Are you looking for some cool and trendy real estate photo editing tips to help you create eye-catching images?

Real estate photo editing is crucial to make a property look more appealing. In today’s competitive real estate industry, it’s important to stand out from the crowd, and stunning images are a surefire way to do just that. 

In this post, we’ll share 6 cool and powerful real estate photo editing tips that can help you take your images from dull to captivating masterpieces.

Let’s get started!

6 Cool Real Estate Photo Editing Tips & Tricks 

Here are 6 unique and cool real estate photo editing tips that can make your images stand out and grab potential buyers’ attention.

1. HDR Editing

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. And when it comes to property photography, HDR can bring out every detail of the image, from the highlights to the shadows, making the image look realistic and eye-catching. 

This editing technique is done by merging multiple images of different exposures into one image. Often you shoot 3 to 5 exposures that are blended into one final image. 

The blending process can then be done manually in Photoshop or with the help of automated tools such as Photomatix, Aurora HDR, and Luminance HDR

This video will help you get started with HDR editing:

Better yet, if you don’t know how to use these programs or don’t have the time for post-processing, PhotoUp’s expert photo editors can help blend bracketed photos for you.

2. Virtual Staging

Virtual staging is the process of adding virtual furniture to an empty room in a photograph. 

It can also be used to declutter images, make virtual repairs, or improvements to the landscaping.

This powerful technique can help potential buyers envision themselves living in the home. It can also give them an idea of the property’s potential, which can lead to a faster sale at a higher price.

Virtual staging creates highly realistic images of a given space by changing such things as:

  • Flooring and carpeting
  • Paint colors and wallpaper
  • Window treatments
  • Furniture, decor, and wall hangings 

Not only is this digital form of staging up to 97% cheaper than traditional home staging. But it’s also much faster with a turnaround time of 24 to 48 hours.

Additionally, virtual staging allows for added flexibility that simply isn’t possible when physically staging. For example, with physical staging, you’re limited to selecting only one aesthetic or design style.

Yet with virtual staging, you’re able to showcase the home in several different styles and designs, finding ways to appeal to different buyer target audiences.

It also allows buyers who are social-distancing to have the benefit of still being able to visualize a home and the future possibilities of the space. 

Virtual staging can be done by using software such as Adobe Photoshop or you can outsource it to service providers like PhotoUp who offer professional virtual staging.

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3. Sky Replacements

A dull sky can be a deal-breaker for many potential buyers. Sky replacement is a technique that can make a mundane sky look more vibrant and appealing. 

By replacing a dull sky with a more colorful and impactful one, you can make your images more engaging and create the desired visual impact. 

For more details, you can watch this video tutorial on how to replace a winter sky in Photoshop:

You can even take it one step further by using Twilight editing to create romantic, mysterious skies during sunset or sunrise with warm interior lighting, which is very appealing to viewers. 

In fact, having a Twilight image as the listing’s main photo averaged 76% more views than listings without the use of Twilight images. That’s a lot of extra eyeballs on your listing.

Research also shows that when Twilight photos are utilized, Twilight usage overwhelmingly leans towards higher priced homes with 59% towards homes $500k+, 32% for homes $300-$500k, and 8% for homes $100-$300k.

So, if you want to make your real estate photography more luxurious and sell your listing at a higher price, this is the way to go!

Overall, this technique takes the ordinary to the extraordinary and turns your real estate photos into something buyers truly won’t forget and want to pay premium rates for. 

Sky replacements and Twilight editing can be quickly done with the help of software such as Luminar, or Photoshop, or by outsourcing the editing to a professional real estate photo editing service.

To learn more, this video shows how to do Twilight, also called day-to-dusk editing:

4. Object Removal

When it comes to real estate photography, taking the time to remove unwanted objects from your images can truly bring out the best in a property. It’s all about presenting the home in its most favorable light, especially when you’re looking to sell it.

By decluttering your photos, you create a sense of space, cleanliness, and overall appeal that can catch the eye of potential homebuyers. 

This technique redirects their attention toward the property’s unique characteristics, such as its layout, architecture, surroundings, and decor.

Moreover, removing unwanted objects lends a neat and organized look to the home, which is particularly crucial when you’re showcasing it for sale or rent. 

Essentially, it helps to depersonalize the space and make it more appealing to a wider audience. Removing these distractions can help potential buyers focus on what matters most – the property. 

Object removal can be done manually at the photo shoot or in post-processing. 

To learn more, you can check out our tutorial on how to remove unwanted objects using Photoshop or watch the demo video below:

5. Color Correction

Even though this seems like basic editing, color correction is essential for creating beautiful and visually appealing property images. 

Often, images can have a color cast that makes them look dull and unappealing. To learn how to remove color cast in your images, you can watch our short video tutorial:

Overall, correcting the color balance and saturation can make images look more vibrant and dynamic.

6. Panorama Stitching

A panorama is a wide-angle view of a scene made up of multiple images stitched together. 

This technique can help capture the entire property in a single image, making it more engaging for potential buyers. 

To create a panorama, you can use software such as Adobe Lightroom or PTGui.

But an even easier option is to let PhotoUp do it for you!

Panorama Stitching by PhotoUp
Panorama Stitching by PhotoUp

PhotoUp offers pano stitching for aerial or ground panoramic image groupings at the affordable cost of 5 credits (about $5) per final edited image for groupings of up to 20 frames per final image.

And that’s it!

These 6 unique real estate photo editing tips can help you create stunning and captivating images, attract potential buyers, and stand out in the competitive real estate industry. 

The right combination of these techniques can transform an ordinary image into an extraordinary one. 

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Let the Experts at PhotoUp Help You Edit Your Images!

Remember, quality images can make a world of difference when it comes to creating stunning images, and investing in professional real estate photo editing services can help you achieve your desired results. 

PhotoUp is an excellent option for real estate or architectural photographers looking for an affordable yet highly skilled photo editing service. 

Based in the US and with additional offices in the Philippines, we offer a full range of services to cater to all your photo editing needs, including:

  • Brightness and color correction
  • Vertical lines adjustments
  • Advanced object removal
  • Day-to-dusk conversion and Twilight editing
  • Lawn greening and sky replacements
  • HDR editing
  • Manual blending
  • Flambient editing
  • And much more!

But our services don’t stop there… 

Custom House Portraits by PhotoUp
Custom House Portraits by PhotoUp

PhotoUp is a complete one-stop shop real estate marketing firm and also offers additional services like:

PhotoUp’s team of editors can handle any editing job — big or small, complex, or simple. And our pricing is also affordable, with most photo editing services starting at only $1.10 per image depending on your subscription. 

All you need to do is sign up for a free PhotoUp account, place your first order, and your professionally edited images will be delivered back to you in less than 24 hours.

PhotoUp Real Estate Photo Editing Uploader

To see how easy it is to get started using our software, you can check out our real estate editing uploader demo:

As simple as that!

Sign up for a free PhotoUp account today, and give PhotoUp’s professional real estate editing service a try! For a limited time, we even offer 10 free edits when you sign up for an account.

We hope this blog post provided you with some useful real estate photo editing tips and tricks to create stunning images. Before you go, you may also want to check out some related resources:

Stina Pettersson

Professional Blogger

Stina is an entrepreneur, digital marketer, and professional blogger who's passionate about real estate photo editing, being outdoors with her pup, and sweaty gym sessions. She loves the written word and has been writing for publications like Forbes and Thrive Global. Originally from Sweden, she's called South Florida her home since 2013.

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