When it comes to eCommerce success, having a good studio setup and capturing images professionally is just the beginning. It’s not enough to simply click a picture and hope for the best.
To truly make your products attractive to customers, product photo retouching is an essential step in the process.
In this article, we will give you an overview of product retouching and walk you through the essential steps. Let’s explore:
What is product photo retouching?
Product photo retouching is a game-changer in the world of product photography. It’s all about enhancing and perfecting those product images to make them irresistibly attractive, drawing in potential customers like bees to honey.
With this advanced image post-production approach, photographers and businesses can showcase their products in the best light possible, highlighting every feature, color, and texture. It’s like giving your products a complete makeover!
Why is product photo retouching important?
If you’re wondering what makes product retouching important. Here are a few reasons to consider:
Flaws Removal
No matter how much effort you put into capturing product photos, imperfections can still undermine their visual appeal and saleability. Dust, scratches, exposure issues, contrast problems, and color inconsistencies are common flaws that can affect the overall impression. With product retouching, you can easily eliminate these flaws and bring your product images to perfection.
Improving visual appeal
In addition to flaw removal, product photo retouching can enhance the visual appeal of your products. By improving vibrancy, sharpness, and color temperature, expert retouchers can make your product photos captivating while maintaining a lifelike representation of the product itself. The result is visually stunning images that entice customers and make your products stand out.
Boosting sales
Many eCommerce sellers underestimate the impact of stunning product visuals. Investing in high-quality product images gives you an edge over competitors who may overlook this crucial aspect. Utilizing retouching in your product images, you can attract customers and drive more sales.
Building trust and reputation
As an online customer, you wouldn’t want to buy a product from a seller who uses poor-quality images. If a seller doesn’t prioritize creating appealing product visuals, it raises doubts about their commitment to providing quality products. The professional retouching of your product photos will help you provide your customers with photos that they can trust. As a result, you can build a reputation among potential buyers.
Common myths about product retouching
New online store owners need to be aware of some common misconceptions about product retouching.
Here are some myths and realities about retouching product photos:
Myth 1: Product retouching is about recreating an image that you have in your mind
Reality: While product retouching can enhance and refine product images, it is not meant to recreate an entirely different image. The goal is to improve the existing image by correcting flaws and enhancing its visual appeal, rather than creating a completely new representation.
Myth 2: Product retouching can fix every photography error
Reality: Product retouching is a powerful tool, but it does have limitations. While it can address many common photography errors like exposure and color issues, it may not be able to fix severe technical errors or poor composition. It is important to capture high-quality images from the start and rely on retouching as a supplementary technique.
Myth 3: Product retouching is the same as product image editing
Reality: Product retouching is a specific subset of product image editing. While product image editing encompasses various techniques like cropping, resizing, and adjusting brightness, product retouching specifically focuses on refining and enhancing the product’s appearance through careful retouching techniques.
Myth-4: Product retouching makes products look unrealistic
Reality: The goal of product retouching is not to make products look unrealistic but to enhance their visual appeal while maintaining a natural and authentic representation. Skilled retouchers utilize advanced techniques to carefully balance the enhancements and ensure that the final image accurately represents the product while making it visually appealing.
Myth 5: Product retouching is expensive
Reality: The cost of product retouching varies depending on factors like the complexity of the images and the level of retouching required. While professional photo retouching services may come at a cost, it’s not that expensive if you hire an expert photo retouching company that offers affordable pricing.
it is also important to consider the value it brings to your brand and the potential increase in sales and customer engagement that high-quality product images can generate.
Myth -6: Not all product images need retouching
Reality: While some product images may require minimal retouching, it is rare to find images that couldn’t benefit from at least some level of retouching. Even minor adjustments like color correction or removing small flaws can significantly enhance the visual appeal of the product.
You can ensure that your images are of the highest quality and make a positive impression on your customers by investing in product retouching.
10 crucial steps in product image retouching
To enhance and remove flaws from a product photo, retouching must follow a systematic approach.
Here are some steps you can follow when retouching your product images:
1. Assess the photo
Begin by closely examining the product photo to identify any imperfections that need to be addressed. Look for dust particles, scratches, or other blemishes that may have appeared during the photoshoot or during the editing process. Take note of any areas that require retouching to ensure a flawless final image.
2. Adjust exposure and color balance
Use editing software to fine-tune the exposure and color balance of the photo. Adjust the brightness, contrast, and levels to ensure that the product appears accurately and appealingly. Additionally, make any necessary adjustments to the color temperature, saturation, and hue to ensure the colors are vibrant and true to life.
3. Remove distractions
Carefully examine the background and foreground of the photo for any distracting elements that could take the focus away from the product. This could include objects, logos, or reflections that are unrelated or visually cluttering. Use tools like the clone stamp or healing brush to remove these distractions and create a clean and visually pleasing background that highlights the product.
4. Enhance details
Pay attention to the small details of the product and enhance them to make the photo more compelling. This can involve techniques like sharpening edges to make them appear crisper, enhancing textures to make them more pronounced, or selectively bringing out specific details that may have been lost in the original photo. Be careful not to overdo it and maintain a natural look while enhancing the product’s features.
5. Retouch product flaws
Address any flaws or imperfections in the product itself to present it in its best possible light. This could include tasks like smoothing out wrinkles or creases on fabric, removing stains or spots, or fixing any damaged areas. The goal is to create a polished and flawless representation of the product that looks appealing to potential customers.
6. Adjust the composition
Evaluate the composition of the photo and make any necessary adjustments to improve the overall visual impact. This can include cropping the image to remove excess space, repositioning the product within the frame, or adjusting the angle to create a more pleasing composition.
7. Enhance product colors
Fine-tune the colors of the product to make them more vibrant and appealing. This can involve adjusting the saturation, vibrancy, or contrast of specific colors to make them pop. Be mindful of maintaining a natural and realistic appearance while enhancing the product’s visual appeal.
8. Remove reflections and shadows
Address any unwanted reflections or shadows that may be present in the photo. Use tools like the clone stamp or healing brush to carefully remove or minimize distracting reflections, as well as soften or adjust shadows to create a more balanced and visually pleasing image.
9. Clean up edges and outlines
Pay attention to the edges and outlines of the product to ensure they appear clean and well-defined. Use techniques like selective sharpening or blurring to refine the edges and remove any jaggedness or pixelation that may be present.
10. Finalize image adjustments
Take a final pass to fine-tune any remaining aspects of the photo. This can include adjusting the overall brightness or contrast, refining the color balance, or making minor tweaks to ensure a cohesive and visually appealing final result.
In Conclusion
Mastering the art of product photo retouching is pivotal for elevating your eCommerce success. Beyond dispelling common myths, our guide walks you through essential steps to transform your product images. By understanding the importance of flawless visuals and debunking misconceptions, you can now confidently enhance your brand’s reputation, captivate customers, and boost sales. Embrace these retouching techniques to create stunning, marketable product photos that set your business apart.
Liam Barnard is a freelance writer and an independent blogger who writes about communication, sustainability, technology, globalization, and home improvement. He aspires to become a professional writer and make a difference in society and the world we live in.
