The complete guide to product photo retouching

The last detail that will make your product image flawless is photo retouching. In order to obtain high-quality photos for e-commerce, using it is an important step. It is a valuable tool that can be used to correct defects and make helpful adjustments to the picture, but it is obviously not a magic wand that will be able to modify the shot entirely.

It is worth noting processing should be done carefully, exclusively by professionals, otherwise, you can completely spoil the work of the photographer and the impression of the thing. Let's take a closer look at photo retouching so that we can apply it skillfully to produce stunning product images.

What is photo retouching?

Retouching product images is the process of modifying an image using specific tools to make it better. The rectification becomes a proper art form with the application of specialized programs and method understanding. Therefore, you can modify the color, form, or size, eliminate a flaw, alter the backdrop, smooth or emphasize the texture, and more using Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, GIMP, Luminar, Affinity, or other photo editors.

Why do you need product photo retouching?

As mentioned above, retouching is making specific changes to an image to give it an attractive, professional look. This will play to your business's advantage from all sides. With professional studio retouching, you will:

• Make your brand recognizable. Unique photo content has its own character that will reflect on the viewer's memory.
• Improve product visualization. A beautiful quality photo done in a studio for rent and complemented with correction will definitely draw attention. Demonstrate the attractiveness of the product from all angles. During the shooting, the foreshortening is usually concentrated in one point, and already the subsequent area of the frame may not be so clearly displayed. This clarity is added during professional retouching.
• Increase sales. Customer confidence is derived from exceptionally well-thought-out, made-in-the-same-style photographs of every product in the catalog. Furthermore, did you know that an image influences 85% of buying decisions?
• Interact with your subscribers on social networks. Excellent natural photos will set the page up for success, attract new followers, and boost the page's conversion rate.
• Follow the standards of e-commerce. It is important that the photo is optimized. It should load quickly, and fit the format, size, and other parameters that web resources require.
• Make e-commerce a complete substitute for physical stores - let your customer feel the thing in all details, and understand its texture.
• Stand out among competitors. It's no secret that competition in the online space is great. Imagine a potential buyer sees similar ones with your products on the same platform, as can be seen on Amazon. Here, even with minimal professional retouching, you can get ahead of others - add clarity, remove defects with shadows and dots, and you will already be unique.

Types of product photo retouching

When images are properly retouched, buyers will become more interested in your goods and more motivated to purchase. To make the product photo perfect for use in e-commerce, it's critical to understand what adjustments a master at a photo studio for rent can make.

Background removal

This is one of the most requested services. Changing the background display can give a more professional look to the photo. Customers often change a complicated background that makes it difficult to focus on the product. Another popular moment of retouching is isolating an image to create a composition or collage. Here the skill is shown in the details because sometimes it is not enough to simply cut the canvas around the product. You need to remove the reflections, color shadows that it could leave.

Eliminating defects

For instance, using a professional camera for macro photography frequently captures tiny details that the customer would never notice with their untrained sight. Why not get rid of stains, reflections, minor scratches, and cracks that detract from a gorgeous product's appearance? A different set of flaws shows up while taking pictures with a model. Customers may discover that while there are many beautiful images of the product online, some of them may have problems related to the model's pose or expressions. This will also fix any photos that have been modified.

Color correction

It is extremely important that the client sees the real color of the goods you sell, it depends on the popularity of the store and the number of returns. Sometimes it is very difficult to convey through the image of the desired shade, which can change due to lighting, background, filters, and other things. Experts in achieving the ideal balance between brightness and contrast, white and dark, can handle this and ensure that your consumer is happy with their purchase.

Group adjustments.

Group adjustments are useful if the images were taken under similar circumstances and have comparable features and corrective needs. In this manner, handling a large number of photos may be done swiftly and considerably more affordable. This is accomplished by retouching one image, and then applying its parameters to the remaining ones.

Color change

The seller has yet another chance to save money and time. For instance, what if a clothing model had the same design but was produced in a variety of colors, such as white, black, green, red, blue, and yellow, without having each color photographed separately? To alter the coloring, all that is needed is to take a picture of a single object and adjust the saturation and color scale. But not all hues can use this capability, so sometimes you'll need to make laborious manual adjustments.

Working on sharpening

Increasing the photo's sharpness will significantly draw attention to the product's image. You can apply more effects, such as emphasizing a contour or inscription, and make the product or package more expressive.

The magic of shadows

Fascinatingly, shadows are strictly prohibited in particular images, particularly those that feature marketplaces, but this has nothing to do with the visual artistic concept. An expertly crafted shadow will accentuate the shapes and dimensions of the items, adding depth to the picture. Depending on the desired outcome, this can be completed automatically by customized software or manually.

Eliminating reflections, and glare

Would you like to display your product in its "pure" state, showcasing all of the intricate details, color, and shape without drawing the eye of the observer with needless reflections? It can be challenging to shoot objects with shiny or reflective surfaces in a way that eliminates all reflections, but photo retouching makes it achievable.

Ghost Mannequin

It is the most well-liked service that apparel merchants are interested in. With the aid of a ghost mannequin, you can show the buyer how the item "fits" the body while also drawing their focus away from the model or the mannequin itself. Another intriguing feature is that you can simultaneously analyze how the clothing appears from the outside and the inside if it is displayed on a transparent mannequin.

Straightening and trimming

Almost no photo editing at a photo studio for rent could function without these adjustments. You can relocate the items to a new composition, get rid of excess, and adjust the size to fit the resource on which it is intended to be placed with the aid of cropping and straightening.

Trendy retouching and editing trends that you can use

Do you think editing is only essential if you need to fix or change something? With a professionally done retouching of product photos in a photo studio, you can make a good impression on the customer and create a flawless image for your store or brand:

• Combining reality and abstraction (surrealism) in one image. It is striking, has a powerful dynamic effect, and highlights the original concept of the marketing campaign.
• Artistic retouching is a virtuoso alteration of the image to give it a professional look, creating a sense of reality.
• Creating reflections and shadows emphasizes the product, and makes it stand out.
• Drawing. Some details of texture are difficult to convey through a photo, so they can be made to stand out to the viewer.
• Adjusting the packaging is a great idea if you want to make the product, and its manufacturer recognizable. Adding the product's contour-enhanced packaging to the shot will make it more attractive and understandable to the buyer.
• Emphasizing the shape. Such retouching is important if you want to emphasize the object's complex natural shape. With the help of complex contouring, you will definitely make the decoration, jewelry can be made as attractive as possible.
• Replacing objects will help you get rid of distracting patterns, glare, and unnecessary decorative elements.
• Color correction will help to give reality to the product and diversify the color range of identical models, and can also give a certain style to the image, such as "retro" or "vintage."
• Changing the shape of products. Sometimes it is extremely important to correct an unfortunate shot. For example, due to the wrong angle, lighting, and background, it is possible to convey the wrong idea of the shape and size of a product in a photo. Retouching in a studio will return the product to its actual appearance in the photo.

Essential tips for ordering product photo retouching

• The cost of professional retouching, in some cases, can be more expensive than the photo itself. Therefore, try to ensure the photo shoot is professional and organized. Clean, perfectly ironed clothes that lie well on the mannequin or model, and a well-chosen angle will minimize the need for alterations. So you may only need basic editing focused on cropping the image, adjusting white balance and contrast, and removing backgrounds or wrinkles.
• The task of retouching is to remove imperfections and improve the photo, do not expect that with it, you can completely change the concept and look of the image.
• This is a myth that a quality professional photo does not need post-production. Any photo needs to be altered to give it the right size and remove dust and reflections, which will undoubtedly be visible in the enlarged image.
• Wanting to save money, some customers decide to refuse professional retouching in the studio, but is it worth risking sales and your time? Self-correction of flaws by an amateur will take a lot of time, and the result may not be natural and even worse than the original material.
• To make the retouching meet your expectations, tell in detail how the photo should look as a result of the service.
• Evaluate the photos you give for retouching, they should be of good quality, otherwise it is better and cheaper to make new ones.

‍

Conclusion

Professional retouching of product photos in a studio is an important step in building a profitable e-commerce business. By removing defects, and improving the image, you can attract the attention of buyers, motivate them to buy, and avoid returns. Show the world your goods in all their glory, without unnecessary garbage, distracting details, and questionable blurring, by trusting the experts in photo retouching!