In the real estate sector, every minute counts. Every listing that hasn't been photographed in professional terms hasn't produced any leads for its owner yet. This point is clear for agents and the professional photographers they work with.
Unfortunately, most real estate photographers do not realize how big the editing delay can be between the shoot and the publishing of listings. Shooting 5-10 properties weekly, an agent can spend the same amount of time on editing photos. In other words, the delay in delivering photos to an agent means that the property listing takes longer to reach the market, and the deals become closed slower as well.
AI-based automation changes the game. One particular product, called Lightroom, can serve as a tool for achieving higher productivity for photographers.
The real estate photography workflow issue
Every shoot for a real estate property results in getting about 50 to 150 photographs of different types. All these photos should be edited before they can be uploaded to listing websites to attract buyers. In fact, to be edited properly, each photo should be reviewed, the bad ones should be removed, and the exposure, color, white balance, etc. need to be corrected.
The described procedure can take 2 to 4 hours per listing. It means that a photographer spends 10 to 20 hours per week editing photos, which directly slows down the process of delivering them to the agents.
The faster photos are delivered, the faster agents can upload the listing with a good chance of attracting attention. However, as mentioned above, the delay in editing photos usually occurs due to the complexity of the procedure.
How AI-based editing tools can solve the issue
Lightroom provides various tools that allow automating all the tasks connected with photos editing. Tools like Imagen AI, Aftershoot, and Evoto are considered advanced AI-based solutions capable of automating photo editing.
Firstly, these AI platforms learn a photographer's editing style and the way he/she deals with specific problems of editing. In other words, these platforms collect the experience of each particular editor in terms of his/her preferences when editing certain kinds of pictures. Then this experience is applied to other listings.
As a result, an editor doesn't need to adjust photos manually anymore. AI does everything for him/her in seconds, saving precious time for shooting other properties. Moreover, advanced solutions help remove bad-quality photos before starting editing.
The impact of AI-based editing on photographers' productivity
By applying AI-based solutions to the editing of real estate photos, photographers can achieve up to 90% improvement in their workflow productivity. They can save valuable time for photographing other properties, thus taking on more orders.
Importantly, the time saved during photo editing means faster delivery of listings for agents.
How faster delivery helps real estate agents to win deals
Professional listing photos are proven to increase the speed of deals. However, even in cases when photos are professionally taken, their delayed upload means that a listing will have fewer chances of success compared to the others.
As a result, if a photographer offers quick editing and quick delivery, agents can:
a. Upload listings when customers are still interested in buying real estate;
b. Compete with the other listings in the same areas;
c. Decrease the time between listing agreement and market exposure; and
d. Take the opportunity quickly.
It means that, as a rule, real estate agents try to choose professional photographers who can provide photos quickly. Therefore, if a photographer uses AI, this information can become a good argument during negotiations.
Capturing the Leads of Your Photos with a Multi-Step Form
Even the fastest and quickest delivery of photos does not guarantee the achievement of success. After uploading listing photos with high-resolution images, the customer needs to contact agents in order to find out whether he/she is interested in the property or not. In this case, a contact form is required.
However, having high-resolution images and a slow loading time for the website can mean losing a client in just a few minutes. As a result, even with the best-looking photos, the site can have low conversion rates. That's why, in addition to using the services of professional photographers, agencies should consider implementing multi-step contact forms.
Benefits of multi-step contact forms
Using a contact form that collects data through several steps allows collecting more information and reducing the rate of dropouts. For instance, while filling the first step, customers might want to leave some comments. If the form is multi-step, they get a chance to do that.
How to Choose Professional Photographers for Listings in 2026
Not all photographers use AI-based software for editing their photos. However, those who do have a noticeable advantage when it comes to photo editing. When choosing someone to make professional photos for you, there are several important questions you should ask him/her:
a. What's the average turnaround time? If it doesn't exceed 24 hours, it means that AI-based software such as Imagen AI was used;
b. Is photo editing automated? Photographers using AI-based solutions can manage to photograph more listing photos per week;
c. Is your photo editing style consistent? As soon as AI learns how to deal with photos, it is guaranteed to apply similar methods to other photos;
d. Are you able to work with volumes? AI-based automation will help you cope with this task successfully.
As seen above, the use of AI in photography is crucial for achieving better productivity and higher profits.
Conclusion
In 2026, in order to compete successfully, real estate agencies should use all the available technologies to their advantage. With AI technology, photographers are able to upload photos extremely fast. Thus, it is essential to implement AI photo editing in order to increase productivity and win more clients.
However, in addition to quick photo uploads, one needs to consider the website design, which includes creating multi-step forms. They are required to help clients fill necessary data and make them interested in purchasing real estate.
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