Professional image editing in 5 steps

Attractive product photography stimulates your customers' interest and increases the likelihood that people will buy your products. However, beautiful photos alone are not enough. For a result that is truly convincing, professional image editing is necessary.

More and more products are being sold via webshops. Visitors to a webshop cannot physically view, handle, or try on the products; instead, they rely on the photos they are shown. The more attractive the photo, the greater the temptation to buy.

Other products are not for sale online, but are presented online, as in a virtual showroom, or shown in a printed brochure or catalog. The same principle applies there as well: the stronger the images, the greater the desire to buy the product.

For numerous product photos, professional image editing is a requirement to present the products as attractively and realistically as possible. After all, with unedited images, you quickly run into the limits of what you can achieve in a photo studio.

If it has to be truly good, a professional finishing touch is not only useful but also necessary. Britt Vens, specializing in image editing and color correction at Brandle, explains how she handles this for Samsonite's extensive product catalog.

1. Collect the images and the physical products.

“In consultation with the client, we draw up a reverse schedule for the duration of the project,” explains Britt. “First, the client provides us with the high-resolution images of all product and lifestyle shots that we need to color-match. Then, we receive the physical samples of the suitcases, bags, and backpacks. Because it usually involves many products, we group them by series. This way, we maintain an overview.”

2. Start with the basics: lighting, brightness, white balance, contrast.

“As a first step, we create color proofs of all pages in the catalog so that we have an initial reference to start from. Then we begin editing the images and performing color corrections. We adjust various aspects, such as lighting, brightness, white balance, and contrast, so that the images look beautiful and fresh. We eliminate imperfections, visible moiré, or any minor flaws in the product.”

3. Compare the images carefully with the real products.

“Next, we compare the color proofs one-to-one with the samples under neutral white light for the most accurate assessment possible,” says Britt. “Using a calibrated monitor, we can approximate the actual color of the product as closely as possible. We also include the color swatches shown in the catalog and align the swatches with the product images.”

4. Create new color proofs and dot the i's and cross the t's.

“Once all those edits are complete, we create new color proofs. Based on those proofs, we send the images again where necessary. If the color proofs pass our assessment, they go to the client for review, who indicates any adjustments or comments on the proofs. Then the proofs come back to us. We adjust the images again where necessary, and the new color proofs go to the client.”

5. Review the latest adjustments with the client.

To ensure the final corrections proceed as efficiently as possible, a client representative visits Brandle to review the final proofs together and adjust the images where necessary. After final approval, all images are collected and delivered. The approved color proofs are sent to the print shop so that the printers have an accurate reference for the print job.

As you can see, professional image editing is a trade that involves a great deal. Large projects involving numerous products require tight organization and meticulous planning. A keen eye and tons of experience do the rest. Would you like specific advice for your project? Then contact Brandle.