The Editing Workflow Of A Professional Real Estate Photographer
Your editing workflow can be just as important as the shoot itself as a professional real estate photographer. The editing workflow involves a series of structured steps to transform the RAW files you leave a home with, into polished, client ready photographs.
In this article I’ll outline the editing workflow of a professional real estate photographer and share exactly how I created my editing workflow.
Table of Contents
1. Uploading Images from Camera/SD Card
Secure Storage:
The first step after a shoot is to securely upload the images from your camera or SD card to a reliable storage solution, typically an external hard drive or a dedicated computer. This not only ensures the safekeeping of the photos but also helps in organizing the files for the editing process.
My camera has dual SD card slots, so I always make sure to leave the images on one SD card untouched through the entire uploading process, just to have a failsafe back up plan.
Organizing Files:
Creating a structured file system is crucial. Professional real estate photographers often organize their images by date, property address, or client name to make the retrieval process efficient and straightforward.
This organization is key to managing numerous projects simultaneously and ensuring that each client’s work is easily accessible.
I structure mine by year, then the brokerage, then the individual realtor, then the property address. This allows me to very quickly access any shoot at a moments notice.
2. Initial Edits in Adobe Lightroom
Overview of Lightroom’s Role:
Adobe Lightroom serves as the central hub for initial photo adjustments. It’s favored by real estate photographers for its user-friendly interface and powerful batch processing capabilities.
We actually named Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop the Best Editing Programs for Real Estate Photographers.
Color Corrections:
The first step in Lightroom is usually color correction. This includes adjusting white balance to ensure the colors in the image accurately reflect how the human eye perceives the space in reality.
Profile Corrections:
Lens profile corrections are applied to counteract any distortion, vignetting, or chromatic aberration introduced by the camera lens. This step is vital for maintaining the architectural integrity of the property’s features.
Exposure Correction:
Adjusting the exposure includes brightening shadows, toning down highlights, and ensuring that the overall light distribution in the image is even and pleasing. This step often involves balancing interior light with exterior window views, a common challenge in real estate photography.
3. Final Edits in Adobe Photoshop
Transitioning to Photoshop:
Once the initial corrections are made in Lightroom, the images are typically opened in Adobe Photoshop for more complex and targeted adjustments.
Multi-Layer Blending:
In Photoshop, photographers often employ techniques like exposure blending or flash ambient blending, especially important for interior shots where the dynamic range can be challenging.
This involves blending multiple exposures of the same scene to achieve a final image that balances the room’s interior with the view through the windows.
Further Profile Corrections:
While Lightroom provides basic lens corrections, Photoshop allows for more detailed adjustments and perspective corrections, ensuring that all vertical and horizontal lines are straight and true, which is crucial in representing the property accurately.
Object Removal:
Photoshop’s powerful cloning and healing tools enable photographers to remove unwanted objects or imperfections from the images, such as wires, blemishes, or even personal items left out during the shoot.
4. Saving the Edited Image
File Formats and Resolution:
Once the final edits are complete, the image is saved, typically in a high-resolution format like TIFF for print or JPEG for web use. It’s also common practice to save a version of the Photoshop file with layers intact (PSD) to allow for any future adjustments.
If you are going to immediately send the images to your client, you’ll want to save them as JPGs. I export all my final images as JPGs and send them directly to my realtors.
Organized Storage:
The edited images are then saved back into the organized file system on the hard drive or computer, ensuring they are easy to retrieve for final delivery to the client.
5. Uploading to File Sharing Software/Program
Delivery Preparation:
The final step in the workflow is preparing the images for delivery to the client. This often involves uploading the images to a file sharing service or client delivery program of choice, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or a dedicated photography client portal.
Sharing with Clients:
The selected images are typically uploaded into a well-organized folder, often labeled with the property address or client name, and then shared directly with the client. This might include a private link or access to a downloadable gallery where clients can view and retrieve their images.
Communication:
Effective communication is key in this final step. The photographer will usually notify the client once the images are ready, providing instructions on how to access and download the photos.
This communication also provides an opportunity for any last-minute adjustments or additional requests from the client.
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.
