Image Editing

You might want to consider outsourcing photo editing and retouching tasks in two basic scenarios: (1) When you have a lot of images needing a little bit of touching up, resizing, reformatting, or editing work; and (2) when you’ve got an image file or files in need of a lot of work -- for example, you need to combine several shots of the same basic composition into a single, perfected image. And you could also benefit from outsourcing to an experienced photo editor when you’re just pressed for time and your attention would be better spent on tasks you can’t outsource.

Photoshop is a popular tool of choice for web designers and developers, because it helps create web-friendly files that can be used in a number of ways. Photoshop files can be “translated” into HTML and CSS; used as background images for websites; and created to provide clear, crisp logo files for website headers. In many cases for website work, you’ll need image files in scalable vector graphics (SVG) format instead of pixel-based formats, such as JPEG and PNG. That’s because vector-based graphics can be cleanly resized, whereas pixel-based graphics are more limited; you can’t increase a PNG file’s size dramatically without losing the image’s clarity.

Most sellers offer batch pricing if you have multiple images that need editing, especially if similar processes will be applied to each image. Carefully check a Gig’s structure to note how many images are included in the price of a single Gig. If the description doesn’t specify a total number of images, message the seller and ask. Most sellers are happy to create a custom offer for your specific volume needs. Additionally, many sellers who offer Triple Packages include multiple images in their higher-priced package tiers.

A source file is an editable, layered file that allows you or anyone else to make additional changes to the work more easily. In this subcategory, Source Files are almost always in the .PSD format native to Photoshop. If you do not purchase the Source File, you will just receive the static image file (usually .JPEG, .PNG, .GIF, or .TIFF). If you are not planning on making additional edits to the file beyond simple cropping or resizing, you probably do not need the Source File.

In e-Commerce, it’s essential to build trust with your prospective customers. You can do this in a number of ways -- customer ratings, reviews, social proof, etc. -- but one thing you should pay special attention to is the quality of your product images. Customers who can clearly see what they’re contemplating buying have a lot more faith in the seller and are more willing to trust you with their purchase! But unless you’re a highly skilled photographer, chances are your product images will need to be resized, touched up, and “finished” to display your products to their best advantage and achieve a consistent branding image across your entire site.