E-commerce is booming every day. The same product is sold by multiple sellers. Everyone is sharing almost the same price. What makes one stand out then? What if I say "Quality Photo Editing?" Don't believe me! Then, let me tell you interesting data regarding photo editing. The global commercial photography market has a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 2.2% and will reach $6.5 billion by 2032. The demand is real, as every day thousands of shops are getting registered. But why the Photo?
Brands connect with consumers through images. Their images speak the stories. If you visit popular brands like Adidas, Snickers and Burger King, each of their posts contains visual elements. It's easy to connect people through visual elements. Everyone is doing it. If you want to compete with your competitors, you also have to do the same thing now.
Why Consistent Photo Editing Matters
1. Photo Editing creates a Unique Brand Identity
Shoes are one of the most sold products on the internet. Whenever you are going for one, you will obviously see how it looks. You won’t want to see it sideways only. You will need its front and back photos too how it looks when one wears it. Want to zoom in for further details. Here photography comes. It captures the details of the product. So that the customer finds any dissimilarity when receiving the product. And Guess what? Add-to-cart rates increased by 35% and overall conversions increased by 22% on pages that use 360-degree product photos.
2. Photos Create Memorable Visual Presence
Every product has a story behind it. And the stories are implanted through photos and ads. If there were just the texts, there would have been a high probability that these were forgotten. But the visual elements attached the texts within minds.
The lighting effect and the gradient mixture fill the photo and give it a new meaning. From the customer's perspective, product visual quality means more to them than descriptive details. 75% shoppers make decisions to purchase a product only by seeing the photo. That's why consistent photo editing can increase e-commerce sales over time.
3. Aligning Visuals proof of Professionalism
Brand alignment is a must to create Professionalism. Professionalism comes through 3 things.
- Color Palette Selection- If you view ads and pages of popular e-commerce sites, you will see each brand has a specific color preference. Whatever they do remains inside the boundary. When consumers see this color, they remember the brand instantly. It stays in the subconscious mind.
- Product- The focus on the object they are trying to promote and create a high contrast between their brand colors. It hits the conscious mind. It can be a logo or their tagline.
- Compact Usage of Text- They do not overflow the photos with text. They write just the core message in a few letters. There are also fonts in different sizes to create a visual hierarchy. Sometimes, they will just use initials of letters to give ideas about the brand, too.
These three combinations tell how professional you are about your brand. And these three messages clearly portray how brands get photo editing benefits.
Products that contain images have 94% more exposure to buyers.
Things to Consider While Working with Photo
1. Colors are Everything
Before sitting in front of the computer, the first advice is to sit with Colors. No matter how many effects you have mastered or how many templates you own, the basics are in color. Each color has a meaning. Colors evoke emotions. When I say green, I mean nature. I say blue, you say sky or cold. I say red, and you think of it as angry or hot. We have a psychology of color in our mindset. Luxury brands go for Black and White; Food brands go for Red, and Healthy brands vouch for Green. I hope you are getting the point. Understand how gradients work, and how combining colors creates colors. The color gradient is pretty sensitive and if you hand over a project to an inexperienced guy, the result might be pretty awkward.
2. Focus on a certain style
Every business has a particular brand style. Choose a style and be consistent with it.
Just as your business has a brand style that customers come to recognize, your product images should also have a distinctive and consistent look. For example:
- A high-end fashion brand might use sleek, minimalist edits with soft lighting and a muted color palette to evoke elegance.
- A fun, quirky brand might embrace bold, vibrant colors, sharp contrasts, and dynamic compositions to communicate playfulness.
When your product photos consistently reflect this style, they reinforce your brand identity and make your business instantly recognizable, helping to build brand trust and familiarity with customers.
Challenges
- Time and Resource Intensive
Photo editing is a time-consuming process, especially for businesses with large product catalogs. Ensuring each photo follows a consistent editing style can take a lot of effort, which can slow down product launches or updates.
- Maintaining Quality Across Different Products
Each product type might require different lighting or background adjustments. For instance, jewelry requires precise lighting to show detail, while clothing might need to be shot against a consistent backdrop. Ensuring that all product types look cohesive while maintaining the integrity of the product can be challenging.
- Consistency Across Multiple Channels
Businesses often sell on multiple platforms - websites, social media, and marketplaces (Amazon, eBay, etc.) and each might have different image specifications. Maintaining consistency across these platforms, where image dimensions and quality standards vary, can take time and effort.
- Skill and Expertise
Achieving professional-level photo editing requires technical skills, especially when dealing with intricate details like shadows, reflections, or skin retouching in fashion photography. Only some businesses have access to a skilled in-house team or the budget for professional editors.
- Adaptation to Trends
The world of photography and photo editing is consistently evolving, with new trends and styles emerging. Sticking to a consistent style while still staying relevant to the latest trends can be a delicate balancing act.
Hacks:
- Create a Photo Editing Style Guide
Develop a detailed style guide that includes color schemes, lighting preferences, preferred filters, and editing standards. This guide will ensure that all team members follow the same process, making it easier to achieve consistency across all images.
- Use Presets or Batch Processing
To speed up the editing process, you can create presets in editing software like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop. These presets can automate color grading, exposure adjustments, and other settings, allowing for a consistent look without manually editing each photo. Batch processing tools let you apply these settings to multiple images at once, saving time.
- Outsource to Professionals
If in-house resources are limited, outsourcing to a professional photo editing company can ensure high-quality and consistent results. Specialized companies like BZM Graphics are experts in maintaining brand style across large quantities of images and can be more cost-effective than hiring full-time employees.
- Standardize Photography Equipment and Setup
To reduce the variability in images, ensure that your photographers use the same equipment (camera, lens, lighting setup) and shoot in a controlled environment. A standardized approach to photography ensures that less editing is needed later and that the product images align with the desired style.
- Use AI-Based Editing Tools
AI-powered tools like Luminar AI or Adobe Sensei can assist in automating specific editing tasks, such as color correction, skin smoothing, or background removal. These tools help maintain consistency while reducing the time and effort required for manual editing.
- Update and Refresh When Necessary
While consistency is key, its important to remain adaptable to evolving trends. Periodically reviewing your editing style and making slight adjustments to keep up with current trends can help maintain relevance without straying too far from your core brand identity.
Conclusion
Consistent photo editing creates brand identity and brand presence in the customers' minds. A consistent editing style makes your brand appear professional and reliable, which in turn builds confidence and encourages customers to make purchases.
When people recognize your brand and feel confident in what you're offering, they're more likely to buy and keep coming back. In the end, consistent photo editing isn't just about looking good—it's a smart strategy that helps increase conversions and grow your business.
We hope this article has provided a solid foundation. If you're ready to enhance your e-commerce visuals with consistent photo editing, contact BZM Graphics today.
