Photo Editing Made Easy

I know you don’t have time to learn about photo editing. I also know that you don’t want to spend any money on a photo editing program. Camera? Check! But after that? Eh … Many agents will just throw their photos into the MLS.

I would like to very humbly suggest that you spend a little time thinking about your listing photos.

84% of home buyers who used the Internet to search for a home found your photos “very useful,” according to the 2012 National Association of REALTORSR Homebuyers and Sellers Report.

Okay, you with me now?

Ribbet (strangely similar to the now-defunct Picnik) is a fast, free, and fun way to edit your photos. Fun? Oh yes, FUN with a capital F. U. N. Ribbet will let you do all of the basic edits you are used to: color correcting, cropping, resizing, and rotating. But Ribbet goes beyond that, allowing you to straighten your skewed masterpieces, add massive amounts of light and contrast, and apply more artsy effects than you can imagine (not to mention what it can do to your own business card photos). There are touch-up tools to make you skinny, whiten your teeth, remove your wrinkles, and give you a sunless tan. There might even be a plastic surgery tool, and by “might” I mean there definitely is … more than one actually.

Get started at?Ribbet's page (the service is free). You don’t have to sign up to start editing, but some of the more advanced editing tools will require you to sign up for a free Ribbet Premium account. Totally worth it in my book. All editing happens online in your browser and Ribbet will work on Macintosh and Windows systems. The best part about Ribbet? You won’t find an easier, more intuitive photo editing program for free right now.

Start by uploading a photo: Click on the big red “Upload Photos” button. Now, you might be thinking, “If all of the editing happens in my browser online, are my photos viewable by anyone on the Web?” According to Ribbet – no. Your photos are not public on the Web and you are not giving up your ownership rights to your photos even after using Ribbet. Read Ribbet’s privacy policy here.

You probably already understand the basic edits: crop, rotate, resize, and so on. But are you considering straightening, exposure, and clarity?

Is your photo slightly off? Maybe a tad more than slightly? Is it dangerously diagonal? No worries — simply use the straightener to get your picture back on a level playing field. You can access this feature through the “rotate” button under the “Basic Edits” tab.

Shine some light on those listing photos! Adding light is one of the best corrections you can do to your real estate images. Click on exposure and use the sliders at “highlights, shadows, and contrast” to play around with the exposure to see how different the listing looks with better light.

Are fuzzy photos your issue? Consider trying the clarity feature under “sharpen” under the “Basic Edits” tab and sharpen things up a bit. If the image is too out of focus, it’s best to retake the photo.

Photo effects are all the rage these days (think Instagram), but I will caution you on using the effects with your real estate photos. Ribbet “effects” include multiple options under the headings Basics, Filters, Camera, Color, Area, Artistic, Misc., and more. Effects can be impactful when they are used with purpose.

The “Touch-Up” tab is where you’ll have the most fun. Upload your own business card photo and try out your touch-up options. The new “plastic surgery” touch-up will actually let you turn a frown into a smile, pull those baggy eyes up, and bring sagging cheeks and neck back. To really make your eyes pop, try the “mascara” touch-up and use a light mouse. Use the “wrinkle remover” to erase the lines around eyes and mouth and “airbrush” out any inconsistencies in the skin. “Insta-thin” will let you get skinny without making the photo look silly and stretched. Need to add hair? “Cloning” will allow you to capture part of the image and duplicate in other areas of the photo.

As a Facebook and Flickr Pro user, I love the integration that Ribbet provides. I can edit my photos and save them exactly where it makes sense for me. You have to click “save photo” to begin editing the next one. If you upload several photos at once, you’ll be able to view them by clicking on the “Library” tab and double-clicking on the photo you wish to edit next.

I have not found a better free photo editor. Ribbet does way more than I need or would even expect of a free program.

Stefanie Hahn is the education director for Coldwell Banker Hearthside, REALTORSR in Collegeville, Pa. Visit her Web site: http://www.stefaniehahn.com/.

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