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When it comes to selling or marketing real estate, a picture is worth a thousand words — and potentially thousands of dollars in the property’s value. High-quality, professional photos are proven to engage more viewers, expedite sales, and increase the selling price of properties.

For many real estate photographers and agents, Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom are powerful tools that, when utilized correctly, can transform average photos into compelling images that drive property sales. 

If you are looking to enhance your skills to better market your listings, these 5 simple Photoshop and Lightroom edits will make your real estate photos stand out and help you close the deal.

Let’s get started!

5 Simple Photoshop Edits to Enhance Real Estate Photos

Here are 5 simple yet powerful Photoshop and Lightroom edits that can take your real estate photos from dull to captivating.

1. Object Removal/Decluttering

Clutter has a knack for stealing the spotlight in real estate photos, leaving them looking unrefined and amateurish.

Imagine gazing upon a serene garden, only to have your eyes fall upon a car awkwardly parked center stage. Picture a soothing living room, its calm marred by tangled television cords, or a luxurious kitchen whose granite counters are crowded with day-to-day cookware.

These scenarios are all too common in the world of real estate photography. To make matters more challenging, homes often come with their own set of quirks – like wall cracks or peeling wallpaper – that suggest a lack of upkeep.

Tackling these issues requires both an artistic eye and a touch of digital artistry – something that can be achieved with tools like Photoshop.

With the help of Photoshop’s ‘Clone Stamp’ or ‘Healing Brush’ tools, you can easily erase those pesky distractions, such as wires, pet toys, or any other objects that might detract from the photo’s appeal.

To learn how to use the Clone Stamp Tool to declutter your images, watch this tutorial video on how to remove cords in Photoshop:

Additionally, in this video tutorial, you can learn how to use the Healing Brush Tool together with the Clone Stamp Tool to remove a car from the driveway:

2. Perspective Correction

In your photos, it can often seem like straight lines have a life of their own – curving and slanting inwards as if they’re converging in a warm embrace.

Several factors contribute to this phenomenon: the inherent curvature of your camera lens, the shape of the area being photographed, or perhaps just a slight tilt of the camera when the button is pressed. This results in those unwelcome distortions that photographers dread.

But fear not! There is a solution in the realm of photo editing, commonly known as vertical line correction. This technique works like post-processing sorcery to rescue your images.

For those who specialize in capturing buildings and interiors – the unsung heroes of real estate photography – this tool is not just useful; it’s essential. 

Applying it to your images straightens those skews, ensuring each line is as true as a plumb line, from corner to corner of the photo frame. This tutorial video shows you how to straighten verticals in Photoshop:

3. Sky Replacement 

Under a clear sky, the colors of the environment pop, making real estate photos truly eye-catching and inviting. But when overcast conditions take over, even the most stunning homes can lose their luster, appearing flat and unwelcoming.

Yet, these moments are ripe for imaginative solutions. The advent of modern editing software means that swapping out a dreary backdrop for a vibrant sky is not just doable; it’s pleasantly simple.

Honing this skill can transform standard real estate photos into unforgettable showcases.

By becoming adept at sky replacement, photographers are empowered to:

  • Magnify the charm of the property, ensuring it shines amidst the competitive hustle of the real estate world
  • Add a touch of brightness to images, fostering an inviting and cozy feel
  • Attain unmatched versatility, no longer at the mercy of unpredictable weather or specific times of day

With the prowess of programs like Photoshop, what were once dim, uninspiring skies can now be reimagined into expansive azure backdrops, aglow with the warm hues of perpetual summer days.

To learn how to transform dull winter skies into bright and inviting ones, check out our video tutorial on how to replace a winter sky in Photoshop:

In contrast to a winter sky, here’s another tutorial video on how to replace a summer sky in Photoshop instead:

High-Quality & Consistent

Real Estate Photo Editing

Hire a dedicated editor with performance metrics from $7/hour.

4. Day-to-Dusk Editing

Transform daylight scenes into captivating twilight captures by dimming the sky, illuminating both interior and exterior lights, and infusing the scene with cozy, warm hues.

Creating a twilight ambiance showcases a property’s lighting in the best possible light, magnetizing potential buyers with an inviting glow.

While transitioning the sky to a dusk setting is a known tactic, many overlook the importance of adjusting a home’s lighting; it’s crucial for ensuring the property stays in the limelight.

You don’t want the allure of a stunning sky to detract from the real subject you’re marketing. It’s essential to maintain the balance that keeps the property as the image’s centerpiece, captivating your audience’s interest exactly where you want it.

To learn how to do this effectively, check out our video tutorial on how to edit a day to dusk image:

5. Lawn Enhancements

A lackluster lawn can severely undermine the charm of an otherwise stunning residence.

Fortunately, a lively and verdant lawn is just a few adjustments away with some simple Photoshop edits.

By tweaking saturation and luminance settings, you can revive a lawn that’s lost its luster, transforming it into a lush, vibrant backdrop that enhances your home’s curb appeal.

With tools like Photoshop at your disposal, not only can you restore your lawn to its green glory, but you can also refine the overall look of your property’s landscaping in your photographs.

To learn how to create a beautiful green lawn, check out our video tutorial on how to make grass green in Photoshop: 

Is Real Estate Photo Editing Really Necessary?

In 2022, 99% of homebuyers used the Internet to search for homes. Additionally, homes with impressive listing photos receive 47% higher asking prices per square foot. 

Captivating real estate imagery is vital in grabbing the attention of buyers scrolling online, ultimately aiding in selling properties.

Even the most skilled photographers need to refine their shots post-shoot. Conditions such as poor weather, intrusive artificial lighting, and the presence of personal items can diminish the aesthetic appeal of your pictures.

As a professional in real estate photography, your expertise isn’t confined to taking pictures. You’re tasked with creating and delivering pristine, carefully refined images that draw in viewers and encourage them to discover more about the property.

Mastering color correction is a game changer, transforming decent photos into exceptional ones. It’s essential to know how to balance whites properly, boost colors to the right degree of vibrancy without going overboard, and achieve true-to-life hues.

Employing these techniques serves to represent properties in the most flattering way, communicating the real look and feel of a space while attracting prospective buyers.

High-Quality & Consistent

Real Estate Photo Editing

Hire a dedicated editor with performance metrics from $7/hour.

Leave the Editing to the Photoshop Experts at PhotoUp!

Refining photographs in the real estate sector can often be a laborious process, where the fine line between charm and realism demands a significant input of effort and time.

Time, being incredibly precious pushes many expert photographers and firms to offload this element of their workflow to those who specialize in it.

And that’s precisely where the strategic decision to outsource real estate photo editing becomes a pivotal move.

Introducing PhotoUp—your reliable ally that shoulders the meticulous job of real estate photo editing, so you can dedicate your attention to capturing breathtaking real estate imagery.

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!

PhotoUp’s team of editors can handle any editing job — big or small, complex, or simple. 

Plus, our pricing is also affordable, with most photo editing services starting at only $1.10 per image depending on your subscription. 

Dedicated Photo Editing

We also offer dedicated photo editing services. A dedicated editor learns your style and approach and provides consistency while improving turnaround times. 

Browse Top Dedicated

Real Estate Photo Editors

Ready-to-hire editors for real estate photo editing, video editing, and more.

You’ll also be surprised at how dedicated photo editing can save you money. 

Consider this –  on average, a dedicated editor outputs 1,800+ edits per month, at a final cost of $0.72 per edit. We have even seen $0.50 per edit. 

Working with a dedicated photo editor is not only affordable, but it will save you countless hours while also boosting your image quality!

Full-Service Real Estate Marketing Partner

On top top of that, PhotoUp does much more than just real estate photo editing. We are a full-service real estate marketing partner and also offer powerful marketing tools such as:

How to Get Started

To get started with PhotoUp is super easy!

All you need to do is sign up for a free PhotoUp account. This will give you access to our user-friendly photo management system where you can upload photos, provide instructions and feedback, and lastly download your beautifully edited images.

PhotoUp Real Estate Photo Editing Uploader Demo

For more details, have a look at our real estate photo editing uploader demo:

As simple as that! So, don’t wait!

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

We hope this guide helped you learn 5 simple and powerful Photoshop edits that will greatly enhance your real estate photography. If you found this guide useful, 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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