You can earn money online with Photoshop. With the advent and growing prominence of digital photos, earning money online with Photoshop has been made possible using photo-editing software like Adobe Photoshop which has grown in usage and popularity over time.
Photoshop as implied can be defined as a software package that takes all the powers of a professional photography studio and brings it into your own hands and onto your own personal computer.
Debuting way back in the dark ages of computers (1987), Photoshop has grown into the end-all be-all of image editing/manipulation/creation programs.
Photoshop has become so powerful, and its legions of loving users have become so skilled at using it, that photography, which is a medium that has long garnered a reputation of preserving facts, is now under question.
Images can be crafted and manipulated so skillfully with Photoshop that, in many cases you can’t tell an altered image from an unaltered one correctly.
Learning Photoshop to earn money online and at the same time achieve professional status, however, is not easy. The software to be used for seamless tasks is expensive and the learning curve is a quite steep one for beginners.
You really need to dedicate yourself to learning the ins and outs of the software so that you can learn how to make money with photoshop. More than technical proficiency, you need to be creative if you want to excel with Photoshop.
Nonetheless, learning to harness the power of Photoshop can be very rewarding. Mastering the visual graphics realm of Photoshop can provide you with livable income especially when you learn how to make money with photoshop by making website designs.
Strong editing and creative skills in Photoshop can open career possibilities for you through an online photoshop work job, whether you want to do it on a full-time basis or as a part-time business.
Be it big or small amounts, there are many ways to cash in on your creativity. Here you can avail yourself with some of the more accessible ways that ensure regular income with advice and real-world projects.
- Your Ultimate Guide to Making Money with Photoshop
- How much can you Earn from Photoshop?
- How to Sell Photoshop Textures
- Work from Home Photoshop
- How much Should I Charge for Photoshop?
- Learn how to make money with Photoshop by Making Website Designs
- How to earn money Online by Photo Editing
- How to make money with Adobe
- Can I work Online and Earn money in India?
- Photoshop Tutorials
- Can I Earn Money With Photoshop?
- How Much do Photoshoppers Make?
- Starting a Photoshop Business
- How Can I Learn Photoshop Quickly?
- How do I Become an Expert in Photoshop?
- How Much Should You Charge For Photo Editing?
- What Can I do With a Photoshop Certification?
- How Much Does a Photo Editor Earn?
- How to Make Money With Photoshop
- How I Can Earn Money From Photoshop
- Make Money Online Photoshop
- How To Make Money Using Photoshop
Your Ultimate Guide to Making Money with Photoshop
You can Freelance on sites like Upwork or Elance
It is interesting to note that no list like this would be complete if this wasn’t the first item suggested. While “freelancing” is certainly a cliche, it could be argued that, it’s a cliche for a reason. You can really make a lot of money on freelancing sites like Upwork and Elance to mention a few, especially if you are proficient in Photoshop.
It has been shown that hundreds of new jobs are posted to these sites daily by diverse customers, buyers, individuals, organizations, or even corporations and media sites, including a plethora of graphic design jobs that require Photoshop and the beauty is that you can work from home photoshop.
Freelance sites like those mentioned earlier get a lot of criticism from designers in the community. Frankly, one could not understand the reason why. However, it has been established that many experts or Photoshop professionals primarily make their living from these sites, specifically from Upwork (formerly Odesk).
Many experts in the field of Photoshop wrote great articles on the huge cash cow that these sites can be, provided you know the secret behind success there. It is highly recommended that, you take your time to read or access great resources about earning money online with Photoshop.
You can share many incredibly useful tips on how really the Elance/Upwork systems work in order to generate the most possible profit.
One of the reasons some people not using these sites more often is that, they give up too easily. When first starting out, you might get discouraged when you don’t get awarded a job right away and wondered if one can make money photoshopping hence, you may consider leaving the site.
The secret is perseverance. Don’t give up after the first declined job proposal.
- Tip #1: Before you sign up, really commit to giving it 100%. If you want to actually make money, you have to work for it. This means regularly checking for messages, applying for jobs consistently and doing a great job every time.
- Tip #2: Take time to really set up your profile. This is how your prospective client gets a first impression of you and it’s important to put your best foot forward.
- Tip #3: Spend time on your portfolio. Highlight your best work. Besides your profile, this is really where the client is able to judge your quality of work and decide whether he wants to hire you.
- Tip #4: As mentioned earlier, you really have to persevere for the first few weeks as a new user, since you don’t yet have any feedback scores. If you keep applying to jobs, though, I guarantee you will land that first job. Work really hard to please the customer and I am sure the customer will leave you a good feedback and everything will be easier after that.
You can Set up an Etsy store and sell your work there
It has been proven that Thousands of people regularly browse Etsy for invitations, stationary and custom party supplies. They are also searching for unique artwork they can purchase for their homes. Why not consider seting up an Etsy store and sell your work there?
The huge advantage of Etsy is that, once you create a product or design, you can resell it as many times as you need to. Simply post sample design products for sale and, once they are purchased, they are electronically downloaded to the customer’s computer.
Some good examples of Etsy stores
- Splendid and Sound – This store on etsy sells typographic artwork. Seriously, you might actually want a few of these!
- Boss Pigeon Creative – This store on etsy sells all different kinds of custom graphic design work.
- Cherry Pink – This store on etsy sells digital scrapbooking and design elements, such as digital paper and clipart.
This is certainly a thriving market to enter in to. But it’s also a very competitive one. If you want to stand out, you really have to think about whom your audience is, why and what you are going to be producing and how you are going to offer a unique advantage to your customers.
Understandably, this can seem completely overwhelming. There are so many different ways to make money on Etsy, it can be hard to decide which specific niche you are going to fill. However, you are not alone.
There are great articles and resources online that provide expert tips for selling graphic design on etsy. I highly suggest you check out for these types of resources and glean any possible tips you can from them.
Create and sell PSDs
According to the records, did you know that someone made $47,608.00 from selling one PSD template on Graphics River? The template he sold was a Responsive Sreen Mockup Pack and it got almost 6,000 sales at $8.00/sale.
This is just one of thousands of stories of people who made insane amounts of money from one or two PSD template.
Of course, this is an incredibly competitive market to begin selling in. There are hundreds of designers selling hundreds of templates. Below are three tips for how to really tap into the market.
- Tip #1: Sell PSDs that provide value to other designers. Using the example above, what did the designer sell? A responsive screen mockup pack. This has huge value to many, many designers, which are the target market of places like Graphic River.
- Tip #2: Don’t upload one PSD and call it a day. The most successful products are robust packs, including different variations of the same general product. (that is, different angles of the same responsive screen). The customers feel like they are getting more for their money and it adds more value to your product.
- Tip #3: Capitalize on current trends. It’s obvious why a responsive screen mockup would be in demand; it’s a current trend and there are many designers jumping on that band wagon. Things like Parallax themes, flat design elements, and responsive web design are all going to be in high demand at the moment.
Where You can Sell Your PSDs
Below are some of the lists on Creative Blog that showcased places you can sell your work, along with an in-depth description of each site when accessed.
- art web
- bouf
- click for art
- Gela skins
- Unbound
- Big cartel
- Threadless
- Society 6
- Etsy
- Zazzle
- Storemate
- Artfire
- Redbubble
- INPRNT
- NOT ON THE HIGH STREET
You can surf for more information at the sites listed above.
Make a Video Course on Udemy
Obviously, you can sell the video course anywhere, not just on Udemy. The huge advantage of creating a video course is that, it is something you create once and are done with. After creating the course, all you have to do is promote it to your audience and you have a solid product that will sell itself over and over again.
Video courses have become more and more popular over the last few years and there is no reason why you shouldn’t take advantage of this. There are many different angles you can come from when creating a course; Photoshop & Photography, Photoshop for Beginners, Photoshop & Digital Manipulation…the list is endless.
It is important, however, to make sure to find a focus, since there are so many general Photoshop courses. You need to do something that will help you stand out.
Write Photoshop Tutorials
If you have been working with Photoshop for a few years and want to share your knowledge with others, you can make money writing Photoshop tutorials. There aren’t a lot of places taking new tutorials at the moment but below is a list of three of the best places to write for.
[i] Photoshop Star – The payment here is based on the quality of your work. Provide a quality tutorial and you will get quality payment.
[ii] TutsPlus – The payment here is based on the quality of your work. This can generate quite a lot of money, depending on how many tutorials you write.
[iii] Design Stack – At this site, they are looking for high-quality designer to contribute tutorials to their site and they pay excellent rates.
Sell Photoshop Resources
Do you find yourself creating a lot of different Photoshop resources as you go about your work? Why not sell them and make extra cash? Selling your graphic creations can be a good way of making some pocket money, especially if you’ve got leftovers from your own or client projects. The good part is that they will keep on bringing you money, at least as long as they’re online.
Photoshop resources include anything from textures to brushes and can be sold in many different places online.
Where You can Sell Your Resources
GRAPHIC RIVER and Photo dune are some of the best places you can sell your resources, you might however try other legitimate places to offer your resources to customers or interested clients. Always surf the internet for some of these interesting places to earn money with your resources.
Find below some of these interesting places to sell your resources:
Photo dune
Fotolia
Brand crowd
Image kind
corbis images
veer
istock photo and many more
You can Create and Sell your own PhotoShop Plug-ins
You know what? It is even better, because it requires a high level of expertise. If you come up with a great idea for a plug-ins, then you can watch your income add up.
As you can see, most of these steps are easy and doable. Are you ready to make some money online using your PhotoShop knowledge?
Producing Profitable Video Content
A great way to profit from your Photoshop knowledge is through video tutorials. There are a number of ways to achieve success commercially. If this is an independent venture, remember physical DVDs do introduce additional overhead costs and the headache of shipping.
Photoshop expert Kirk Nelson explains: “Digital delivery is usually preferred. There are even some training sites that will allow you to vend your videos in the same way photographers sell their stock images, such as tutsplus site and an Envato-run site.”
Recognition can help you challenge more demanding obstacles on the road to viable profits. Nelson elaborates: “By way of simple commission is a good way to earn. If publishers need a video of a certain technique, they pay you to do it.
Of course, this approach requires you to be known and in good standing with said publishers.” Most challenging yet lucrative is developing a video series, as he agrees: “If this becomes popular enough you can get sponsors through a site like YouTube. These are rare occurrences, but inspiring. For an example, look for the “You suck at Photoshop” series.”
Make Money from Post-Production Retouching
Scott Kelby, founder and president of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) and Kelbytraining.com, explains: “If I were to give advice to somebody on how to make a living using Photoshop, it would be to get really, really good at retouching.
Not just retouching blemishes or fixing hair – although that’s an important part of the process. I’m talking about being a retoucher who is really good at compositing and creating associated effects, which are popular at present.
“The reason being is that there are a lot of photographers, especially those who get really popular and busy, who don’t have the time to do their own post-processing anymore. More and more, photographers are splitting their work.
They do the photography then partner with someone to do the retouching and compositing for them – especially portrait compositing. In the long run, this is going to be a growing trend because there’s so much going on in photography today, and there’s so much happening with Photoshop that for most it’s going to be hard to become a master of both.
But a team of two working together is going to be a really, really tough combination to compete against.”
There are many specific online resources that you can use to improve your photo editing skills, such as Kelbytraining.com and Advanced Photoshop magazine supplying printed tutorials monthly.
However, if you’re looking to seek active freelance, pushing existing skills through real-world projects, try sites such as freelancer and modelmayhem and some other related ones.
Marketing your Brush Skills
Selling brushes can be advantageous but extremely competitive. The web is saturated with free samples, so quality is paramount to ensure sales. Graphic designer Liora Blum is one success story working with this commodity, as she advises: “I knew it was unlikely that I would manage to make money from brushes alone, unless I partnered with someone who would take time to deal with marketing, customers and the financial aspects of the business for me.” This partner was brushlovers.com.
Actively seeking such clients is a possibility, marketing your skills and services at places such as the freelancer website. There are two distinct ways to generate income: flat or percentage payment. The second can be more profitable over longer periods, guaranteeing steady profit.
Remember though, clients are looking for two main factors: originality and hi-res sizes. Blum finally explains: “Pay close attention to each and every brush in terms of cleanliness, making sure of no stray pixels. This always gives them a competitive edge.”
List of Things Photoshop CS Is Capable of Doing for You
- Fix images with poor color or lighting conditions. Improve detail and clarity in washed-out images or reveal parts of an image hidden in shadow.
- Remove the dreaded “red eye.”
- Repair old photographs. Fix up grandma and grandpa’s wedding photos!
- Creating photo composites. Remember, in elementary school art classes, when you would cut photos out of magazines and paste them together to create a new composition? Imagine being able to do that again but having the power to make it look real.
- Combine multiple photos together to create a panoramic photograph.
- Easily print a contact sheet to fit as many photos as possible of your daughter’s first day at school onto a single sheet of paper.
- Create business cards, letterheads, logos, flyers, newsletters, and posters using images and text.
- Use built-in filters and styles to easily apply various effects to your images and text.
- Anything else you can imagine, Photoshop CS can probably do.
List of Some Photoshop Reference Guide
- Basics and Setup
- Color Management
- Layers
- Selections
- Masks
- Channels
- Paths and Shapes
- Painting and Brushes
- Type
- Color and Value
- Filters
- Restoring, Manipulating, and Compositing
- Saving and Exporting
- Actions and Automation
- Building Web Graphics with ImageReady
- Working with Adobe Version Cue
Each area covers one or more of Photoshop’s tools or features. To make it as easy and enjoyable as possible, each area has a main tutorial that introduces you to the concepts of that area. You however need to create more time to the use of these resources to be successful in earning online with Photoshop.
By and large, earning money with Photoshop can only be achievable with ease if you follow and implement some of the tips discussed so far. You will be doing good favour to your friends by sharing this great article in your social media networks, webmaster sections, relevant forum, Photoshop and Graphic Design Platforms.
How much can you Earn from Photoshop?
Fiverr, a popular freelancing site, recently named Graphic Design as one of the most lucrative side-hustles on the platform, with services selling for $100 to $3000. Many users of the site are earning six-figure incomes. Whilst this takes patience, it can be done with hard work and dedication.
Whilst it is fairly difficult to earn a living selling fonts, it is definitely possible to earn substantial amounts of money on the side. Font packages tend to be sold with any price from $10 to $300. The highest earning font designers are earning six digit salaries, whilst the average income is around $200 a month.
How to Sell Photoshop Textures
Selling your photoshop textures can be a good way of making some pocket money, especially if you’ve got leftovers from your own or client projects. The good part is that they will keep on bringing you money, at least as long as they’re online.
Here are some notable websites where you can sell your Photoshop textures.
1. Graphic River
Envato’s graphics marketplace is where you can sell illustrations, vectors, Photoshop actions, brushes, and pretty much anything that gets though their review. You can earn up to 70%
2. Photo Dune
Another Envato’s marketplace, but this one is only for photos. It has the same terms of authoring as Graphic River.
3. Fotolia
This marketplace accepts photos, videos and vectors. Your payment rate depends on the type of purchase, but generally it’s from 20% to 63% of the price.
4. Brand Crowd
Got a couple of rejected logo mock-ups? You can upload it here and earn 60% of the sales revenue. Logos off this site get often featured on blogs, so you gain extra exposure.
5. Image Kind
An artwork selling website with the absolutely highest payment rate – 100%. They also offer paid account upgrades for additional services.
Work from Home Photoshop
Photoshop is a special computer software used by graphic designers and photographers to add effects, make changes to and improve digital images.
Being able to use Photoshop is important for any remote or freelance job that involves creating and artistic expression online or in freelance graphic design, illustration, artwork and photography.
How much Should I Charge for Photoshop?
Knowing your hourly rate is a must for on-site work, and a good way to calculate your fee for remote work. For on-site work you’ll be demonstrating your value to the company whilst working at the agency itself and earning by the hour as you work.
As your hourly rate is understood to cover not only the associated costs of freelancing but also your downtime, freelancers are commonly paid hourly rates well in excess of those of contracted employees.
Agencies understand this, and at certain times of the year when an outside service provider is needed, contractor fees are accounted for in the budget.
In the case of remote work, when presented with a brief and an example of the selects, you can explain to the inquiring party that you base your rates on a fee of a fixed rate per hour and that you can confidently quote a fee based on that calculation. This allows for agreed additional hours to be billed for any edits not listed in the original discussion of the brief.
Depending on your skill level and demand for your services, anywhere between $50 and $150 USD per hour is a perfectly reasonable ask, from fairly low to fairly high; that part is entirely up to you.
Fees can be outside of this bracket (I’ve certainly seen lower and opportunities exist to charge more), depending largely on your location and demand, but consider how much you want to be working to earn the living you want.
Whilst it is possible to make as high a turnover as someone billing a decent hourly rate, a freelancer invoicing for a few thousand dollars here and there is enjoying a much better work/life balance and arguably more creative fulfillment.
Learn how to make Money with Photoshop by Making Website Designs
According to Global Graphics, a web design company based in Toronto, you can create a professional web design and photographic templates. You can create a professional web design and photographic templates.
As the Photoshop expert, you can provide the layout and overall graphical theme of the site. There are also opportunities in customizing blog themes such as those using WordPress templates, including backgrounds and custom header designs. You can then team up with a web programmer or developer to code the web design you have created.
How to earn money Online by Photo Editing
One possible business you can start is to start a photo editing company like Fixthephoto. You can offer digital picture editing and image optimization services where you basically take the client’s less than the perfect digital photo and turn it into a masterpiece.
As a “photo doctor,” you can remove unwanted people and objects from a photograph, insert someone or something into a photograph, repair over- or under-exposed photos, convert colored photos to black and white (and vice versa), or do something as basic as removing red-eye from photos.
You can also do color correction, background change, contrast adjustment, and size enlargement. According to printtopeer, the key is to offer high-quality work at reasonable prices.
How to make money with Adobe
1. Sell Icons
Custom icons do well on marketplaces like Iconfinder or Flaticon. When it comes to icons, quantity and quality means everything. You earn more by creating a large number of icons that fit within multiple categories.
People who buy icons mostly use them in mobile and web applications. Icons are an important part of many user interfaces and help convey ideas and actions to the user. When buyers like a particular design style, there is a high chance they will want to buy more of the same in a set ranging from as low as ten up to a hundred icons.
Since most web and mobile apps consist of multiple pages, It helps to provide a consistent design language to your icons as it will ensure a neat look across the board.
2. Sell Graphic Assets at Stock Art Marketplaces
Graphic assets are materials used by designers to help complete design-related projects. Meeting deadlines can be a challenge for many designers especially if there is a heavy workload. Anything that can be of help to produce work faster will be most beneficial.
Creating vector assets to aid other designers speed up the design process is a fantastic way to earn an extra income. Here are some examples of the common types of work designers are willing to buy:
- Clip art or doodles for use in web, print, presentations or mobile apps
- Floral designs, background patterns, or borders for use in greeting cards
- Multipurpose banner templates for websites or social media apps
- Premade logo designs
Great places to sell vector assets are:
- Creativemarket
- Canva
- Graphicriver
3. Create Artwork for Print on Demand Eliminating the Hassle of Keeping Inventory
For those who have a lot of creative flair, creating bespoke designs that can be placed on various merchandise is one of the best business opportunities available online at the present moment. Getting started isn’t as complicated as it may seem.
With the rise of print on demand (POD) e-commerce sites, the need to stock up on inventory is eliminated. POD works by creating the products only once they have been ordered. All an artist has to do is create a design and upload it to a POD partner like Teespring for example.
Customers can then purchase merchandise already printed with the artist’s designs. There is no need for the designer to keep any inventory or deal with shipping and packaging as that will all be handled by the POD partner.
Pretty much any product you can think of can be used as a medium for prints. T-shirts, mugs, clocks, bedsheets greeting cards, decals, stickers for laptops, smartphone cases, you name it, the product list on most POD sites are endless.
Top POD sites include:
- Teespring
- Redbubble
- Printify
- Cafepress
- Society6
4. Become a Content Creator
Becoming a successful Youtuber certainly used to be easier a decade ago. Nowadays competition is pretty stiff, with every possible category having hundreds of videos being uploaded daily, but not all is lost.
Consider Youtube has 2 billion active users monthly, which is 20% of the world’s population. If you create relevant high-quality content, it is still possible to gain traction over time.
One way to stand out on Youtube is to create niche content targeting a specific audience. People not only use Youtube for entertainment, but also for learning.
Creating video tutorials using Illustrator and Photoshop can be a great way to attract viewers looking to learn and sharpen their knowledge. Once you build a solid subscriber base you can earn money through monetization of your channel.
5. Teach With an Online Course
The need for educational information has morphed a whole teaching industry online. The internet has made it possible for people to learn from instructors from around the world straight from the comfort of their homes.
Most people feel they don’t know enough to teach. However, being the all-knowing expert in your field isn’t a requirement; you just need to know more than your students. So, someone with intermediate skills can easily teach beginners. Alternatively, an expert can teach both beginners and intermediate students.
Online learning platforms such as Udemy and Skillshare have made course creation simple, all you need to create courses is a desire to teach, laptop with Illustrator, recording software and an account to one of the numerous online course platforms.
Can I work Online and Earn money in India?
1. Become a Freelancer
If you are a good programmer, designer or marketer then you can find a lot of paid online jobs in India. You just need to be patient and willing to learn more.
You need to have two skills to become a good freelancer. One is your core skill, and the second skill is marketing. If you are not a good marketer, then seek help from an experienced marketer to make your profile. You have to have excellent communication skills to get clients.
2. Earn Online Money from YouTube
You might not know that people are making millions from youtube. Again, not an easy option, but very much doable for anyone who can record & upload videos on a particular topic.
Two kinds of people can make successful YouTube channels, one who make funny & entertaining videos, second who can make highly helpful videos for a niche audience (like students, mothers, housewives, tech geeks).
You can go through our in-depth guide on how to earn money from YouTube, where we have shown examples of successful people who are making money on YouTube, we shared step by step process of making a YouTube channel, how to market & grow your channel, and which tools you may need to create & promote videos.
3. Learn Stock Market Trading
You don’t need any money to start a freelance work but you would need a little money to start your career as a stock trader.
You can earn money online by doing stock trading if you know how to pick the right stock. You need a demat & trading account to start trading.
We must make you aware that you may lose money in stock trading so better to start with less money and invest more time in learning the basics of stock trading.
4. Become a Consultant
You can sell your advice and knowledge to many people. You don’t have to be a super expert in one domain to become a consultant or teacher, you just have to be better than your student or client.
Anyone with a core competitive skill can become a consultant and find clients online. For example, if you are a legal or finance professional, then you can make your website, and start attracting clients online.
Photoshop Tutorials
1. Full Photoshop Tutorial for Beginners
This is one of the best Photoshop tutorials for anyone who is opening Photoshop for the first time. Here you’ll find some simple tips on how to use layers, brush tool, transformation, text, and more.
Date of publication: Oct 28, 2017
Number of views: 411,255 views
2. Photoshop Refine Edge Tutorial For Beginners
A refine edge tutorial for newbies created by one of our favorite Youtube channels “Photos in Color”. Knowing how to use this technique will help you to cut any object from the image and place it on the white or transparent background that is a useful tool for online stores.
Date of publication: Mar 17, 2017
Number of views: 185,721 views
3. Crop Images in a Circle Shape Using Photoshop
Learn how to crop the image in a circle with this easy 5 minutes video. It was published a while ago. However, the technique of cropping image stays the same.
Date of publication: May 3, 2014
Number of views: 1,026,826 views
4. How to Remove Anything from a Photo using Photoshop
Have you ever made a photo in a crowded place and wanted to cut out all these people from the background? With this basic Photoshop tutorial, you will be able to cut out anything from a photo.
Date of publication: Jun 12, 2014
Number of views: 4,475,496 views
5. How to Resize Images Without Losing Quality
Resizing images in Photoshop is another essential skill you need to possess to use this software. You might need to resize the image for your blog, website, or photography business card so watch this video to learn this trick. If you are looking for an online tool, try this image resizer.
Date of publication: May 27, 2017
Number of views: 584,744 views
Can I Earn Money With Photoshop?
If you’re reading this, you’re probably experienced with Photoshop and you’re thinking about making it your daily job.
You surely know as well that Photoshop is a powerful tool that is used in many different areas. From the movie industry to the small coffee shop using it to create a nice-looking menu, Photoshop became a reference in graphic design over the years.
Therefore, we made a list of 3 ways to make money with Photoshop to give you a rough idea of the different possibilities.
1. FixThePhoto
FixThePhoto is a service meant for professional photographers. Retouching photos can take up a significant portion of their workload, reducing how much time they can allocate to booking gigs, marketing, or actually shooting. FixThePhoto allows photographers to outsource retouching to free up more time.
FixThePhoto editors work completely remote on a freelance basis. When you become an editor, you can post your services and your own retouching rates. If you have experience doing more complex work, you can set higher rates than someone just starting out. You can work whenever you want and decide how much work you want to take on.
2. Mendr
Mendr was created for both professionals and individuals who want to have their photos professionally retouched on a budget. Mendr connects those people with skilled editors who retouch the images for $2 to $30 per photo, depending on the complexity of the changes.
Unlike many other freelancing platforms, there is no bidding process. On other sites, photo editors often bid on gigs, which causes profits to drop in a race to the bottom. With Mendr, you can claim any of the jobs available and start working right away. With that approach, you know exactly how much you’ll get paid and there’s no waiting.
If you do great work, you can increase your earning potential, too. Users can request you to work on their photos and pay an extra fee to have you do the edits. You receive 100 percent of the added fee.
You do not have to be a professional editor to work for Mendr, but you will need to pass a skills test. The Mendr app works similarly to other photo editing programs, so a familiarity with Photoshop or similar applications is helpful.
3. Shutterstock
Shutterstock frequently hires freelance photo reviewers to ensure submitted photos meet the company’s standards. As a reviewer, you’ll check that the photos are the right resolution, do not violate any copyright laws, and that meet Shutterstock’s guidelines in terms of content.
While you won’t edit or retouch the photos, you will edit the photo’s metadata like captions, titles, and tags so site users can find the pictures.
To be eligible to be a reviewer, you must have experience with photography, either behind the camera or as an editor. You’ll need high-speed internet and a reliable computer. You can work up to 30 hours a week with Shutterstock, so it can be an excellent source of extra income.
How Much do Photoshoppers Make?
The average hourly pay for a Photo Editor in the United States is $20.16 an hour.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing hourly wages as high as $33.89 and as low as $7.45, the majority of Photo Editor wages currently range between $14.42 (25th percentile) to $26.20 (75th percentile) across the United States.
The average pay range for a Photo Editor varies greatly (by as much as $11.78), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
Starting a Photoshop Business
Learning to harness the power of Photoshop can be very rewarding. Mastering the visual graphics realm of Photoshop can provide you with a livable income. Strong editing and creative skills in Photoshop can open career possibilities for you, whether you want to do it on a full-time basis or as a part-time business.
Here are 5 ways you can earn through freelancing using your Adobe Photoshop skills:
1. Start a photo editing service
One possible business you can start is to offer digital picture editing and image optimization services. You basically take the client’s less than the perfect digital photo and turn it into a masterpiece.
As a “photo doctor,” you can remove unwanted people and objects from a photograph, insert someone or something into a photograph, repair over- or under-exposed photos, convert colored photos to black and white (and vice versa), or do something as basic as removing red-eye from photos.
You can also do color correction, background change, contrast adjustment, and size enlargement. The key is to offer high-quality work at reasonable prices.
2. Start a photo restoration service
You can also start an image restoration service to improve the quality or repair damaged/old images, including faded, stained, torn, missing pieces, bad color, water-damaged photos. Historical societies, museums and even families with old family pictures and photographic heirlooms can use this type of service.
You can correct color, remove background images, or remove other people in the image. Other services can include copying old photographs, even those that do not need to be repaired.
3. Start a graphic design business
You can market yourself as a graphic artist whose main expertise is Photoshop editing. The freelance site eLance.com , for example, has about 843 new jobs posted looking for Photoshop experts. One job posting, whose payment range is from $1,000-$5,000, comes from a wedding stationary store looking for graphic designers to create product images for their ecommerce store.
Others are looking for assistance in brochure design, digital image editing, photoshop mockup of the homepage of a new website, removing background images, cover and page template for a printed catalog, among others. You can edit images professionally and prepare them for any output.
4. Start a T-shirt design business using your Photoshopped images
Another option is to start a t-shirt design business from images you create using Photoshop. Using Photoshop, you can create cool artwork that will work very well for t-shirts and other apparel. T-shirts are one of the world’s most popular apparel products and your originality, creativity and skill in using Photoshop can allow you to create unique designs for your t-shirt business.
5. Start a greeting card business
The images you create via Photoshop can also be used to create greeting cards. You can create specialty cards with a contemporary vibe; create abstract and graphical images, and cards that use special typographic design. You can sell your creations to established greeting card companies, or start your own line of greeting cards.
How Can I Learn Photoshop Quickly?
To get proficient at Photoshop in a short time, you will want to get familiar with four things: Layers, Paths, Masks, and History Brush. These are the key features that make Photoshop powerful.
-Layers: To think in layers, you have to imagine that you are making a composite of photos in a scrap book. Everything action or filter should be on a layer separate from the original image. Ideally, you want to be able to hide every layer incrementally, like revealing the steps you took to get to the final product. The more layers (but be organized) the better.
-Paths allow you to follow lines and selectively cut out or create shapes in a really quick and dynamic way. The pen tool uses vector math, so you never have to worry about resolution. Learn how the pen tool works; here is a pen tool cheat sheet:
-Masks lend themselves to the layer thing. If you want something to be layered selectively, you use a clipping mask. If you want to texture or re-shade something, use a layer mask. Learn masks.
-History brush allows you to go back to every action that you done and selectively undo or redo in the form of a brush. The reason this is so overpowered is that you can rough out a design, and then go back and refine it without permanently affecting an image or layer or whatever. Imagine painting through time and space. Learn history brush.
To learn all of these, the best thing would to be to get yourself a big collection of random photos and try cutting out objects, taking parts of the scenery, and re-shading everything to create as realistic of a scene as possible. A few times doing this will help you learn photoshop in literally one weekend. You’ll want to practice lighting continuity and perspective.
How do I Become an Expert in Photoshop?
Since everyone has to begin somewhere, let’s look at a few ideas that will help you learn Photoshop and become an expert without getting overwhelmed in the process.
1. Learn the Basics of Graphic Design First
It is easy to take graphic design for granted. After all, you hardly notice concepts like alignment, contrast, negative space, rhythm etc. unless they go wrong. Art school isn’t necessary grounding for a graphic designer’s job if you roll up your sleeves and go through the grind of mastering the fundamental principles of good design.
There are countless free and paid resources to learn the nuances of design. You won’t have to buy Photoshop just yet. If you are rushed for time, try the Canva Design School. Also, HackDesign has an excellent newsletter course that will pull you in every week.
2. Get to Know the Photoshop Workspace
Adobe itself will take you around the workspace in Photoshop. The Get Started with Photoshop tutorials show you how to utilize the workspace. Open the sample image provided and follow the instructions in the video. Also, learn how to use custom Photoshop workspaces for a faster workflow.
Keep the Workspace basics support page bookmarked if you need to refer to a tool. Also, Photoshop features Rich Tooltips which give you a text description and a video lesson to help understand the function of each tool. Just hover the mouse pointer over a tool.
3. Pick One Tool a Day
The palette of Photoshop tools on the left may be narrow and long. But there are more hidden tools once you click the little arrow under some of them. There are nearly 65 tools organized for selection, cropping and slicing, retouching, painting, drawing, and for type. So, here’s an experiment you can try to familiarize yourself with each of them:
Pick one tool every day. Search for a basic tutorial that shows you how it is used in an actual project.
For instance, a simple query like “tutorial magic wand tool photoshop” will net you many step-by-step lessons on YouTube. The Rich Tooltips in Photoshop are a good starting point too. Use the Search feature within Photoshop to find relevant links.
By learning Photoshop one tool at a time, you won’t feel overwhelmed. Also, it is a good way to memorize the Photoshop keyboard shortcuts right from the onset.
4. Focus on a Photoshop Microskill
Adobe Photoshop is the software photographers must learn to process their images.
But did you know that you can even edit videos here? Or create wonderful typography posters? You can even design an email, HTML newsletter, or T-shirt too. Maybe, your boss wants you to design 3D mockups. You have so many opportunities to pick up a skill or area you are interested in and get acquainted with Photoshop.
Tip: Photoshop is designed around three core workspaces (Essentials, Photography, Graphic and Web). But you can create your own custom workspace and use that to focus on a microskill.
5. Follow a Photoshop Expert
The easiest way to learn Photoshop is from an expert. A real-world mentor can be difficult to find, but virtual mentors are far easier to get hold of. Decide on the area you want to master and search for the online experts who specialize in that niche.
For instance, when you want to learn digital painting, find a digital artist who offers a digital painting tutorial.
Adobe’s own Photoshop Experts such as Julieanne Kost and Terry White can help you get started. You can find them and others on Adobe TV as well. Sites like Lynda.com, HowNow, KelbyOne, and PluralSight offer instructor-led courses from the top names in the field.
6. Challenge Yourself With Microjobs
You can start out with a rough idea of how to monetize your Photoshop skills in the future. Microjob sites like Fiverr and DesignCrowd can help you earn some money in your spare time. But you may not be ready for a competitive project yet. So, why not use the simpler ones as a testing ground and see if you can meet the challenge head-on.
Assignments are usually simple. For instance, someone may ask you to remove the background from a batch of photos. Or restore a damaged photo. Or combine multiple photos into one. This is the “sink or swim” approach to learning Photoshop, but it comes with a degree of responsibility.
Of course, as a beginner your portfolio may not attract attention. But you have to start somewhere. Alternatively, you can use the skills advertised by others as a template for your own education.
Tip: Seek out virtual volunteering opportunities. Platforms like OnlineVolunteering.org and Creatives Without Borders [Broken URL Removed] can not only help you learn Photoshop skills but also give you valuable alternative work experience.
7. Do a 30-Day Challenge
The duration of the challenge matters less than the habit of learning you put yourself through. I like the 30-day span because it is not too long but not too short. Plus, a month is easier to track than a whole year.
But what you will take on during this 30-Day sprint?
If you like structure, then CreativeLive has a 30-Day Bootcamp course on Photoshop. Udemy has several free courses and its most popular course on Photoshop will set you back just a few dollars.
If you like free, then Photoshop Essentials has a well-organized tutorial website with YouTube videos and PDF downloads. Envato’s Tuts+ has a superb section called Learning Guides which will guide you well. And if you love YouTube you can try the excellent Photoshop Training Channel.
There’s no shortage of Photoshop tutorials online. Just don’t let your persistence flag.
Learning the keyboard shortcuts will amp your productivity. But that’s the only shortcut Photoshop offers you. There are many different ways to learn the software, but none of them are easy. However, it can be a whole lot of fun if you approach the grind with a goal.
Don’t forget the value of deliberate practice. Pick a few tutorials, duplicate them, and then try to modify them with your own creativity. See what the process teaches you.
How Much Should You Charge For Photo Editing?
Start by calculating the time it takes you to edit one image. Then calculate the amount of time it takes to edit a typical image set. If you’ve decided to offer a few levels of editing, go through this exercise for each one.
Once you know about how long it takes you to edit images, decide how much time you have to dedicate to photo editing, and how much revenue you need to make overall. When you know these figures, you can divide the number you need to make by the amount of time it takes to do a session.
Let’s make math simple, and say you need to make $1,000 per week, you want to stay part-time so you can work ten hours each week, and each session takes you about one hour.
$1000 / 10 image sets = $100 per image set
Pretty simple, right? Complete that math for your own set of circumstances.
At this point, you probably have a basic number in mind, so it’s time to shop around. Look for other editing providers in your niche — not to copy their pricing structure, but to see if your rates are competitive and reasonable. Most basic photo editing is a pretty straightforward task, so you’ll have to stay at least somewhat competitive with your marketplace.
When checking out your competitors, remember that different companies serve different niches. A bespoke wedding editor who fully retouches each image will likely charge more than a product photo editor who focuses on quick, global edits.
If your numbers are in line with everyone else, great! Get out there and start marketing your business.
If you find they’re much higher, however, you’ve got to find a way to work more hours and drop the cost per image set, or you’ve got to find a way to be more efficient with your time.
One way to do this is to outsource a portion (or all) of the editing to a reputable company. While this costs money, some basic edits are affordable enough that you can make up for it with the saved time. This frees you up to do the finishing touches on your own and then send the image set back to your client.
What Can I do With a Photoshop Certification?
Benefits of Adobe Certifications for individuals:
- Adobe certification is the absolute best way to communicate your proficiency in Adobe products.
- Resumes with Adobe certifications get noticed and fast-tracked by hiring managers.
- Adobe certified professionals earn recognition and respect from colleagues and employers.
- Adobe certified professionals receive exclusive updates on Adobe’s latest products and innovations.
- Adobe certified professionals can display Adobe certification logos on their business cards, resumes, and websites to leverage the power of the Adobe brand.
Benefits of Adobe Certifications for businesses:
- Adobe certifications allow you to quickly assess a job candidate’s design skills.
- Businesses can invest in and promote their top employees by getting them Adobe certified.
- Adobe certifications map to specific products and job roles, so businesses can always find the right person for the job.
How Much Does a Photo Editor Earn?
An entry-level Photo Editor with less than 1 year experience can expect to earn an average total compensation (includes tips, bonus, and overtime pay) of $42,500 based on 9 salaries. An early career Photo Editor with 1-4 years of experience earns an average total compensation of $44,808 based on 150 salaries.
A mid-career Photo Editor with 5-9 years of experience earns an average total compensation of $58,711 based on 106 salaries. An experienced Photo Editor with 10-19 years of experience earns an average total compensation of $67,886 based on 62 salaries. In their late-career (20 years and higher), employees earn an average total compensation of $59,963.
How to Make Money With Photoshop
1. Join an online freelance marketplace
If you are a little bit hesitant to start up your own company, then joining an online marketplace is a great place to help you gain some recognition and build up your confidence. Most of these sites are free to sign up and require you to bid for proposals or works that have been uploaded by potential clients.
This could give you an introduction to a business partner that you can use again and again, it also allows you to build up a portfolio of a variety of works in many possible markets to show your versatility. Notoriously these forums are used for graphic designers, specializing in web design, but in more recent times a vast range of photoshop based work is requested through these forums.
2. Photo Editing Services
This option is the best way to start monopolizing on your skillset with the least amount of hassle. With this business it would be helpful if you already had a small following or prospect customers that you could get in touch with, however, this service is in demand and if it is marketed correctly it could be extremely successful.
The main focus of this business would be to take the digital photographs from your clients and edit them to their specifications. There are many ways that you could be asked to edit these photos, it is really dependant on your own knowledge of the software and the customer’s needs so versatility is a must if you opt to go down this road.
3. Create Photoshop tutorials and courses
It is a given that once you have reached an expert level at any given skill you can start earning through teaching from your personal knowledge. This can come in the form of one-to-one tutorials, webinars and short courses, these are very favorable when considering the photoshop software.
Usually, anyone looking to better their knowledge in photoshop and its offerings would hope to have a hands-on experience, this could mean that you may want to offer physical lessons in a studio or online tutorials via existing course markets. With this option you will see a spike in profits as your market diversifies and expands over time
4. Selling Photoshop presets and LUTs
Selling your photo pre-sets or LUTs is proven to be a lucrative earning tool, once you have managed to master colour grading and have created and developed these pre-sets or LUTs you have created a new product which is yours to sell. A LUT stands for Look Up Table, this is a collection of numbers which are utilised as a colour grading tool that can be found within photoshop, and many other photo editing services.
Your pre-sets can be sold to photographers, artists or potentially could be sold to sites such as Facebook or Instagram so they can use these effects on their photos or their customers photos. This outlet has the potential to bring in a lot of revenue if your initial designs are interesting enough.
5. Create and Sell Web Templates
This new fad within the web designer market can be advantageous for photoshop designers, web templates can be sold through various sites and vendors.
As everything is becoming digital, the need for fun, interactive web pages are at an all-time high. If you can use your photoshop skills to develop a few solid templates, then sell these on offering some edits or tweaks relevant to your customer’s needs, the revenue potential could be massive.
6. Logo Design
This business idea could really see a strong trajectory for future brand recognition and growth of your business in potentially a short amount of time. Designing logos for businesses, movements and products is a very influential market to be a part of, especially now as everyone becomes more socially aware of their presence and its impact on recognition.
By being able to adhere to each individual request you could reach such a wide audience, potentially that of larger businesses which have much bigger budgets.
7. Restoration Services
This service would require you to edit and mend old or damaged photographs using colour correction mainly, but you may also be required to remove any backgrounds or to add some artistic input and touches. This could be a great opportunity for a person with invested knowledge into history, giving them the opportunity to work in museums or with historians.
8. Create and Sell Planners and Journals
Creating planners and journals using photoshop would be a great way to easily generate profits. There are many niches and specific designs that could allow you to diversify your offerings by going down this road, either something you personally are interested in, or relevant to the customers wishes.
9. Create and Sell Stock Photos
If you have a vast library of images then this could be a brilliant cash cow for you, by turning your original photos into stock images you can sell. Although the standard for acceptance onto these forums are quite high, there is still a great opportunity to earn.
10. Design your own Fonts
This could be a great option for those artistic and innovative photoshop users. This could require setting up your own site or selling your work to bigger companies for a hefty sum. Either option could be a good starting place for those just getting into this world of work, helping them to build up a catalog.
How I Can Earn Money From Photoshop
The things you can do with Photoshop are endless, you just have to have the right mindset to unveil them, the same can be said for the business potentials which could come from this. Here are other options to earn money from
1. Sell your Art Designs
This option is great for those users of photoshop which focus on a different way of using the tool. This is great for a business or marketing minded person which could work closely with customers, helping to create design templates for CDs, Magazines, e-book covers and Vinyl covers.
2. Create and Sell T-Shirts
Developing interesting designs for T-Shirts could be a walk in the park for those more inventive and artsy photoshop users. Your business could benefit for having a dual approach, both creating your own designs and offering customers the chance to design their own.
3. Create and Sell Document Templates
People are constantly looking for an easier way of creating and completing documentation, both professional and in their personal life. Creating interesting document templates such as; CV’s, Email Templates, Magazine layouts etc. could be an interesting and useful body of work.
4. Create and Sell Graphics
As photoshop can be used to create so much, not just picture based items a good way to show this is through the creation of graphics. These are known as photoshop art and they are created by developing graphics such as; icons, wallpapers, shapes and stamps.
5. Start a Print on Demand Service
This business idea has been previously implied through the various outlets which can create and sell, a better idea to encompass all of these outlets and develop a print-on-demand service. This could range from cushions to clothing, offering customers the chance to customize anything.
Make Money Online Photoshop
If you’re looking for a great way to make money in the comfort of your own home, using photo editing tools like Photoshop can be a great option.
There are hundreds of uses for photo editing tools and many different ways you can make money using them.
From creating Photoshop templates or becoming a freelance photo editor, it can be easy to make money with Photoshop. While learning the technicalities of the software can be somewhat difficult, it can be extremely worthwhile.
Some of these ideas can be extremely easy to get started while others may require a little more time or effort.
1. Start a Photo-Editing Agency
Imagine you take a snapshot of yourself with your friend, but it didn’t come out the way you expected it to be! The lines are blurry, the sharpness, the saturation, and the color hues don’t fit perfectly.
In short, your image is completely distorted. You may wonder if only you had some Photo-editing skills to fix the image, right?
The art of fixing distorted images or making them well optimized for publishing is called photo-editing. And believe it or not, the market has quite the requirement for this particular skill set.
Thousands of individuals regularly are searching for photo-editing services. They want highly talented and well-experienced individuals who have a keen eye for detailing.
Whether you want to introduce a new person into a photograph or remove an unwanted person/object from the image, “photo doctors” can do it for you. They can fix the contrast of the photos, remove red-eye effects from images, set the black and white shades, adjust sizes & perform contrast adjustments.
Become a photo doctor by adopting Photoshop skills. Start with your own photo-editing agency as it can be one of the best ways to make money using Photoshop.
2. Work as a Full-Time Photo Editing Freelancer
Another incredible way of earning with your Photoshop skills is through freelancing.
Back in the days, there were only a few handfuls of freelancing platforms. Fast forward to the future, and you will find hundreds of different platforms where thousands of jobs are posted regularly.
To name a few, we have Upwork, Freelancers, PeoplePerHour, Fiverr, Toptal, and the list goes on.
Just visit one, and you will find plenty of people searching for web designers, graphic designers, and adobe experts. Find an excellent rated gig and start working with them to start earning money.
By doing so, you will end up creating a portfolio for yourself.
So what’s holding you back! Find jobs in the online market and start bidding.
3. Create Custom Fonts to Sell in the Website World
How fancy is your handwriting? Is it fancy enough to sell online? Well, that’s where custom font selling comes in. Do you know that designers can create fonts online and sell them as well?
If you’re wondering how much you can earn from selling fonts online, the going licensing commission rate starts as low as 50% average when you choose font retailers such as MyFonts to sell. If you’re going for foundries like Fontspring, the going rate can extend as much as up to 70%.
One way or the other, search for a font foundry where you can get the best royalty rate.
But that’s not the only way how you can earn. If you don’t wish to sell your custom fonts on digital foundries yourself, then you can always find a reseller who can sell your fonts, keeping a certain percentage for themselves. If you’re not much of a fan of keeping anyone in the loop, then you should go for creating your own website and sell your fonts through them accordingly.
When you create and sell fonts, you will earn money passively, making it a great method to earn money while working a full-time job.
4. Create Graphics Using Photoshop & Then Sell Them Online
Adobe Photoshop isn’t limited to just editing photographs, but it goes well beyond that.
With Adobe Photoshop, you can easily create an additional stream of passive income for yourself. Can you create breathtaking visuals? If you can, then you can always make different visual elements.
Master the art and start selling them on various platforms.
Before you know it, you will start generating a good amount of income from their sales.
Graphics exist in different formats. But the most common type of graphics which easily gets sold in the market are,
● Icons
● Desktop/Mobile Wallpapers
● Shapes
● Textures
- Stamps
● Logos
● Decorative Images
● Stock Illustrations
Do you know that designer Zlatko Najdenovski has made well over $5,000 during his initial year by selling just one type of graphics? He made that amount by selling icons alone at PixelBazaar. If he can make that kind of revenue by selling simple icons, why can’t you do something similar?
5. Create Social Media Graphics for Other Businesses
So what if you don’t have a business of your own…
You can always contribute to helping other businesses using the ultimate power of social media. Social media graphics create powerful, highly engaging, and firmly converting social media graphics that can attract audiences.
There are three different stages of social media; awareness, consideration & conversion. And in all three areas, graphic design can come in real handy for businesses and it can be a good way to boost your earnings.
Strong visual elements have the power to captivate the mind of the audience.
As a social media graphic expert, you won’t only create uniquely stunning visuals. Still, you will also create revenue streams for businesses to quickly climb the stairs of success.
How To Make Money Using Photoshop
You can earn up to $100 per hour as an expert Photoshop user. Learn how to do it today!
You can learn Photoshop for free online, but there are also paid courses that teach you how to use this powerful software in a professional way.
- Create a Free Account
If you’re looking to make money with Photoshop, then you need to start by creating a free account at Adobe.com. This will allow you to download the software and practice using it without any financial commitment. Once you feel comfortable with the program, you can upgrade to a premium membership and begin learning more advanced features.
- Start Learning Today
There are several ways to make money with Photoshop. One of the easiest ways to make money is through online courses. These courses teach you how to use Photoshop and other programs so you can create professional images. They also provide you with access to a community of other students who are willing to help each other out.
- Earn More Than 100 Dollars Per Hour
If you’re looking to make some extra cash, there are plenty of opportunities available to you. In fact, one of the fastest growing industries right now is freelance work. Freelance jobs are often done remotely, meaning you can work anywhere at any time. And because these jobs aren’t tied to a particular company, you can pick them up whenever you feel like it.
- Understand The Basics Of Photoshop
There are two main ways to make money with Photoshop. One is by selling your own designs, and the other is by teaching others how to use Photoshop. Both options require a lot of skill and knowledge, so you need to be prepared to put in a lot of effort before you start making money.
- Master Basic Editing Skills
If you’re looking to make money using Photoshop, then you should learn some basic editing skills first. This will help you become more familiar with the software and give you a better understanding of what you’re doing when you edit images.
Conclusion
The internet is never static, it is constantly evolving with new innovations and methods for artists to make money always on the horizon. It helps to keep your eye out for new opportunities.
Get involved with the online design community, visit art and design blogs, frequent forums and Facebook groups of like-minded individuals and soak up as much knowledge as you can, that way you are able to keep yourself up to date with what works best.
Most importantly be patient and put what you learn into practice, the money will surely follow.