With the development of AI technology, product picture editing is going through a significant transition that is altering the creation and refinement of visuals in the fashion and luxury goods industries. Image editing trends are changing quickly as 2025 approaches, driven by new technologies, shifting consumer tastes, and an increasing emphasis on compelling visual storytelling. It’s more important than ever for firms to comprehend these new developments in product and image retouching if they want to stay ahead of the competition.

The field of photo editing is ever-changing. Thanks to innovative testing, culture, and technology, it is always changing. Several developments will take center stage in picture editing as 2025 approaches. They are driven by innovation as well as a desire for novel appearances. The top ten photo editing trends for this year and going forward are examined in detail here.

1. AI-Powered Image Retouching

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the field of image editing. In 2024 and going forward, AI-driven tools will not just assist but lead the way in product image retouching. These advanced algorithms can analyze images at a pixel level, offering automated corrections that previously required hours of manual work. AI makes image retouching faster and more accurate, from color adjustments to removing imperfections.

2. Hyperrealism in Product Photography

Consumers today demand authenticity, yet they are drawn to hyperreal visuals—images that are more real than reality. In response, image editing trends are leaning towards creating hyperrealistic visuals where every detail, from the texture of a fabric to the glint of a diamond, is enhanced. This trend in product image retouching involves meticulous attention to detail, ensuring that the product appears lifelike while still captivating the viewer’s imagination.

3. Sustainability in Visual Presentation

As sustainability becomes a core value for many brands, this ethos is also reflected in their visual content. In 2024, there’s a growing trend of using image editing to highlight sustainable aspects of products subtly. Whether enhancing the natural textures of eco-friendly materials or emphasizing the recycled elements in a product, image retouching often includes a narrative that aligns with a brand’s sustainability goals.

4. 3D and Augmented Reality (AR) Integration

Integrating 3D modeling and augmented reality into product images is another major trend. Brands increasingly use image editing to create 3D renders that can be explored in AR environments. This not only provides a more interactive experience for customers but also allows for a deeper engagement with the product. In 2024, expect to see more brands leveraging these technologies to offer customers a virtual try-before-you-buy experience, where image editing plays a crucial role in making these digital representations as accurate and appealing as possible.

5. Minimalism with a Twist

Minimalism continues to be a strong visual trend, but with a twist—brands now focus on a minimalistic style that highlights the product’s unique features. This approach in image retouching involves removing distractions and ensuring that the product stands out in its purest form. The key is to balance simplicity with striking elements that draw attention to the craftsmanship and design of the product.

Other Photo Editing Trends to Keep in Mind

Inclusive and Diverse Imagery

In 2025, the push for inclusivity and diversity is stronger than ever. This extends to the way products are presented visually. Image editing trends are shifting towards ensuring product images resonate with a broader audience. This means representing diverse models and backgrounds and tailoring the retouching process to reflect different skin tones, body types, and cultural nuances. Brands that embrace this trend in product image retouching are likely to build stronger connections with a more diverse consumer base.

Enhanced Shadows and Reflections

Lighting and shadows play a critical role in how products are perceived. In 2024, there’s a trend towards enhancing these elements in product images to create more dynamic and visually appealing content. Image retouching now often involves adjusting shadows and reflections to add depth, dimension, and a sense of realism to the product, making it stand out more vividly in a crowded marketplace.

Mobile-First Image Optimization

With more consumers shopping on their smartphones, optimizing images for mobile viewing is essential. This trend involves ensuring that product images are crisp, clear, and load quickly on smaller screens. Image editing in 2025 is increasingly focused on mobile-first optimization, where the retouching process considers the technical constraints and user experience on mobile devices.

5 Ways AI Will Affect the Future of Photography Editing

Artificial intelligence (AI) is going to drastically change the editing of photos in the future. Imagine a future in which your computer is able to comprehend the core of a shot and not only tweak its brightness and contrast, opening up hitherto unimaginable creative possibilities.

Read Also: 10 Benefits of Outsourcing Your Photo Editing Needs

Sci-fi no longer exists in this domain; AI-driven tools are transforming photo editing with automatic tweaks and cutting-edge functionality. We chatted with seasoned photographer Penelope Diamantopoulos, who comes from a family with a long history in the industry, to find out her thoughts on the impact of AI tools on photography and what she believes we may expect in the near future.

Significant improvements in photo editing have been made possible by AI, especially with regard to automatic edits. AI-powered programs are able to analyze photos and perform various upgrades, such as calculating the best exposure, adjusting colors, and adjusting shadows. With the goal of streamlining the photo selection and editing procedure, these technologies provide quicker, more personalized processing and modifications.

1. AI Photo Culling: Cull Images Quickly & Easily

Imagen’s AI Culling Studio is a new in-app solution designed for photographers to quickly cull photos with AI, review the results before accepting, adjust rankings if needed, and directly forward chosen photos for further edits with your Preferred AI Profile. This streamlines the post-production workflow from selection to editing – all in one app and allows photographers to significantly reduce time and effort on what’s believed to be probably the most tedious and time-consuming part of the photography post-production.

2. Automated Photo Editing: Impact on the Process

One of the key impacts of efficient automated photo editing is the reduction of manual labor and time-consuming tasks. For example, by delegating certain editing tasks to the Imagen AI Photo Editor, photographers can focus more on the creative and artistic aspects of their work.

Traditionally, post-production and retouching have consumed a significant amount of time for photographers. With AI automation, photographers can save time, allowing them to take on more projects and explore their creativity further.

However, Penelope raises an interesting question: how do these AI-powered tools differ from existing ones like Photoshop? She also notes that automatic photo enhancements made by AI may not necessarily align with her vision for the photo, leading her to manually correct them afterward.

3. AI’s Role in Creative Storytelling and Storyboarding

AI tools can assist photographers in creative storytelling and storyboard content creation by recognizing and analyzing various elements within photos. These tools can identify repetitive scenes, objects, colors, and even faces, enabling photographers to group and categorize their photos based on the story they want to tell.

AI can do more than just analyze photos; it can become a source of inspiration for photographers. For instance, photographers can input specific criteria, such as “blue” or “wall,” and the AI tool will filter and present relevant photos, aiding in the storytelling process.

Despite these advancements, Penelope underlines the importance of the human element in photography. The irreplaceable ability to capture emotions, expressions, and the connection between the photographer and the subject is something that AI tools should strive to enhance rather than replace.

4. Impact of AI Image Recognition on Managing Large Photo Collections

Managing large photo collections is a common challenge for photographers. AI image recognition technology can significantly enhance the management process by automating certain tasks.

With photo recognition algorithms, photographers can easily identify and organize photos based on their content. For instance, an AI tool can analyze a collection of thousands of photos and suggest the best ones, eliminating the time-consuming task of individually reviewing and selecting photos. This streamlines the process, enabling photographers to quickly identify the most impactful photos and focus on their creative vision.

5. Deep Learning Techniques and Real-Time Image Analysis

Deep learning techniques and real-time image analysis have the potential to revolutionize editing workflows for photographers. Real-time analysis, combined with deep learning algorithms, can instantly enhance the quality and efficiency of editing processes.

By leveraging AI’s ability to understand and interpret photo content, photographers can achieve optimal results in a fraction of the time. For example, real-time analysis can assist with exposure adjustments, reducing the need for extensive manual adjustments and providing photographers with immediate feedback on photo quality.

6. Enhancing Artistic Styles Without Losing Personal Touch

While AI brings significant advancements to photography editing, it’s essential for photographers to maintain their personal editing and artistic styles. AI tools should align with photographers’ preferences and enhance their vision, rather than replacing their unique perspectives.

By incorporating AI into their workflow, photographers can leverage its capabilities while preserving their individuality. Personalized AI assistants can learn and adapt to photographers’ styles, offering suggestions and enhancements based on their preferences.

However, Penelope raises a concern that after many iterations, AI might dilute or even lose the distinctiveness of a photographer’s personal style. This important perspective highlights the ongoing need to balance the benefits of automation with the preservation of personal style.

The future of AI in photography editing holds exciting possibilities. As AI technology continues to evolve, we can expect more intuitive editing commands, where AI systems can understand photographers’ needs and preferences without explicit instructions.

Imagine an AI photographer’s assistant that can anticipate your desired edits, saving you time and effort. While we may not be at the point of mind-reading chips in our brains, advancements in AI are moving us closer to a more intuitive and efficient editing experience.

In some aspects, the future is already here. For example, AI can be used to fix mistakes that cropped up during the shooting. Tools like Generative Fill allow you to cut out any unwanted elements of a photo and use AI to fill in the blanks and make it seamless. The process is incredibly quick; the tool will analyze the entire image, the tones, the colors, and the lighting, and use that information to guess what’s behind the object.

Tools like this have incredible potential to enhance the photographers’ work and make it easier at the same time.

Is Photo Editing in High Demand?

If you’re artistic, creative, and enjoy working with others, becoming a picture editor might be a very gratifying career. These experts typically produce photographic content for use in ads, newspapers, magazines, and other media channels. They operate in a broad range of businesses. It could be beneficial for you to find out more about photo editing if you’re thinking about going into this line of work. This post describes what a photo editor is, what they do, how to become one, and what kind of pay and employment prospects are typical in this industry.

A picture editor’s annual pay is $39,403 on average across the country. Depending on a professional’s industry, location, employment status, and amount of experience, their pay may vary. For example, the typical income of a freelance picture editor serving a small number of private clients may be lower than that of an editor employed by a large company in a lucrative industry like sports or entertainment.
Photo editors may be qualified for a range of employer-sponsored benefits in addition to their pay, including paid time off (PTO), retirement plans, flexible scheduling, health, vision, and dental insurance, and support for professional development.

Although exact employment data for photo editors is not available, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that employment for photographers, a related field, may increase by 17% between 2020 and 2030. With a growth rate higher than the average for all occupations, this field might see the addition of almost 18,900 new employment. Additionally, according to BLS projections, employment of camera operators and film and video editors—another occupational group closely related to picture editing—may increase by 29% during the same period.

There could be an increase in employment of 18,300 due to this growth rate, which is substantially higher than the average for all occupations. The BLS credits the growth of these two related professions to the increased need for experts in media content creation for online-only platforms. Due to the rising demand and changing landscape of digital media, picture editors may see growth in their careers comparable to that of photographers and video editors/camera operators.