As a small business owner, you will often find yourself having to learn new skills to be able to expand and enhance your operations, as hiring a professional tends to be expensive. Thankfully our modern era has made it easier than ever to do so, with both free and paid courses online in a huge range of skills. One such area that every self-employed business owner will come up against is social media marketing, where things like commercial photography can make a world of difference to your brand.

While there are many aspects to commercial photography that will require learning, one such area is the software used to process the raw photos. Being able to confidently edit photos after shooting them can take some of the pressure off during the taking of the photo, and can also allow for other additions like text and image overlays. There are many different types of software available for post-processing photography that’ll make your time in a rental photo studio Brooklyn (or nearby) that much more worth it.

Transferring from Camera/Phone to Computer

While there are apps you can use to process your photos on your phone, it’s better to do so on a computer due to the screen size and processing power. The first piece of software you’ll need to become acquainted with is that which you use to upload your photos from your device to your computer.

Phone to Computer

Depending on the Operating System of both phone and computer, you may need to use different pieces of software to achieve this.

Android to PC: Most non-Apple phones run using different iterations of Android’s OS. To transfer photos one simply needs to plug the phone into the computer using the USB port and open the Photos App.

iPhone to PC: Long-time iPhone users will be more familiar with using iTunes to upload photos from their phone to their PC, although the Photos App works just as well.

Android to Mac: Unlike PC, Macs require the installation of a dedicated application called Android File Transfer to be able to receive files through the USB connection.

iPhone to Mac: As with the PC, Mac has a built-in Photos app that can readily receive photos from your iPhone via a USB connection.

Camera to Computer

The Operating Systems of cameras are a lot more varied than that of smartphones, so you will need to install the appropriate software to do so. Many modern cameras include functions such as transferring over a WiFi connection, so be sure to read your user manual or search online for the best way to transfer photos from your specific camera to your computer. This will also vary between Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems respectively.

Post-Processing

Before you go running down to a photo studio Brooklyn or wherever you’re based, it’s important to have some idea of how you want the images to turn out. Post-processing allows you to modify the light, color, and shadows, as well as remove or add imagery as necessary, although you will still need the original photo to be close to how you want the final product to turn out.

Free Post-Processing Software

There isn’t much choice in the way of free post-processing software, as it is generally quite expensive to make. There are trials with major software providers, although these will come with heavy limitations and sometimes watermarks.

The best free post-processing piece of software is called GNU Image Manipulation Program or GIMP for short. The user interface is barebones and it doesn’t have as many features as it’s pricey counterparts but it is a great place to start learning to really maximize any time spent in a photo studio Brooklyn or elsewhere.

Paid Post-Processing Software

If you’re considering investing in post-processing software, one of the first things you may notice is the huge range of prices. There are cheaper pieces of software that offer the same functions as GIMP but with a more streamlined user interface, and then there are Adobe products that come at either a subscription or hefty one-off rate.

The amount of money you’re willing to spend on post-processing software should be informed by how much you’re expecting to get back out of the photos you take. If you’re learning post-processing as a hobby that has the potential to boost your business, then starting with a trial may be better than investing immediately.

Whereas if you can see how improving your photo quality will increase conversions and sales then a subscription may be a viable initial investment, especially when the yearly rate offers a discount over the monthly.