Common Problems for Outsourcing Photo Editing

Outsourcing photo editing has become increasingly popular in the growing e-commerce market. Due to their benefits and investment-to-gain ratio, they are gaining the most popularity among photographers and e-commerce businesses.

But all benefits come with their challenges. While outsourcing photo editing is beneficial to enhance the appeal of your images, it’s not always smooth sailing. Some common hiccups can blur the picture-perfect results.

Here we will zoom in on those photo editing challenges and how you can overcome them.

What are the Problems with Outsourcing Photo Editing?

Why do businesses outsource their photo editing? Because of their price to benefit ratio, and specialised service. But there are some flows too. We are going to explore what challenges you are going to face to outsource your photo editing and how to win them.

Quality Control Challenges

Imagine you are sending off your business images to your outsourcing partner. But after your delivery date, you received images with inconsistent editing. The time you invest in it seems like a total waste.

Despite giving them detailed instructions, miscommunications can lead to missing the desired output. Your vision was vibrant colors, but your editor’s end result was washed-out, dull images. Or the desired mood for the image was lost.

Such inconsistency in the quality of images can feel like chasing a rainbow but ultimately failing.

Security Risks

In today’s time, data security is the most important thing for e-commerce business owners. But outsourcing sometimes creates vulnerability and casts a dark shadow over your creative works.

When you transfer files through insecure channels, it can expose your valuable work to unauthorised parties. Using less secure file transfer methods can cause this issue.

It opens the opportunity for them to snatch your precious assets in one go. You definitely wouldn’t want your work to fall into the wrong hands, would you?

Communication Barriers

Trying to explain your visions to any remote photo editors can sometimes feel like you’re explaining them to an amateur. Hard, But sometimes that’s the scenario for these outsourcing photo editing services.

Sometimes language barriers with the photo editors inject complexity into communications. Your explanations get lost in translation.

Also, factors like different time zones and narrow windows for real-time communication lead to delays in feedback and responses. Without clear channels of communication, collaborations seem like a never-ending process. It leaves both parties highly unsatisfied and misunderstood with the work.

Turnaround Time Issues

Delays in getting your hands on the edited photos can highly disrupt the flow of your creative performances in the online world.

Due to such a backlog of projects and inefficient workflows, you could miss deadlines. That makes your reputation go in vain and leaves your client unsatisfied with your work.

Not only that, you are also waiting for those edited photos to be put to work. The waiting process seems too long, keeping you in anxiety. You fall into the loom of uncompleted projects.

Your creative endeavours are now at risk of an undecided halt.

Hidden Costs

The picture-perfect colorful world of photo editing can come with the hidden costs. It can ambush e-commerce business owners and photographers like you.

When you are discussing your projects with the outsourced photo editors, you are being kept in the dark about the extra charge for revisions or any specialized edits. And when you receive the photos, it turns into a nightmare.

When you expect rush jobs from the editors, you are not expecting the additional fees because that was not part of the discussion before.

Such unclear pricing agreements can take a financial toll. It can jeopardise your whole profitability expectations from this project. Diligent monitoring of the project expenditure is important to avoid such situations. We will discuss more of it in the next part.

How Do We Overcome These Outsourcing Problems?

To overcome the outsourcing photo editing problems, here are some tips for you.

Communicate your needs

Clear communication is key when you’re working with an outsourcing photo editing company. It ensures your expectations and preferences are always aligned with the photo editing outsourcing partner.

Here, for effective communication, you can use mood boards or sample images. What they will do is help you convey your image preferences to the editing company perfectly.

Also, you can use project management tools like Trello or Asana. Or make sure the photo editing company has their customized project management tool. It keeps you on track with your project progress and helps you communicate with the outsourcing partner timely. 

You can also arrange weekly online meetings so you can always be in the loop with the editing flow. Schedule regular check-ins, provide feedback, and ensure they are aligned with the objectives.

Field of Specialisation

Before involving any outsourcing partner in your project, you must assess their expertise in this field. What you can do is dive into their portfolio and check out reviews. It will help you find loopholes, and you can ensure proficiency in their editing techniques.

Inquire about their previous works and experiences within your industry niche. The main thing is making sure they’re offering the right service for your particular needs.

Review Their Portfolio and Testimonials

Now review your outsourcing partner’s testimonials. Give a creative’s eye to their collection of edits, and examine each image. Here you are looking for consistency in editing style, attention to detail, and a creative touch. Look for the factors that make them stand out from others.

Ask What Photo Transfer Method They Use

Protect your sensitive data at all costs. You have to follow extra caution when sharing images with the outsourcing partner.

Choose encrypted file transfer services or utilize safer methods like cloud storage platforms. That way, you can ensure your data security.

When sharing images, establish protocols to safeguard sensitive data. Make sure both parties are following this and securely transfer files to avoid data breaches.

Consider Their Turnaround Time

Time is money, my mate! Set those deadlines and maintain project momentum. Make sure both parties are strictly following them. 

Prioritize tasks based on urgency and set clear guidelines for your outsourcing partner. Set realistic expectations so that workflows are maintained. 

Establish clear milestones to track progress. That will ensure you’re getting timely delivery of the edited images.

Compare Their Prices in the Industry

When selecting an outsourcing photo editing service, evaluate the pricing structure beforehand. Ensure competitive rates within your industry. 

You can request quotes from multiple providers, and compare pricing packages before selecting the one for you. You should select based only on the budget and what value they will give. 

Consider factors such as the expertise level of the service provider, turnaround time, and if there are any extra fees for rush jobs or special edits. Negotiate prices that align with your budget while maintaining overall quality.

Is There any Outsourcing Photo Editing Company who Ensures a Smooth Photo Editing Experience?

Certainly, there is. bZm Graphics is a photo editing company that has been in this industry for eight years. Their photo editing management is exceptionally smooth. They never miss deadlines and use secure servers and transfer methods. They keep you updated with the workflow and have been serving e-commerce and photo studio businesses for so long. They have become proficient at what they do. Working with them is a smooth experience.

Conclusion

In the end, we all agree that outsourcing photo editing has some tough parts. But if you can communicate well, keep the quality consistent while dealing with communication hiccups, and work carefully with editors, you can handle these challenges.

It’s all about being proactive and making sure everyone is on the same page.

So while there may be some bumps in the way, outsourcing photo editing is a great solution for photographers and business owners like you to get top-notch results!