Product Photography Retouching Techniques that Grow Sales

When it comes to product photography retouching, there are a lot of techniques you can use to vastly improve the end result. Retouching product images requires making them look as close to perfect and ideal as possible without sacrificing their integrity or losing any of their character.

This is essential for e-commerce sites, car dealerships, and jewellers who rely on excellent product imagery to generate leads and sales. Small businesses and entrepreneurs also benefit from this service especially if take their own product photos and need to make them look as polished as possible.

This guide will quickly tackle the basics of product photography retouching and some of the most effective ways you can make your images look better. We’ll also go over a few things to avoid to keep your photos looking natural, attractive and ultimately boost sales.

In this guide:

• Why is Product Photo Retouching Important?
• How Product Photo Retouching and Editing Works‍
• What does product photography retouching include?
• Elements of a great product photo
• How much retouching do I need?
• Product Photography Retouching Services by Pixel By Hand

Why Is Product Photo Retouching Important?

Product photography retouching is important because it can make your products look more attractive and desirable to potential buyers. Whether you are selling online, through retailers, or through a brick-and-mortar store, the quality of your photos plays a crucial role in determining whether they will be interested in buying your product.

A photo that has been retouched and edited to look its best will make a much better impression than a photo that has not been retouched. If you are selling products online, your product photos are often the first thing potential customers will see. If they don’t find what they see appealing, they are likely to click away and find another site that has better-looking product photos.

Below you will se an example of clothing that has not been retouched. Dust, fluff and hairs are clearly visible which will discourage customers from buying.

Let’s say you are selling these T-shirts on your e-commerce site. Potential customers will be presented with dozens or even hundreds of different T-shirt options from different sites. If your product photos don’t look as good as the competition, potential customers will click away and buy from someone else.

Aside from making your products become more attractive, product photography retouching can also make them look more professional. This is especially important if you sell products such as jewelry or clothing. Conversely, if your photos look amateurish, they will reflect poorly on your business and dissuade potential customers from buying your products.

For example, if you are selling custom-made jewelry and your product photos look like they were taken with a cell phone, this may send the message that your products are not worth as much as they could be. On the other hand, if your photos have been professionally retouched to make them look high quality and elegant, customers will be much more likely to purchase.

The benefit goes beyond online platforms. Photo retouching has been used for ages in print advertising and other marketing materials. If you are using print ads, postcards, or even billboards to market your product, the photos must look picture perfect.

Great Product Photos Boost Sales

When your photos are attractive, professional-looking, and appealing to potential customers, this essentially improves your bottom line as you drive more website traffic or get more store visits. Retouching product photos is also important because it can help ensure that your marketing and promotional materials look their best.

High-quality photos build trust and confidence with potential customers. If they see that you are willing to put in the extra effort to make sure your photos look great, they will be more likely to believe that you are selling a high-quality product.

Consumer behavior research shows that high-quality photos can also influence what customers are willing to pay for a product. In fact, product images are used by 75% of online purchasers while making a purchase decision. If you’re selling jewelry, for example, the photo retouching process makes your products look higher quality and more expensive than they are. This increases sales.

Poorly displayed products in photos can have a negative affect on sales. As in the example below –

Another research revealed that at least 66% of customers want to see at least three product images while shopping. This is where photo retouching can help you present your product from different angles and views to your potential customers. This makes your customers feel more confident that they are getting the right product for their needs.

On the other hand, if your photos look like they were taken with a cell phone and have not been retouched, potential customers may be skeptical about whether your product is actually worth the price tag.

Visual content is also 40% more likely to be shared on your social media accounts. That is free marketing right there. If your product photos are attractive and eye-catching, customers will be more likely to share them with their friends and followers, leading to even more sales.

In short, good photos sell! Given this fact, you must seek out professional retouching services to help you create high-quality product images that will truly capture the attention.

How Product Photo Retouching and Editing Works

Product photography retouching and editing is a complex process that involves several different steps. It begins with the actual photography of the product itself, which can be difficult to get right depending on the type of product being photographed.

Once you have your photos, they need to be processed in order to remove any imperfections such as blemishes, wrinkles, or reflections. After that, the image can be retouched to improve its appearance further. This may involve adjusting the colors, adding contrast, or even removing objects from the background.

Finally, the photo is edited to add any final touches such as labeling, watermarks, or logos. Once the photo is complete, it is then saved in the appropriate format for your website, marketing materials, or printing.

The image below shows how clothing appearance can be improved with retouching using the example image previously seen above –

What Does Product Photography Retouching Include?

Product photography retouching can include a wide range of different edits, depending on the product’s needs and the desired result. 

Some common types of improvements that are often made to product photos include: 

Bringing Out the Details: If a product is too dark or has shadows obscuring parts of it, this can be fixed through digital editing. For example, if you are selling a piece of jewelry and the details are not visible in the photo, they can be enhanced to make them more visible.

Removing Imperfections: If there are any imperfections in the product itself or in the background of the photo, these can be removed through retouching. This might include removing a stain from a piece of clothing or removing glare from a shiny product.

Improving the Colors: If your product photos look dull or flat, this can be fixed by adjusting the colors and contrast in your photo. This can make your products appear more vibrant and attractive to potential customers.

Removing Reflections: When products are photographed on white backgrounds, they may appear to have reflections due to light bouncing off the white surface. These reflections can often be removed in order to make the image look cleaner and more attractive.

Retouching:  Finally, product photos can be retouched to make them look more appealing in general. This might involve removing wrinkles from a piece of clothing, smoothing skin on faces, or even changing the background if necessary.

Composting:  If you need to add elements to your product photos that were not originally there, this can be done through composting. This might include adding a logo to a watermark or adding text to an image.

Working with Product Photography Retouching Service

If you’ve decided to work with a product photography retouching service, you can expect the following:

Professional Workflow

Like us at Pixel by Hand, we are composed of a team of highly experienced professionals who have the knowledge, tools, and skills to so you can make the most out of your product photos. Our workflow is carefully planned and optimized to ensure that your images are edited quickly and efficiently.

Planning & Collaboration

In our consultation and planning process, we take our time to understanding your needs and create a plan for the best results possible. This may include collaborating with other professionals such as photographers, designers, or even clients themselves.

Meticulous Editing Process

Our product photography retouching process involves several different steps in order to produce the best possible results. First, we will carefully examine every image to identify areas for improvement. We will use all of our skills and expertise to ensure that your photos are as polished and professional-looking as possible.

High-Quality Output

At the end of the process, your images will be delivered in a suitable format for online use, printing, or any other purpose you may have.

We understand that the quality of your product photos can significantly impact your business, so we work hard to deliver outstanding results each and every time. We use state-of-the-art retouching techniques and software to ensure that your photos look their absolute best.

Affordable Pricing 

We keep our pricing competitive. This helps you get access to product photography retouching services that provides you high-quality results without breaking the bank. We also offer discounts for bulk and regular orders, so you can save even more money on your editing needs.

Fast Turnaround Times 

We know that you need your product photos as soon as possible. This is the reason is why we offer fast and efficient turnaround times on all of our editing services. We can typically have your images edited and returned to you within 24 hours, so you can get them up on your website or use them in your marketing materials as soon as possible.

Unlimited Revisions

It is our goal to leave you excited with the outcome of your edited photos, so we offer unlimited revisions. If you feel like the first round of edits does not meet your standards, simply let us know, and we’ll make the necessary retouching until you’re completely happy.

Prepare for Print, Web & Social Media

We will format your photos to meet print, web, or social media use requirements. This means that your photos will be the perfect size and resolution for whatever purpose you need them.

Photo retouching for print media requires a different set of skills than those needed for web or social media. For example, you want your photos to look as realistic and natural as possible in print media. Photo retouching services will use techniques like airbrushing, dodging/burning, and color correction to give your images a pleasing, professional appearance.

For websites, photo editing should be focused on enhancing the visual appeal of your photos. This often means adding special effects, filters, or other aesthetic touches to help your images stand out among the rest.

Lastly, images should be attention-grabbing and visually appealing if it’s going to be used for social media marketing purposes. This could include adding text, graphics, or even animation to your photos. Our team can help you get the most out of your product photos, no matter what your needs are.

At Pixel by Hand, we offer a wide range of product photography retouching services to help you improve the quality of your photos. Whether you need help with color correction, airbrushing, or any other type of photo editing, we can get the project done fast.

Elements of a Great Product Photo

Now that we’ve discussed product photography retouching, let’s look at what goes into making a great product photo.

• Lighting

Product photos should be well-lit to showcase the product in the best possible light. Of course, natural light is always best, but if you’re taking photos indoors, make sure you have plenty of light from multiple sources. 

For example, in editing e-commerce product images, the product should be the only thing in focus, with a plain background. The image should also be evenly lit, so there are no areas of darkness or lightness that distract from the product itself.

• Background & Setting

The background and setting of your photos can help set the mood or tone and draw attention to the product itself. Backgrounds and settings can include everything from clean white backgrounds to natural outdoor scenery.

This is crucial especially for photo editing for car sellers as the vehicle should be the image’s main focus. However, there are cases when you may also want to highlight some aspects of its design or setting. This could include showing it on a track with other cars or even being driven at an event. Here, the background can help set the tone of the photo and make it more engaging.

• Composition

How you compose your images is also an important consideration. It would be best if you took advantage of the principles of composition to make sure that your product photos are well-balanced and visually appealing.

This is essential in jewelry photos as you would want the focus on the piece itself. The product’s background shouldn’t be too distracting or busy, and the composition should be such that the viewer’s eye is drawn to the jewelry. 

The same principles apply to product photos in general; the composition should draw attention to the product and make it the image’s focal point.

• Props & Accessories

Props and accessories can help to complete the look of a product photo and make it more visually appealing. Common props and accessories include jewelry, clothing, handbags, shoes, and other similar items.

In general, props and accessories should be simple and minimalistic. This means that there shouldn’t be too many unrelated items in the photo or anything else that takes away from the product itself.

Overall, it takes more than just a decent camera to produce top-quality product photos to capture your potential customers’ attention and help you achieve your business goals. However, with the right combination of skills, techniques.

Product Photography Retouching for e-Commerce

If you run an e-commerce business, having professional and polished product photos is essential.

There are a few different aspects that are important to consider when retouching product photos for e-commerce sites.

The first is the quality of the output. The photos you use on your site should be high resolution and clear so that customers can see what they’re buying.

Second, the photos should be edited in a way that is consistent with the rest of the site. This means using the same color scheme, filters, and editing style on all of your product photos.

Finally, the photos should be optimized for search engine ranking. This means using keywords and alt text to help your images appear in search results.

Product Photography Retouching for Cars

First impressions are vital if you’re in the car sales business.

Your product images need to be of high quality and show off the car’s features in the best possible light. This means using retouching techniques to remove any imperfections, such as scratches or dents, and enhancing the image’s color and contrast.

The most important part of retouching car images is to ensure that the background is unobtrusive and doesn’t detract from the car. This means removing any unnecessary objects from the photos, such as street signs or parking meters.

A final consideration when retouching car images is to use techniques like green screen removal to place the car on a different background. You can then use Photoshop to change the background color to match the car’s paint job.

In addition to standard retouching techniques, you may also need to use specialized software and techniques to edit product photos for cars. For example, if you’re selling luxury vehicles, you may want to remove any imperfections that are specific to that type of car, such as scratches or dents on the leather upholstery.

Product Photography Retouching for Jewelers

If you run or work for an online jewelry store, your product images are critical in attracting and converting consumers.

Most of the time, jewelers use macro photography to capture the small details and intricacies of their products. These photos often require specialized retouching techniques, such as removing glare or adjusting color balance and contrast levels.

The most crucial part of photo retouching for jewelry is ensuring that the photos accurately reflect the real-life colors of the jewelry. For online stores, this is essentially important as customers need to trust that what they see in the photos is what they’ll receive when they make a purchase.

How Much Retouching Do I Need?

The amount of retouching you’ll need to do on your product photos will depend on your specific business goals.

If you’re selling products online, it’s important to have clear and high-resolution photos that accurately reflect the real-life product. This means using standard retouching techniques like removing imperfections, enhancing color and contrast, and adding effects to make the image more eye-catching.

For businesses with a brick-and-mortar store, photo retouching may be less important if you rely on customers to see your products in person. However, if you’re selling products through a catalogue or brochure, it’s essential to have well-edited photos that accurately reflect the product.

No matter what your business goals are always consider how much retouching is too much. You don’t want to over-edit your photos and end up with an image that looks fake or unreal. Always find a balance between making your product photos look good and keeping them looking natural.

Product Photography Retouching Services by Pixel By Hand

At Pixel By Hand, we offer a wide range of product photography retouching services to help you improve your photos and reach your business goals.

Our team of experienced editors can perform standard retouching techniques, like removing imperfections and enhancing color and contrast. We can also do more specialized editing, such as green screen removal and vehicle retouching.

We also offer a range of services to help you with your jewelry photography. Our team can remove glare and adjust color balance and contrast levels to ensure that your photos accurately reflect the real-life colors of your jewelry.

Contact us today or use the chatbox below to learn more about our product photography retouching services.