Retouch 500+ Images In 2 Hours | Expedite Retouching Workflow
Internal systems and retouching workflow are the most crucial part of the PixelPhant team.
Because of this workflow, we are able to deliver a 2-hour photo retouching service. That too at 99.98% first time approval rate.
Today, we are sharing that exact workflow with you.
In this guide you’ll find:
- How are photos distributed among the team of retouchers?
- AI Tools, Plugins, & Scripts we use to deliver quality retouching
- How do we ensure consistency across the retouching team to match requirements?
- Role of Quality Check stations & Production Managers in timely delivery
We are also accepting beta users for PixelPhant’s post-production workflow management software. Our very own software automates your entire workflow. Everything from assigning images to quality checks.
We are also giving away a free PixelPhant Adobe Photoshop plugin for your team. Our retouchers have been using it for over two years to increase their efficiency.
Test our internal tools for your team. Sign Up & we will contact you with more details.
By the end, you will have every resource and strategy to ramp up your eCommerce post-production workflow.
Who can use Expedite Retouching Workflow?
PixelPhant workflow is curated for eCommerce studio teams. Teams that want photo retouching to be quick, without compromising on the quality.
It is fit for all sizes of post-production team. Sure, your outputs will vary depending on the number of retouchers. But the goal is to increase the rate of output from where it is standing today.
So, even if you have a two-person retouching team, our Expedite Retouching Workflow is for you.
With that doubt out of our way, let’s understand the requirements for achieving the fastest workflow and superior quality.
Requirements for Expedite Retouching Workflow
It is a quick checklist to retouch and edit 500+ images in less than 2 hours.
We are sharing our experience here. Please feel free to update this checklist according to your goals and team members.
Exact Specification and Expectations
PixelPhant’s dashboard thoroughly collects the editing requirements and shares them with our retouchers.
Also, during the free trial we motivate our clients to share any expectations they want our retouchers to keep note of.
Every feedback and correction we receive enhances the workflow. If necessary, the specifications are also updated to meet what’s expected.
If these are simple preferences, our production managers create a sample document with examples. It is then shared with retouchers to go through when starting with image retouching.
Shared network and System
All our retouchers work on a shared network that allows distributing images much easier. It is a local network, just for our team that ensures all files remain safe and within our local servers only.
We also use local Dropbox and Google Drive on the internal system to reduce any upload or download time.
Additionally, we use FTP and Amazon S3 servers for sharing files with clients, but those are specific requirements that we can skip here.
Talking about systems, all personal computers have capabilities to open, edit, save and close a file within seconds.
We also use various AI tools, scripts, and actions that we will be sharing further in the article.
Early on, we identified the importance of maintaining high-end PCs. It pays off when we are able handle expedited retouching for multiple clients at the same time.
Communication
As shared, with every order our retouchers have access to the exact requirements.
Additionally, production managers further communicate the expectations to bring all members on the same page.
Sample images of work, along with notes are always accessible.
For further communication, we use Lan Messenger. It’s easy to use, always available, and grabs the attention of managers when retouchers need them.
Along with the system, all retouchers communicate their progress automatically with our production manager using internal workflow tracking.
We have used this tracking to identify what steps need to be simplified to further accelerate our workflow.
Since we started using Tracker (PixelPhant’s Workflow Management Software), we no longer need Lan Messenger or additional tracking tools.
Training
PixelPhant retouching team is trained to deliver quality within seconds. From basic Adobe Photoshop training to retouching sprints with the experts.
Every retoucher in our team is trained to keep up with industry demand. PixelPhant is among the leading eCommerce photo editing solutions today. And that has been possible because of training and dedication of the team.
They also have access to a library of internal training videos to get specific results. And if they need any help, production managers are always around to assist.
Takeaways
- File upload and download can often take a lot of time. Sync your Google Drive and Dropbox with a folder on your PC.
- Teams use shared networks and local servers to transfer files.
- An optimal system for working plays a crucial role in boosting retouchers’ performance. Consistent training and growth of team members also play a crucial role.
Step-By-Step Workflow
You know who the workflow is for and what you need to deliver faster post-production.
Now, let’s go through PixelPhant’s Expedite Retouching Workflow in detail.
Update: PixelPhant has recently started using dedicated internal software to eliminate the steps of manually distributing, opening, closing, and tracking files in Adobe Photoshop.
Production managers have to simply select the folder and assign retouchers.
In moments, the files will automatically open in Adobe Photoshop of the retoucher. If they are assigned cropping, the file will close once the cropping is done. Next, it will automatically open in another retoucher’s Adobe Photoshop for retouching and closing once their assigned task is complete.
All this and more in a single software for your entire workflow.
If you would like to test this software for your retouching team, sign up today to join the waitlist.
Test our internal tools for your team. Sign Up & we will contact you with more details.
1. Reviewing RAW Files
The moment we receive images from clients, Product managers go through them at once.
Here, they want to ensure that the number of files is the same as what the client notified in the portal.
They also look out for corrupt files and ensure the folder is ready for the next step.
Production managers use Adobe Bridge at this stage. It assists in quick previews and helps sort files.
Once the initial check is complete, the files are sorted. Depending on the complexity of the work, images are divided among retouchers.
If there are complex editing requirements, the workflow is divided into smaller stages. Different tasks as assigned to expert retouchers for faster workflow.
2. Executing specifications
During execution, PixelPhant workflow works with both internal and external tools for efficiency.
We use AI tools, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Bridge, Plugins, Scripts, and Actions.
A broad idea here is, “Automation will execute, and retouchers will ensure quality.”
Our retouchers have two important responsibilities. Complex retouching and ensuring the automation is running tasks as per specifications.
PixelPhant’s Photoshop Plugin: Executes scripts, manages specification and optimizes your entire image retouching process. Sign up, and we will send you our internal team plugin with instructions right away.
Let’s go over different PixelPhant photo editing services. We will go over tools and steps our retouchers follow.
Here we are sharing them in order of work we do. Starting with background removal, and reaching Cropping while going through different services.
Feel free to optimize this workflow as per your team and requirements.
a. Background Removal
And as we know, it is among the few editing tasks that can be automated.
However, after testing almost every tool, we decided to create our own Background removal AI for product images.
It is available in the PixelPhant dashboard. You can use it to remove the background on bulk images without sacrificing quality.
Our retouchers use it for simple products (via PixelPhant’s Adobe Photoshop plugin).
However, whenever a customer needs selections (clipping path or masking), the team uses Adobe Photoshop’s Pen and Lasso tools.
b. Retouching
Retouching is the most important task that requires attention to details. To remove any dust and scratches, retouchers might use the Dust & scratch Removal filter by Adobe Photoshop.
But after testing various plugins, and AI tools, we continued with manual retouching. This is to ensure we achieve quality results consistently.
There are a few third plugins, but in our experience, they weren’t always up to the mark. We try them sometimes, but most of the retouching is still done manually.
c. Color Correction
After retouching, an image is moved forward for color correction. For a small batch that requires exact color correction, retouchers use Photoshop itself.
If bulk image color correction is required, they go ahead with Camera Raw Filter.
Adobe Lightroom is also used for color correction, especially when there are shaky images that need lens corrections, and much-advanced color correction for bulk images.
d. Shadow
Shadows are an important element of post-production. It is also among the services that have no tool to create accurate shadows as per specific requirements.
But our retouchers are trained in creating different types of shadows. Like natural shadow, artificial shadow, and reflection.
Depending on the requirements, these shadows are created alongside sample images shared earlier.
During QC, they are checked thoroughly to ensure the consistency of shadows is not lost in different product images.
e. Cropping, Margins, Alignment, Straightening
Once all creative work is done, retouchers (use PixelPhant Plugin or) run custom scripts to create margins, crop, align, and straighten an image.
With this script(/plugin), you can create guidelines and adjust your products accordingly.
You can run scripts for multiple images at a time and speed up your work at the final stage as well.
3. Quality Checkpoint & Formatting
At this stage retouching and editing work is complete. The files are forwarded to Quality-Check 1.
The role of the QC executive is to go through every single image and ensure:
- Retouching is done to match clients’ preferences.
- All specifications are followed across images.
- Consistency is maintained across images.
If any corrections appear, the file is either sent to the retoucher or edited on the spot, depending on the task.
Adobe Bridge again comes in handy when going through multiple files for QC.
Once QC is complete, the executive creates all the file formats as required by the client. This, too, is done using PixelPhant’s Adobe Photoshop plugin.
The files are then arranged in a folder structure that clients follow.
4. Final Check
Finally, before sending the files, Production managers double-check the work.
The manager also ensures that all file formats are created and arranged according to the client’s folder structure.
After all this, the files are finally forwarded to the client for review along with any message the team would like to share via Production manager.
5. Automation
While steps 1 to 4 are done on a daily basis, step 5 of automating the workflow is done after three to four iterations.
Once the team is able to deliver consistently on clients’ expectations, the workflow is further optimized to automate a few minor steps.
Steps like creating different layers, renaming them, color correction, etc, are automated for bulk images using Adobe Photoshop actions.
For other steps, our team of developers creates internal tools and software to ramp up our speed.
Your Go-To Workflow
Our Expedite Retouching Workflow is built over years of interactions and nuances to optimize our system.
It is because of this workflow that we are able to optimize even simple steps of opening and closing an image. The idea is to reduce human efforts and use their creativity for optimum output.
We have already surpassed editing 3 million images, and are scaling consistently.
Take a free trial of PixelPhant services today and get first-hand experience. With no additional cost or subscription, we are the most efficient retouching partner for your eCommerce.
Create your account here, with no card required to sign up.
