Is Outsourcing Photo Editing the Right Move for You?

Did you know the outsourcing market hit an estimated $731 billion in 2023 globally? Deloitte conducted a survey that highlighted how many companies prefer outsourcing to give themselves a competitive edge.

Whether you’re working in-house or for yourself, you can’t keep up with the workload. Also, 59% respondents admitted they used it for its cost-effective solution.

But what factors need to be considered? Is it really worth investing in external services? In this article, we’ve come with the answers to all your queries. Without more talk, let’s get started!

What is outsourcing in business?

Outsourcing in business is when you hire an external or third-party business or individual to provide services. These services are the same or supportive, ease your workload and help to boost your sales.

In short,

  • Outsourcing involves hiring employees and assets from the other agency or company.

  • Third-party companies charge for the tasks and allow the company to focus on business growth.

  • Increases flexibility, efficiency, and productivity.

You might think about what outsourcing image editing stands for. Outsourcing photo editing is a business practice of hiring a third party (company or individual) to edit and return images to you. For example, fixing the path for a specific part of an image like a jewelry product shot, replacing dull colors with more vibrant ones, removing blemishes or dust, and more.

Now that you know about outsourcing, let’s move to the difference between in-house photo editing and outsourcing.

In-house photo editing vs outsourcing

In-house photo editing is when a company or organization has their graphic design team who are responsible for editing all company’s photos. It will be eCommerce product photos, commercial images, companies website-related, and many others.

On the contrary, outsourcing photo editing indicates hiring a company or individuals to edit photos for your company or clients. It will be color correction, cropping, background removal, and more.

Here, we’ve mentioned the key pros and cons of in-house and outsourcing editing services below!

Notes

In-house Photo Editing

Outsourcing Photo Editing

  1. Control

You get better control over the process but need to keep an eye on quality work.

You are free to plan future business goals and get the job done in time.

  1. Time

It might take lots of time for bulk projects.

Time-efficient solution for bulk or individual projects.

  1. Cost

Need to pay software and employees.

Cost-effective; no need to pay for photo editing software.

So, how do you know it’s time to outsource photo editing services for your business? Let’s find out together!

Who Should Consider Outsourcing Photo Editing?

Do you plan to increase your organic traffic to your online store with 360-degree product photography? Or, plan to launch a new and most hyped product line by showcasing its best features? If so, outsourcing will add benefits to your business.

For more detailed insights, keep scrolling!

Busy Photographers

It’s quite challenging to balance workloads: urgent customer requests and meeting delivery deadlines. Post-production helps by reducing workload and ensuring each photo meets clients’ requirements. Also, you get enough time to deal with different clients.

Businesses with High Photo Volume

Are you an eCommerce business owner or entrepreneur who plans to launch a business? According to statistics, 19% of small businesses outsource to boost their business growth, and many companies admit outsourcing adds profits and provides a competitive edge. From small agencies to large enterprises, outsourcing gives you flexibility and allows you to fulfill client’s emergency requirements.

Individuals with Limited Expertise

As photographers, eCommerce business owners or others need to keep themselves updated to fulfill consumers’ demands and keep pace with trends. When you outsource editing services from a reputable company, you get professional and creative work in time. Also, you don’t need to spend more time learning editing techniques.

Get the answer to your question about whether your business needs to hire outsourcing. Let’s move to why you actually outsource editing.

Why Outsource Photo Editing?

Want to upload your product image to different social media platforms? Or do you need to meet clients’ unique requirements by the deadline? By hiring Photoshop experts from an agency, you can flawlessly overcome whatever difficulties you face.

Let’s check out more insights below!

Different editing services

You get different photo editing solutions in one platform, such as resizing, image masking, retouching, eCommerce product editing, and more. They always ensure you get high-quality work from industry experts.

Creative control

The best outsourcing photo editing companies allow you to meet consumers’ requirements and preferences by showcasing their creative vision to live. That’s why most companies, photographers, and others outsource editing services.

Risk management

Outsourcing is the best solution for improving productivity and recovering risk management. It ensures your file is protected and the final output meets high standards.

Benefits of Outsourcing Photo Editing

MDG Solutions states that 67% of consumers admit that high-quality product image is “very important” for making a purchasing decision. Also, online buyers think that image quality is more valuable than product information (63%), in-depth product description (54%), and customer reviews and ratings (53%).

Outsourcing offers high-quality visuals and meets your business and client demands. Here are some key benefits of outsourcing editing services!

Time Savings

You can invest your precious time in business growth planning or capturing memorable moments. Outsourcing provides you flexibility and ensures businesses get high-quality edited images on time. Want to edit bulk images within an estimated time? There is no alternative to outsourcing.

Cost-Effectiveness

Outsourcing reduces the extra costs of hiring an in-house designer team and the costs of purchasing Photoshop software. Professional photo editing service providers offer you a cost-effective solution. They already have a dedicated editing staff and advanced software. All you need to pay for the specific editing services.

Access to Expertise

Photo editing service providers have a Photoshop expert team with years of experience in different industries. They specialize in enhancing and optimizing your product photos to fit perfectly on different platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Shopify, etc.).

Scalability

Outsourcing can more effectively handle large volumes of photo editing projects. Also, professional companies often have backup and recovery solutions that keep image files secure.

Are you convinced enough to outsource? Before selecting one, let’s walk through some important factors below!

Things to Consider When Outsource Photo Editing

When you plan to outsource photo editing services to enhance business sales, you need to consider several factors, including:

What level of editing your business need

Before hiring one for editing your product images, determine what level of editing your business requires, such as -

  • The clipping path isolates and cuts out products from the background. It is useful for Amazon white background, social media, or websites.

  • Background removal helps remove unwanted objects from the main product image and can make it transparent.

  • Amazon product infographics help to showcase your product’s unique features in an informative way.

  • A ghost mannequin is used to edit a mannequin to give consumers a physical store shopping experience.

  • Image masking is helpful for removing complex items with undefined objects, such as hair, fur, or others.

Apart from them there are different photo editing options available to give a stunning look of your products.

Search on Google for the best result

By searching on Google for “outsource photo editing service,” you can get lots of results. After that, you’ll discover many options and select one that goes with your business niche.

Also, you can get the best results from social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, or others that professional ones follow. Try to connect with eCommerce and digital marketing groups and follow agencies that share their completed client projects details.

Find out local business directories and listing sites

Local business directories “Google My Business”, “Yelp”, or others to find local agencies or companies. You can search by mentioning “photo editing services near me” or “eCommerce photo retouching services” to find the local ones.

As you know, Clutch is more popular as an industry-specific directory. So you can try it to find the best service providers. Another thing is local directories ensure the agency or company is trustworthy and has a physical address.

Ask which photo editing software they use

Reputed agencies have years of experience in dealing with different clients, but to ensure their advanced techniques and quality work delivery, ask them which editing software and technology they use.

By doing so, you get high-quality visuals without any AI effects. You only need experts to increase organic conversion rates and revenues. So, before choosing one, ensure they can provide the best results for your industry.

Check out client reviews and ratings

You might have an idea that jewelry or cosmetics product editing is different from electronic items products. There are popular review sites, including Trustpilot, Yelp, G2, and others.

Some companies offer free trials to build trust. Suppose you want to justify more after going through review sites. Your guide, product size, file format, and many more help to find the best one.

Compare the pricings

The last yet most important part is comparing service quality with pricing. When you shortlist some outsourcing companies, you can compare their pricing, photo editing packages (if they have any), and more.

Some may charge per location, image, and hours and give discounts on bulk pricing. So, it’s up to you which you choose. Consider reliability, fast turnaround time, customer support, and more.

Conclusion

Finally, you’ve got an overall idea of outsourcing photo editing services to skyrocket your business growth. In this eCommerce era, product photos are the backbone of your online business, and you must ensure that the images you outsource are high-quality.

Good luck!

FAQ

How much does it cost to outsource photo editing?

The cost of outsourcing photo editing will be between $50 and $100+ for advanced edits, $0.20- $1.35+ for mid-level edits, or many other factors. If you outsource from a top-rated photo editing agency, you might discount bulk photo editing.

What types of photos can be outsourced for editing?

Different types of photos can be outsourced for editing, including:

  • Background removal,

  • Clipping path,

  • Cropping or resizing,

  • Photo retouching,

  • Image masking,

  • Drop shadow,

  • Ghost mannequin,

  • ECommerce product photo editing,

  • Amazon product infographic, and more.

How long does the photo editing process take?

The turnaround time for photo editing will take several hours or days depending on the editing complexity, methods, and provider’s expertise. Feel free to contact your selected photo editing agency for more details.

Author Name: Olivia Anna

Author Image:

Author Bio: Olivia Anna, a skilled content writer for over 7 years, specializes in making photography and ecommerce easy to understand. With a knack for simplifying complex topics, Olivia’s writing takes you on a journey through the world of visual art and online business.




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