Start A Photo Editing Business - Business Ideas

Updated: September 15th, 2022
Start A Photo Editing Business

Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.

Photo editing businesses edit and retouch existing photos for their clients. The service ranges from cleaning up image blemishes and lighting issues. The photo editing business can be a fun and rewarding venture. The profit margin largely depends on your target customers and your set rate.

If starting a photo editing business, conduct market research and ensure competitive rates to keep attracting customers.

Starting a photo editing business requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.

If you're interested in how to sell photo editing services, or selling photo editing services online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.

Want to learn more? You can check out our full guide on how to start a photo editing business ➜

Key Stats

market size
$10.9B
starting costs
$11.7K
gross margin
90%
time to build
210 days
growth
Word of mouth
business model
Subscriptions
time investment
Full time

Startup Costs

Min Startup Costs Max Startup Costs

Office Space Expenses

$0

$7,000

Employee & Freelancer Expenses

$150

$250

Website Costs

$223

$7,015

Business Formation Fees

$600

$4,700

Software Expenses

$162

$2,894

Advertising & Marketing Costs

$0

$1,400

Total Startup Costs

$1,135

$23,259

Successful Businesses

Business URL Rank

Photopea

photopea.com

1,455

BeFunky

befunky.com

3,583

Photo Retouching Services

fixthephoto.com

9,097

PicsArt

picsart.com

9,265

Clipping Magic

clippingmagic.com

9,990

PhotoFunia

photofunia.com

19,269

piZap Photo Editor & Collage Maker

pizap.com

21,154

iPiccy

ipiccy.com

25,814

inPixio

inpixio.com

33,754

Convert to Cartoon

cartoonize.net

41,155

Photo Editor

photoeditor.com

54,143

Pros & Cons

Pros Description

Flexibility

You can put as much time into the business as you'd like. If you like the work and have some initial experience, you can start small and manage all aspects of the business on your own.

Ability to start your business from home

It's not necessary to have a physical storefront or office space to get your business started. You can do everything from the comfort of your own home, at least in the beginning!

Little startup costs required

The cost to start a photo editing business costs significantly less money than most businesses, ranging anywhere from 62 to 23,259.

Rewarding work

Starting a photo editing business can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about.

Scalable

With businesses and processes changing daily, there will always be demand for new features, products and services for your business. Additionally, there are several different business models and pricing tiers you can implement that will allow you to reach all types of customers.

No overhead costs

To get your photo editing business started, there are no costs associated with overhead, storage, packaging, etc. This will save you a lot of time and money!

Cons Description

Crowded Space

Competition is high when it comes to your photo editing business, so it's important that you spend a good amount of time analyzing the market and understanding where the demand lies.

Longer Sales Process

A photo editing business can be a big time and money investment for your customer, so it's important you plan and predict a longer conversion funnel and stay in communication with potential customers.

Work can be inconsistent

As a photo editing business, the amount of work assigned to you and schedule tends to be more inconsistent, which may make your income less stable. It's important to set boundaries and budget accordingly based on the amount of work you plan to have.

Lack of benefits

With a photo editing business, you are typically self-employed and responsible for finding your own insurance, which can be quite costly and time-consuming.

Isolation

Often times, as a photo editing business, you typically work alone and do not have much face-to-face interaction with other team members.

Taxes

As a photo editing business, you typically pay self-employment taxes which can be quite high. It's important to understand what you will be paying in taxes each year so you can determine if the work you're taking on is worth it.