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The Best Editing Software for Real Estate Photography in 2024
Although there are many editing softwares out there, the best editing software for real estate photography remains Adobe’s Lightroom and Photoshop programs. Adobe’s continued development of their already world class editing programs keeps them far ahead of the competition.
Adobe even has a special plan for photographers that bundles both Lightroom and Photoshop for a very affordable monthly price, or even less if you choose a yearly subscription. It gives you access to a number of Adobe programs available for use on your desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.
Likewise, if you want to use the best real estate video editing software, Adobe Premiere Pro is the best option out there.
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Best Editing Software for Real Estate Photography
The Best Real Estate Photo Editing Software: What Program do Real Estate Photographers Use?
The vast majority of real estate photographers use Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. It’s not a surprise either as Lightroom and Photoshop are extremely powerful, effective, and affordable.
The seamless workflow between Lightroom and Photoshop is very efficient and helpful. The high-end retouching tools and the ability to fine tune complex edits are unmatched. Using Lightroom and Photoshop will simply help you produce higher quality photos.
My favorite thing about Lightroom is how intuitive and appealing it is to use. It’s easy to learn and really raises the quality of your photography overnight. It’s without a doubt my pick for the best real estate photo editing software.
The same can be said for any real estate photographers that offer video services. Adobe Premiere Pro is the industry standard for real estate video editing. I’ve been using it for years and absolutely love the program.
Sometimes I can find Photoshop to be a bit tedious, but I never find that to be the case with Premiere Pro. I truly enjoy editing video using this program and highly recommend it to anyone that has real estate video editing needs.
Adobe truly does make the best editing software for real estate photography and video.
Adobe Lightroom Examples
As you can see in the examples below, Adobe Lightroom is incredible for playing with the lighting, colors, highlights, shadows, contrast, and everything related.
It’s my first step when I get back to my computer after a shoot and it’s where I try to spend most of my time editing. I’ve found that Lightroom can get me about 75% of the way to a finished photo.
Adobe Photoshop Examples
Adobe Photoshop is great for manipulation. Fixing your vertical and horizontal lines, spot touching for highlights, midtones, and shadows, and any type of object removal.
Sometimes, I’ll only need to use Photoshop for slight spot treatments and I’ll finish the photo quickly. On the other hand, sometimes I’ll need to do some major object removal (think trash cans, cars, etc.) and that’s when Photoshop really becomes a lifesaver.
What are the Disadvantages of Photoshop?
There are only 2 real disadvantages of photoshop:
- The learning curve.
- The computing power needed.
Best Photo Editing Software for Real Estate Photography Alternatives
Capture One
Capture One is easily Abode’s closest competitor. It’s a powerful editing program that many professional photographers swear by. Capture One is highly customizable which is a major reason so many photographers like it.
Abode is a step above when it comes to real estate photography though since it has the best high-end retouching tools and is better for complex edits, which tend to happen often in real estate photography.
Aurora HDR
Aurora HDR makes sense if you are an HDR only photographer and don’t feel the need to be too hands on. It makes blending HDR photos quite easy and produces some solid results. It’s used by plenty of real estate photographers, but just doesn’t have the full capabilities that Adobe offers.
To understand what HDR photography is, check out this article: Lighting for Real Estate Photography. Then go ahead and read this article explaining why HDR photography won’t always give you the best results and what the best lighting techniques are for real estate interiors: Comprehensive Guide to the Best Lighting for Interiors
Luminar AI
Luminar AI is for those of you that aren’t confident editors and are looking to have AI do most of the editing for you. While you can get some good results using Luminar, it’s worth it to spend some time learning how to use Lightroom since it will immediately improve the quality of your edits.
Recommendations on the Best Real Estate Photo Editing Software
If you want the best editing software for real estate photography, then go ahead and sign up for Adobe’s Photography Package which includes Lightroom and Photoshop. At an extremely affordable monthly price, there is no better editing software out there.
It may be tempting to go for an easier editing software, but the final results of your images will suffer. The learning curve for Lightroom is quite easy, and given enough practice with Photoshop, it’s very much worth the results that Adobe can help you achieve.
Additional Resources
If you’re just getting started in real estate photography, check out our Beginners Guide. It’s full of helpful articles and tips that will guide you in the right direction as you begin your real estate photography journey.
You can check out our Gear section as well to see reviews and recommendations on the latest real estate photography gear.
If you’re more interested in other resources that can help your real estate photography business, check out our Business Resources page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What editing software do most photographers use?
The majority of professional photographers use Adobe editing programs Lightroom and Photoshop.
How can I make real estate pictures look professional?
One of the best ways to make your real estate photos look professional is to use editing software. Learning how to properly edit photos can greatly enhance the image quality.
What is the standard photo editing software.
The industry standard editing software is the workflow offered by Adobe. Using Lightroom and Photoshop are the current standards in photography editing.
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