Editing Real Estate Photos to Maximize Property Business Listings
The real estate competition has taken it up a notch and no company out there is letting up when it comes to bringing the best line up of properties to sell. To maximize their business listing and to get ahead of the game, they hire the best photographers to take that perfect photo and transform it to something worth posting. For photographers, snapping and throwing an image into the computer to edit real estate photos seems like a simple task that transforms something from good to gold. You might be in for a surprise to find out that it is not as simple as you thought it would be considering there are a lot of elements to bring together and to account for when taking the photo and editing it afterwards.
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Looking at how listings are done, they are succinct yet provide enough photos to convey what the property has in store for the next resident. The right mixture of the availability and the quality of image editing for real estate photography will surely strike the balance.
Transforming a bland raw image to a beautiful listing-worthy photo through image editing for real estate photography requires keen eyes for details. It takes more than just a heuristic touch to figure out what needs to be snapped therefore, having a good grasp on concepts such as photo composition, rules, and techniques will build on the perfect photo that your client will surely love.
From Good to Better Photos
A photo is a photo, let’s face the reality that the intent of capturing images is to take something and present it to someone who is not present at the moment. But a photo is not a head turner unless it really stands out and screams of all the beautiful elements it possesses. Even in realty editor, if the photos are not captured properly, no amount of covers and effects will do it justice as opposed to getting the photo right. Do not get us wrong though, that editing real estate photos is still a must, but should be coupled with the right photography techniques and composition in order to be worthy of your client’s website listing.
- Snap the photo to fill the frame – This is highly applicable to property exteriors. Taking photos where the home and its front fills the frame will give more focus to the photo. This saves any cropping that needs to be done and ensures that most of the distractions will be excluded. Image editing for real estate photography complements the fact that when enhancing images, the subject must be the focal point. Distractions such as the neighbor’s house will not do the photo any good and may even provide noise.
- Find symmetrical angles to the photo – Obscure angles may work if they are done right, but symmetry is always a sure fire and risk averse way to snap a photo. The task to edit real estate photos will again be unable to fix symmetry but can supplement photos that have them. In example, shooting a property’s front directly from the center of symmetry immediately makes an impact by presenting the face of the home. Software cannot fix symmetry unless it will completely manipulate the photo and would simply look weird when you can always shoot it symmetrically.
- Rule of thirds – The rule of thirds in photography is a basic concept that cuts across different subjects. In this case where the rule of thirds can apply to interiors and exteriors alike, always be wary of the location and height of the camera. The rule of thirds will make sure that the subject along with relevant elements that compose the photo will be equally distant from one another, creating an impression of stability. Image editing for real estate photography will equally be impactful working with photos with stable and symmetrical objects.
- Surface the textures and create a perception of depth – Contrasting textures will surely make one stand out from the other. Consider surfaces with grainy textures against something that is smooth, a lot can be done later when the image is brought for editing. In the context of editing real estate photos, sharpness and contrasts can help bring a different level of depth and contrast within two different objects in the photo. Potential buyers who may be particular about certain finishing will definitely find this very attractive and useful in their decision-making process.
Helping the Client Maximize their Listing
In this partnership, the client needs the help of the photographer not only to supply the photos but to manage them as well. The impact of curating the set of photos to be put on the listings will also have an input coming from you as the photographer with the approval of the real estate company. Therefore, as the ‘manager’ of the photos, several practices need to be put in place to make sure that the hand-over is done fast and right, and any revisions are managed properly.
- Process of renaming– An important facet to being organized is being able to track several versions of the photo from the raw to the final to the revised image. Keeping a copy of the photo at each of those stages will allow you to recover everything when things do not go as planned.
- Best image storage practices – Keeping a system of renaming photos and classifying them into folders will help tracing and finding photos easier. Having a system of renaming is even better. Considering putting dates, revision numbers, and code names consistent across the same photo but modified on different occasions. This way, the handover to your real estate client will be easier when referring to certain photos in case they need something changed.
Conclusion
Listings will surely benefit from a beautiful photo and maximize its potential versus something that was churned out from a software without any thought or love that went into the process. There is no other way to put it simply, other than to edit real estate photos means to tread on the right steps and concepts. Mashing together effects and photos is a recipe for disaster without accounting for the right blend of elements. Editing real estate photos is both a science and an art, where the impact is felt across buyers and sellers alike that comes with a degree of management from your end so that your client can be flexible in adjusting and maximizing their listings.
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