Prices for professional photo editing will fluctuate based on the service type, the complexity of the image, the turnaround period and how many images are being edited. Today’s businesses place great importance on having good quality images available for use in some way, e.g., through e-commerce, real estate, fashion, etc.
Therefore, the need for professional photo editing has become an essential part of doing business rather than a luxury. Visuals Clipping uses a unique pricing system designed to maintain competitive pricing without sacrificing quality and consistency in delivering superior results to our clients.
While most photo editing and retouching services use a fixed price based model, the majority of professional photo editing services charge on a per-job basis allowing the customer to only be charged for what they actually utilize.
Typical Price Ranges for Professional Photo Editing
Photo editing can be found at many different prices due to the amount of work that goes into each photo. Less complex images would cost less to edit than professional photographs which would include more work.
| Service Level | Price Range (Per Image) | Key Features Included | Best For |
| Basic Editing | $0.30 – $2.00 | Background removal, color correction, cropping, and exposure adjustment | Standard E-commerce, Bulk catalogs |
| Advanced Retouching | $2.00 – $6.00 | Detailed manual retouching, brand consistency adherence | Fashion, Apparel, Model retouching |
| Custom Retouching | $6.00 and up | Complex object removal, skin retouching, creative compositing | High-end Real Estate, Jewelry, Unique projects |
The vast majority of basic editing services include color correction, lightening or darkening (exposure adjustments), cropping and removing backgrounds.
Bulk orders dramatically reduce the per-image cost for an image, allowing smaller companies to obtain high-quality images without the need to pay high-end editing costs.
Budget Editing vs Premium Editing: Cost Differences
Photo editing services come in many different forms and offer different levels of service and quality. Cheap/ Budget editing services may appear to be good options, but the reality is that these editing tend to offer limited services.
Cheap/Budget editing service typically include:
- Automated/Semi-Automated editing options
- Very few revisions
- Very often inconsistent results
- Little to no quality control.
Premium level editing service providers offer:
- Professional level manual editing performed by skilled editors
- High-level attention to detail
- Brand consistency adherence
- Quality control checks.
Visuals Clipping provides an alternative to the expensive luxury retouching studios by offering very reasonable pricing for premium manual editing, while providing quality editing services in a professional manner.
Also read- AI Vs manual photo editing
Pricing Models Used by Professional Photo Editing Companies
The price models that professional photo editing firms offer vary depending on how the client will utilize their services. The choice of a specific price model can greatly affect the overall amount an organization pays.
The most common price models are as follows:
- Per-image pricing is best for customers that have either small or varied projects.
- Bulk pricing is best for e-commerce customers and larger catalogues.
- Monthly subscription pricing is great for customers who have ongoing or continuous editing needs.
- Custom quote pricing is for customers with complex or enterprise-level requirements.
Visuals Clipping provides customers with numerous options for pricing, such as bulk discounts and custom quotes, which makes it easier for companies to plan for the increased level of usage without having to deal with sudden price increases.
Photo Editing Costs Across Different Industries – E-commerce, Fashion, Real Estate
Different industries have specific photo editing needs, which leads to differences in prices charged. One generic price won’t work for all areas of professional photo editing.
- E-commerce industry provides the following examples: Background removal, Color accurate, Shadow effects
- Fashion & Apparel industry provides the following examples: Model retouching, Fabric detail, Retouch consistency
- Real estate provides the following examples: HDR blending, Sky replacement, Object removal
- Product Photography provides the following examples: Reflection control, Shadow creation, Sharpness
- Marketing/Advertising provides the following examples: Creative enhancement, Brand styling
Various services specialize in the e-commerce and commercial photo industry by providing services that are optimized for those industries and meet their platform requirements. Examples of such platforms include Amazon, Shopify, and Magento.
How to Select the Right Photo Editing Service for Your Budget?
Finding the best editing service to use depends on what offers the most value to you rather than just how much it costs to use their services. The additional money that you may have to spend for editing can save you a considerable amount of time, reduce the number of revisions needed, and increase your conversion rates.
When looking for a photo editing company to work with, be sure to assess the following:
1. Editing quality and consistency,
2. Turnaround time guarantees,
3. Revision policies,
4. Data security and ownership of the images,
5. Response time for customer support.
Visuals Clipping offers fast turnaround times, reliable communication, and full ownership of visual assets so that all companies have complete control over their own images.
Conclusion
The price that you pay for professional photo edits is entirely dependent on your requirements, the number of images, and what level of quality you expect.
Even if the costs vary greatly, having a professional edit your photos creates value in the long term by increasing how people view your brand, boosting engagement, and improving your sales results.
Visuals Clipping provides you with a cost-competitive price for reliable, scalable photo editing. So if you’re looking to have all types of photo edits completed, you can feel confident that you’ll receive a high-quality product without paying premium prices.
In order to reap the full benefits of professional photo editing, you’ll want to be sure that you are considering the proper amount of effort for both the simple enhancement and complex retouching processes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Why does the price of photo editing vary so much?
Ans: Image complexity is the major factor affecting the cost. A simple background removal takes significantly less time than high-end jewelry retouching or HDR blending for real estate. Other factors include the volume of images, the turnaround time required, and the degree of manual detail.
Q2. Do you offer discounts for bulk photo editing orders?
Ans: Yes! Visuals Clipping specializes in high-volume processing. Clients with big catalogs (e-commerce, seasonal fashion, or large-volume real estate) are provided with high per-image discounts. Contact us for a custom quote to see how much you can save on bulk orders.
Q3. How do I know if I need “Basic” or “Custom” retouching?
Ans: Basic is best for standard e-commerce tasks such as background removal, color correction, and cropping. Custom retouching is necessary for complex object removal, skin retouching, or creative compositing. If you aren’t sure, we recommend using our free trial to determine which service suits your project best.
Q4. What is the average turnaround time for a project?
Ans: Our standard turnaround time is 12–24 hours. We also offer express delivery in as little as 3 hours for urgent projects. The exact time depends on the volume and complexity of the images.
Q5. Will I own the rights to the edited images?
Ans: Absolutely. Once the final payment is made, you will have full ownership and usage rights of the edited visual assets. Your data is highly secured and will never be shared with any third party.
Q6. Can I request revisions if I’m not satisfied with the price/quality?
Ans: Yes, we offer unlimited revisions to ensure the final product meets your brand standards. Our goal is 100% satisfaction, and we work closely with you to ensure the edits match your specific style guide.
