In real estate photography, post-processing plays an integral part. This is the stage where you beautify your images, remove blemishes, improve saturation, and more. Gone are the days when the photo editing process was dominated by a few Photoshop-using professionals. With the abundance of photo editing software in the market, real estate agents can take the process into their own hands now. Here are a few features you should be looking for while choosing your photo editing program:

• The program should have tools to satisfy all your photo editing requirements.
• It should have a library of elements, filters, and effects for you to pick from.
• It should have a comfortable user interface, suiting your knowledge and expertise in photo editing.
• It should easily facilitate the import and sharing of photos.
• It should be pocket-friendly.

Top Photo Editing Programs For Real Estate Agents

Here are the top photo editing programs that are recommended for real estate photo editing.‍

1. Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is easily the most prominent photo editing program in the market. Touted as the best editing software, Photoshop is curated for professionals with all advanced tools in one bundle. Here are some pros and cons about the photo editing software that could help you form an opinion:

Pros

• Photoshop’s layers palette made the program an overnight star in the industry. This remarkable tool allows users to independently design various elements of the document and layer them up in the order of display
• The cloning tool and retouching tools such as stamp tool, healing tool patch tool, and redeye tool are excellent and have significantly reduced the manual work of editors.
• The program works fast on images of large size
• It allows the easy transfer of files between different programs
  

Cons

• Photoshop is designed for professional photo editors, so beginners may find it difficult to use.
• At $9.99/month, Photoshop is expensive.
• The program is heavy on your device and consumes a lot of space.
  

2. Snapseed

Snapseed is a user-friendly photo editing program that encompasses a slew of tools to create inviting property photos. This powerful toolkit can be an asset for any real estate agent. Available in iOS and Android, this tool can improve the overall look and quality of your photos.

Pros

• Snapseed comes with professional-grade editing tools and presets that are perfect for amateur photo editors.
• When compared to the expensive programs out there, this photo editing software is free to use.
• Snapseed has in-app tutorials that train beginners for different styles of photo editing.
• It is a tried and tested program by amateurs and professionals alike.
• Snapseed is ad-free, thereby saving you from the distractions of pop-ups.
  

Cons

• Even though it is user-friendly, Snapseed requires a certain level of experience to use it to the fullest.
• The save options could be better. So you need to be vigilant about saving your work.
  

3. Adobe Lightroom

Lightroom is another powerful photo editing program from the Adobe family. Being a breath of fresh air from Photoshop’s complicated user interface, it is perfect for real estate agents who are on the lookout for a simple and capable image enhancement tool.

Pros

• Lightroom’s adjustment brush, radial, and gradient tools are popular among photo editors.
• Editing is non-destructive and syncs quickly with numerous devices.
• Lightroom is easier to grasp than Photoshop.
  

Cons

• Lightroom is primarily meant for image enhancement. So, it lacks graphic design elements like making collages and adding text.
• Absence of blend modes and layers, unlike Photoshop.

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4. PicMonkey

For those agents on the lookout for a user-friendly real estate photo editing program, PicMonkey is an excellent option. It is recommended for beginners who would like to refine their photo editing skills. What makes the photo editing software stand out is its straightforward user interface, which is easier for those daunted by complex programs.

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Pros

• It has a plethora of templates and filters to choose from.
• PicMonkey’s exclusive touch-up tools can be used to enhance either your entire image or a specific part of it.
• There is a large selection of graphic design tools available
• PicMonkey is optimized for both iPhone and Android smartphones.
  

Cons

• You need the paid plan starting at $7.99/ month to access its best features
• At times, the program tends to freeze and you may lose your work.
• PicMonkey is not fit to work on multiple devices at the same time.
  

5. Canva

As a real estate agent, you will need to design a bunch of properties such as graphics and logos. Canva can be the perfect substitute for your professional design needs. Its drag and drop editor is user-friendly and facilitates in creating flyers, social media posts and stories, posters, and much more.

Pros

• Canva has a massive library of images, templates, and icons to create visual content.
• It stores your work in the cloud.
• Canva is a photo editing software that allows your images and designs to be shared with others in your team.
• You can save your images as png, pdf, jpg, svg, MP4 video, or gif.
  

Cons

• Canva has capped the number of free elements users can use without a watermark.
• The recently introduced online presentations and websites options could be improved as their user interface is difficult to navigate.
  

6. PicsArt

PicsArt is a mobile-friendly photo editing program that can be used to quickly edit, create, and share real estate photos. The fact that this app has been downloaded more than 100,000,000 times speaks volumes about its popularity.

Pros

• Its photo mixing feature enables users to merge two photos together to layer and remix images.
• It allows live effects to be added to images, along with stickers, clipart, etc.
• It is extremely user-friendly and is called ‘Photoshop on your phone.’
• Multiple users can collaborate in real-time and edit a single picture.
  

Cons

• PicsArt has a reputation of crashing at times and is slow to follow user’s commands
• Photos from PicsArt deplete in clarity after exporting.
• Pictures edited on PicsArt cannot be shared on most social media platforms.
  
  

Comparison of top photo editing programs

Here's your one-stop comparison guide.

Now that you are familiar with the different photo editing programs available for real estate agents, choose one from the above list that suits your requirements, expertise, and budget, and turn your raw files into attractive real estate images. If you are keen to learn more about photo editing, check out photo-editing basics for agents.
Styldod is a design-tech company that aims to simplify real estate marketing and help agents present homes in their most favorable light online by reimagining and automating the listing photography process. Having begun as a virtual staging company, today, Styldod has affordable and best-in-class products and services for every facet of real estate marketing and photography. Styldod’s suite of services include virtual staging, image enhancements, floor plans, virtual renovation, 3D renders, 360 degree virtual tours, and Matterport virtual staging, to name a few. We're trusted by over 10,000 realtors from all over the US and from companies like ReMax, Coldwell Banker, Keller Williams. Know more about us at https://www.styldod.com.