially if they are expecting a year-long line-up of properties up for sale. Real estate editing companies may have the edge of landing a long-term contract because of a more known reputation and capacity to get things done as well as an agreed level of style and quality for the client.
What Do Professionals Use to Edit their Photos?
Real estate image editing, whether done by a freelancer or a company must produce stellar photos. Sometimes if the job has 10 people versus just 1 person doing it, the quality expected is still the same by the client. Here are some tips to make sure the base expectations are covered by editing and that your client is satisfied:
- Color correction – This tip makes all the difference when lighting up a room. Remember to make the photo balanced as if it were a pair of eyes looking at the room. That is the same perception you want to achieve to your readers.
- Perception Rectification – As fancy as it sounds, it is simply making sure edges vertically and horizontally are straight, taking care of curves and warps that are not supposed to be there
- Object staging and removal – During photo shoots, time is always of the essence. If there are no objects that will help bring more life to the room, consider editing it in through software tools such as clone stamping tools. Conversely, object removals are for unwanted and unnecessary blemishes such as floor stains or holes in the wall. These can later be fixed by the realtor but with limited time, editing will do the trick.
Conclusion
Real estate image editing, whether done by a real estate editing company or a freelance realty editor will have its pros and cons. Some might argue that one over the other is better but ultimately it will depend on what works for you and your set-up. The important thing is that the photos produced must meet or exceed your client’s requirements and allow them to compete in the online space which is now a competitive ground more than ever.
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