When it comes to your ecommerce store or marketplace, you know you need great-looking product photos. And your customers will expect to see them when they shop online. But outsourcing photo editing services can be tricky since you may not always know what type of editing will be best for your products.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to combine multiple photo editing services in one order. Not only will this give you ideas on how to enhance your product photos in post-production, but also help you save time and money by helping plan ahead which combination of photo editing services to order.
Background removal + drop or natural shadow
Clipping path is a popular method for removing the background from a product photo. You can then use the cut-out product with a different color background or repurpose it in other ways. But the problem is straightforward product cut-outs can look flat.
You can create a more enticing product photo with a natural or drop shadow. Electronics, accessories, furniture, food and drink, and many other products can benefit from the shadow effect to stand out against a white background.
There are other shadow types you might want to use, like a floating or an enhanced existing shadow—it all depends on the type of products you sell. Items that naturally hang, like earrings or ceiling lamps, work well with a floating shadow, and so do products with unique angles like the sneakers in the example below.
An enhanced existing shadow is great for keeping the shadow captured during the shoot, like in the example below.
Background removal + reflective shadow
If you sell products like jewelry, watches, perfume and cosmetics, you can add a reflective shadow after removing the background with a clipping path. With such a simple change, you can create a luxurious aesthetic.
The reflective shadow gives an impression of a reflective surface beneath products, like in a store with a glass, metallic, or acrylic display.
Background removal + color change
In ecommerce businesses that offer multiple product variants, reshooting inventory every time a new product color comes in stock can be time-consuming and costly. You also have to be mindful about getting the lighting and composition consistent, so all products look the same.
However, you can streamline the process by ordering a color change in addition to background removal. All you need is a single photo that showcases your product.
Our editors will then carefully edit the different shades for a natural look so your customers can toggle between colors and pick the product variant most appealing to them. We complete every edit by hand, no automation or AI here, so you can rest assured your colors look realistic.
Product listings aren’t the only place to use color change shots—make the most of them in other parts of your marketing. For example, you can create a collage or a series of individual images for social media showing all color variations of your product. Or add all the different product color choices on a leaflet or brochure to distribute to potential clients.
Background removal + drop shadow
If you sell clothing and accessories, you already know how distracting price tags and hangers can be. With clipping paths, editors remove any distracting elements from the photo and cut out the background so all your product images are consistent.
Include a drop shadow in your order to add dimension and subtle product separation from the white background.
Camera glare + drop shadow
You may come across distracting camera glare in your photos, especially if you DIY your product photography. This happens when the light reflects off surfaces like glass and metal and shines into the camera lens. The effect may work for some creative lifestyle or product shots but not for professional ecommerce images.
There’s a simple fix—you can order photo retouching to remove camera glare and add a drop shadow for a pleasing photo ready for use in online stores and marketplaces.
Wrinkle removal (fabric) + drop shadow or clipping path
Getting your fabric products ready for the photoshoot is not an easy feat—packaging and transporting them can add wrinkles and creases even with the most careful preparation. Products like clothing, accessories, decor, and furniture may end up with various blemishes during the transit and shooting process.
A wrinkle removal will take care of any distracting imperfections. You can then combine it with a drop shadow or clipping path, depending on image use. In an ecommerce marketplace like Amazon, the clipping path removes the background, so you can use a white one to fit the listing photo requirements.
If you want to keep the original background, add the drop shadow to the wrinkle removal order and elevate the image further.
Photo retouching + color change
Photo retouching is the first step to removing imperfections like fabric wrinkles, tags, and blemishes on your product photos. Using photo retouching does not change the product's appearance but enhances it to look professional and appealing to your customers.
For example, here, we first removed wrinkles from the model’s shorts while the rest of the photo stays the same. Then we added a product color change from brown to green.
Combining photo retouching with color change in the same order is useful if you have product variations in your inventory—it’ll save you reshooting the items.
With a lifestyle shot like this, it’s even more difficult to recreate the exact model’s pose and camera angle. In just a fraction of a second, the model’s facial expressions will change from one image to another.
But with color change, you don’t have to worry about that because all photos will look the same. You can order color change for products like clothing, accessories, jewelry, furniture, bedding, and others.
Ghost mannequin + drop shadow
Photos of clothing on hangers and mannequins don’t always do your products justice. To bring apparel to life, you can order a ghost mannequin service. Editors will remove mannequins or models (as well as the background) for a clean, cohesive look with an invisible model.
You can use ghost mannequin shots in different ways, but above all, this method will give cohesion to your apparel listings. To make the apparel look more realistic, add a drop shadow to your order, like in the example below.
Ghost mannequin + photo retouching (wrinkle removal)
You can’t always make products look perfect during the photoshoot, especially if you have a large inventory to shoot. If you order a ghost mannequin service to give the impression your clothing products are floating mid-air, you can also add photo retouching to make your apparel look its best.
Imperfections like wrinkles, seams, creases, stains, and loose threads can be hard to notice during the photoshoot, but editors can easily remove them.
How can you order multiple photo editing services for your products?
The combinations listed above are just some ways to mix and match product photo editing services from Path. To see the full list of editing services available, follow these steps:
1. Log in to your Path account. Or if you’re already logged in, click the ORDER YOUR EDITS button at the top right.
2. Select your first editing service from the list.
Clicking on the v arrow will expand the subcategories of each service. For example, after selecting the Clipping path, you can choose the edit complexity based on the type of products in your photos.
3. Select your second service. If you pick shadow, for example, you can choose different types of shadow edits—natural, reflection, existing, floating, or drop shadow.
Some services may also have secondary subcategories with additional options.
4. Repeat step #3 for any additional services. Click the ADD INFO → button (bottom right) once you’ve added all the services you need.
5. You'll be asked for editing turnaround time, any add-on services, and additional comments for your editor. Customize your order options accordingly and then upload your images.
Click UPLOAD IMAGES → to submit your image files, and then add contact information to receive the final edits. After you submit your order, you’ll receive your custom quote within 45 minutes—once approved, we’ll start working on them right away.
Read more about ordering multiple photo editing services on our help page or get a custom quote for your product photo edits now.
Professional photo edits for an ecommerce success
Without a doubt, photos are critical for selling products online. But achieving high-quality images takes time and effort.
Our Photoshop experts are all about saving you hours spent editing so you can get back to focusing on the things that move your business forward. Mixing and matching different types of photo editing services will speed up your workflow even more. No need to submit your order for each editing technique—we can do it all in one go and deliver them to you in as little as six hours.
Let us look after your image edits, so you can get back to the fun stuff. Try Path free.
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