People often think of photography as simply taking beautiful pictures and selling them as canvas prints and posters, but that’s only one part of the process. Before a stunning photo is released to the world, there’s usually at least one Photoshop editor who gets their hands on it.
Photoshop editors aren’t just hired to edit photos to make them look better, they also do a lot of simple touch-up work that would be hard to notice if you weren’t in the industry. If you’re interested in becoming a Photoshop editor, keep reading to learn more about the job.
Where You Work
As a Photoshop editor, you have a lot of different choices when it comes to your workplace. You can find a job as a photo editor with a newspaper, book publisher, website, magazine, or just about any other form of media you can imagine. As long as a business uses photos as part of its operations, it needs a good Photoshop editor.
The diversity in photo editing workplace options makes it a little bit easier to find Photoshop editing jobs. Not only that, but you also have your choice of very different work environments depending on what you prefer.
Getting a Job
If you want to start a career as a photo editor, the best first step you can take is to get a degree in photography or some other form of digital media. While some photo editing jobs don’t require a degree, many of them will, so it’s best to have one just in case. Plus, the experience and knowledge you’ll get from your degree are well worth it.
Once you’ve got a bachelor’s degree in photography, you have the choice of looking for a job or spending a few more years in school to hone your skills. This is the point where you would begin to specialize with your degree, which in this case would mean focusing on photo editing for your master’s degree.
Your Duties
As a photo editor, it’s not just your job to edit photos after they’re taken. As is often the case with literary editors, photo editors act as both the last set of eyes as well as the sort of team manager. Depending on where you work, it may be your job to decide what types of photos you need for a given project and instruct the photographers you work with to take that type of photo.
Of course, a large part of a photo editor’s duties come at the end of the process when the photograph is nearing publishing. Whether you’re working for a website, newspaper or magazine, it’s your job to make sure every photograph is high quality and adheres to any particular guidelines set forth by the publisher. If there are any problems with the photo, you’re expected to alter the photo to make it fit for publishing.
Being a photo editor might not be the most glamorous job in the media industry, but it’s an important one. If you’re looking for a career that’s rewarding, challenging and exciting, you might want to consider becoming a photo editor for a media publication.