Photos are one of the most powerful tools a real estate agent has at their disposal. They help to tell the story of a listing or a community.
Whether printed, uploaded to Facebook, or added to a blog, images add an appeal that words alone simply can’t.
The key to effectively using photography isn’t in the camera. It is the software you use to organize, edit and share your pictures that will make the difference.
Photo software comes in many forms. Web-based systems like Picnik.com and free programs like Picasa offer easy-to-use, basic photo management tools. Advanced users can use Photoshop CS5, but at a hefty price tag and a steep learning curve.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Splits the Difference
More robust than Picasa and easier to use than Photoshop CS5, Lightroom offers the best combination of organization, editing and sharing tools in one desktop application.
From camera to Facebook, this is the only program you will need for all of your photography needs.
Lightroom isn’t cheap ($299 retail price), but it is worth every penny. No other program offers such an easy to use interface with such powerful functionality.
Before you let the price turn you away, check out what Lightroom offers:
Import
Lightroom provides the ability to import photos from any device. Plug in a camera, memory card or USB drive and a step-by-step dialogue appears to walk you through adding the photos to your computer.
It evens allows for a second set of the photos to be placed on an external drive to make sure you never lose a picture.
Organize
One area that even the uber-powerful Photoshop ignores is photo organization. This is where Lightroom excels.
Lightroom organizes your photos into a library. From within the library, you can group images using collections, ratings, color-coded tags or by flagging important photos.
Create collections for each listing and rate each photo to identify the best images for marketing materials.
Edit
Touching up photos is a breeze with Lightroom. Start with a one-button auto adjust feature. From there, make simple adjustments to get the look you desire.
Cropping, rotating, red-eye removal, blemish touch-ups and more are simple tasks.
There are even preset filters to create effects like vintage photography with a single click.
What to see how your changes differ from the original photo, click the Before-and-After button and see the original and changed photo side by side.
The best part of editing photos in Lightroom is that it is “non-destructive” editor. That means that you never actually touch the original photo, you work with a copy of the photo. That makes it virtually impossible to ruin the original image.
Share
If no one ever sees your photos, they will never do your real estate business any good. Lightroom makes it easy to share your creations with the world. Options include:
- Export photos directly to Facebook, Flickr or SmugMug
- Optimize groups of photos for the web and export to a folder
- Slideshow capabilities for sharing on-screen
- Advanced printing options
- Export HTML for web galleries (for those of you without WordPress websites)
Other Features
Do you have 2 monitors? Click the second monitor button in Lightroom and double your workspace.
Still want to use Photoshop CS5 for extreme editing? Lightroom will export photos directly into Photoshop.
Worried about losing precious photos? Lightroom provides periodic library backups and can even check the integrity of your backup file.
MyTechOpinion
The modern real estate agent is rarely without a camera. That may come in the form of an iPhone, a compact camera, or an advanced dSLR.
With more photos being taken than even before, it is important to use a quality photo management tool like Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.
About Chad A. Johnson
Great article. You also need a good wide angle lens to shoot inside of the homes. A good camera certainly helps but fully understnd you article.
I know what you are saying about the wide angle lens. A small bathroom is impossible to photograph without one.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Justin Herring, Nufan Technologies, Real Estate Ninja, Keith Goeringer, The DeskFees Team and others. The DeskFees Team said: Check it out! – The Best Photo Solution http://bit.ly/eq5mhH [...]
I like to use Aperture, you can do so much with pictures with this program and even straighten out wide angle lens photos. This is by far my favourite program for photos.
I am a huge fan of Lightroom. What a wonderfully cheap, easy to use option with great results.
Can this program be used to edit video?
We're going to expand into videos this year and I'd like to find a good combonation editing program if it's out there. Any info would be appreciated.
Thanks-Mark
I don't know of any combined video/photo editors. The needs of a video editor is very different than that of still photo editors.
Actually, I use Picasa to edit both my photos and videos. It doesn't have the advanced features, but I have found it to have enough and it was free. I also like the library and album management of both my photos and videos. It also has one click uploading to youtube for video….
"The modern real estate agent is rarely without a camera. That may come in the form of an iPhone, a compact camera, or an advanced dSLR."
Great review Chad….However, it should be mentioned that if you are taking photos of a home with an iPhone the software you use will never make them REMARKABLE. You might make them good but the photo will never compare to one that was shot with professional equipment. If we all agree that photos sell homes shouldn't those photos be REMARKABLE….
Listing photos definitely require a quality camera to create a quality finished product.
The modern real estate agent needs to think beyond the listing when it comes to marketing, though. This will often include blogging and social sharing based on the community and the lifestyle of that area. In those cases, getting the picture photo is not as important as just getting a photo to capture the moment.
Whoow!..I don't know how to use tAdobe Lightroom. Great! New Tutorial And Tips.
Great photos can be the difference between selling a home or not. We picked up a dSLR last year and it has been worth every penny. Now I am trying to figure out how to edit photo when I don't get the perfect shot in the home. Thanks for the article.
Is there a short easy answer to the difference between Bridge and Lightroom? I hear great things about Lightroom but have grown accustomed to using Bridge and am pretty happy with it.
Bob,
I was a Bridge user until I read the Sitepoint book, Photography for the Web. In that book, they cover the shortcomings of Bridge and how Lightroom surpasses it. Haven't opened Bridge since reading that book.
Chad
For a free photo editor that rocks try pixlr.com. Edit your pics online for freeeeee! I couldn't see spending 300 clams for a photo editing program.
I use lightroom. I also use aperture. They are both great. Having a good camera and tripod are also very important. But the most important aspect of capturing great images is knowledge. Knowing what you are doing. The best advice I can give is to take some classes and learn how to take great pictures or hire a professional.
I have learned that just because you have all the right software and the right gear does not mean you will take great pictures. There is a great website http://www.photographyforrealestate.com. If you want to learn more about capturing great images I recommend to anyone that this should be your first stop. There is a whole lots more to taking pictures than meets the eye!
Fantastic article, thank you Chad! I am currently comparing Aperture and Lightroom right now and this helps tremendously. Especially the comments from everyone's experience.