How Long Does It Take To Edit Real Estate Photos?
When you don't factor in the editing time in your schedule, you may end up delaying turnover schedules and disappointing your real estate photography clients. Over the years, we've helped photographers streamline their delivery process by taking over the time-consuming post-processing task. Here are our typical editing timeframes for real estate photo editing services.
How Long Does It Take To Edit Real Estate Photos?
Real estate photo editing timeframes vary widely, ranging from basic edits taking 5-10 minutes per photo to premium editing requiring 30-60 minutes per image. Professional editing services can handle bulk photo processing in 2-4 hours, with additional specialized services like virtual staging taking 45-90 minutes per image and drone photo editing consuming 30-40 minutes per photo.
Knowing how to improve editing speed and deliver images quicker can help photographers achieve an efficient business workflow. As you utilize our professional real estate photo editing services, you can enhance your productivity and meet clients' demands promptly.
| Editing Tier | Time Range | Editing Tasks |
| Basic | 5 to 10 minutes per photo | Lighting, color correction, basic adjustments |
| Advanced | 15 to 30 minutes per photo | HDR blending, complex shadows, multiple exposures |
| Premium | 30 to 60 minutes per photo | Advanced retouching, virtual staging, perspective corrections |
| Bulk | 2 to 4 minutes for 10 to 20 images | Consistency, batch processing, individual photo variations |
| Virtual staging | 45 to 90 minutes per image | Furniture placement, room transformation, realistic rendering |
| Aerial/drone | 30 to 40 mins per photo | Complex image stitching, color balancing, landscape integration |
1. Basic Editing
Basic editing typically takes about five to 10 minutes per photo. This quick process makes a big difference in how a house looks online. Here's a simple list of tasks editors can do within this timeframe:
- Correcting lighting and adjusting exposure.
- Removing shadows or overblown highlights.
- Tweaking the white balance for accurate colors.
- Straightening and cropping the image.
- Enhancing contrast for improved depth.
2. Advanced Editing
When you request advanced editing, editors may need to spend 15 to 30 minutes on each photo to achieve stunning results. This type of editing requires more attention to detail and a keen eye for aesthetics. Some tasks editors might tackle during this process include:
- Retouching skin tones for a natural look.
- Correcting colors to make them pop yet look realistic.
- Removing background elements that distract from the main subject.
- Adjusting light to highlight key features of the property.
- Enhancing textures to bring out the richness of surfaces.
3. Premium Editing
It's common to spend 30 to 60 minutes on each image for premium post-processing. This time allows for detailed work that can make your photos stand out. You can expect these edits within this timeframe:
- Removing or adding items.
- Applying HDR blending to combine multiple exposures.
- Correcting lens distortion to fix lines and distortions.
- Retouch specific areas for a polished, clean appearance.
4. Bulk Editing
Batch processing can save editors a lot of time. This method allows our editors to edit multiple images at once, speeding up the process significantly. Here's what editors can typically get done when editing around 10 to 20 images in two to four hours:
- Cropping and straightening images.
- Adjusting the white balance and enhancing the colors.
- Applying filters to maintain a consistent look across images.
- Removing blemishes and other unwanted imperfections.
5. Virtual Staging
According to 81% of agents, staging helps homebuyers easily see the property as a potential home. Editing services that specialize in virtual staging can provide these virtually edited images in as little as 24 hours. Within 45 to 90 minutes, editors usually do these tasks:
- Adding high-quality virtual furniture and decor to create a fully staged, furnished space.
- Adjusting room layouts to optimize the flow and functionality of the space.
- Refining color schemes and textures to complement the home’s features and style.
- Removing distractions or imperfections.
6. Aerial and Drone Editing
Aerial photography increases property sales by 68%. The main challenge here is seamlessly joining multiple shots to form a complete image. However, with the right techniques, most editors can enhance drone images beautifully within 30 to 40 minutes.
- Adjusting the aspect ratio for appropriate composition.
- Enhancing clarity and sharpness for better detail.
- Correcting exposure to achieve balanced lighting.
- Reducing noise for a clean and smooth image finish.
- Fine-tuning contrast and shadows for depth.
What Are the Factors That Affect Real Estate Image Post-Processing Time?
Several factors influence how quickly real estate photos can be edited. Understanding these can help streamline the post-processing workflow.
- Number of photos: More photos mean more time. When handling a few images, like 10 or 20, you might complete the task in a day. However, when you have a large batch, say 100 or more, it could take a few days.
- Editing software features: Advanced tools can perform tasks automatically, such as adjusting brightness or correcting colors. Some software might have batch processing capabilities, letting editors apply the same edit to multiple images at once.
- Editing software efficiency: How well the editor knows the software impacts how quickly photos are edited. Our editors possess extensive expertise in a wide range of editing software programs, including Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, and other industry-standard tools, providing high-quality, professional edits for real estate images.
- Complexity of edits: Simple tasks like adjusting brightness or contrast are quick. More complex edits, like removing objects or replacing items, require more skill and time. Communicating what you want can help our editors manage their editing times effectively.
Related Questions
How Can I Improve My Photo Editing Timeframe
To improve your post-processing timeframe, invest in professional editing software with batch-processing capabilities and create standardized editing presets to streamline your workflow. Better yet, consider outsourcing complex editing tasks to specialized services to reduce individual processing time.
How Can I Deliver Edited Images Faster?
To deliver edited photos faster, implement efficient color correction and editing templates that can be quickly applied across multiple images. This is why most professional editing services utilize batch-processing tools to accelerate image delivery timelines.
What Is the Average Turnaround Time of Professional Photo Editing Services?
Professional photo editing services typically provide turnaround times ranging from 24 to 48 hours for standard real estate photo editing. Some have rush fees for expedited services within 12 hours. Our process delivers fully edited images within 24 hours.
Conclusion
Fast and reliable real estate photography editing timeframes of at least 24 to 48 hours can give your clients listings that stand out with high-quality, expertly edited images. With the fast turnaround times of our professional real estate photo editing services, you can have more time for other important tasks, especially on-location photo shoots.