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You want photo editing or photoshop as a career huh? A promising career since computers have taken over the new world and there is only room for improvement in this stage of Graphic design and editing. Don't worry it is easier than you think to get your work out for people to see what you are able to do. You no longer have to keep a physical portfolio full of all your work, its not a bad idea for job interviews, but to get started you can present your work on the internet and let potential employers see your worth in the business.





What is Photoshop, Photo Editing and Graphic Design

If these freelance careers sound interesting but you're not quite sure what they fully entail I will give a short explanation. Photoshop is a program that lets you completely alter a photos appearance, letting you change colors, shades, textures, shapes and anything you can think of. It is an art, and a fairly difficult one to master. Some photoshop jobs are for enhancing a photos weakness, to make it presentable to the public. Fixing lighting, model blemishes, color schemes, and flaws to make the photograph look like a surreal piece. Jobs like advertisement and graphic design will be a lot of Layout Design which is formulating pictures and words to get the point out in the strongest or most purposeful way.

A graphic designer can make anywhere from 18,000 to 60,000 a year, with an average salary of about 30,000. This is really dependent on what kind of work you are doing, freelance jobs are subject to seasonal fluctuation due to the amount of work needed in a given month or year. And a person working in the advertisement industry can make even more, depending on the place he or she is hired.

Hit the List

This is a brief list of some of the jobs that require using photo editing and photoshop, these ideas are a little vague, but you can start to get an idea of what you want to direct your photoshop skills towards.

Photoshop Jobs
- Brochures
- Logo Design
- Webpage Design
- Clothing Design
- Product Labeling
- Magazines
- Photo Doctoring
- Modeling
- Advertisement
- Photo Restoring
- Posters
- Flyers
- Artistic
- Graphic Design
- Superimposing

Start out with an Online Portfolio

It's very important to show people what you are made of or your knowledge of the subject. So creating a portfolio is key, and getting it where people can view your work and give you constructive criticism helps you better realize your strengths and weaknesses. Photoshop work that should be entered in your portfolio could be some superimposing, advertisement, and some artistic ideas. These subjects are the most sought after because of their use in everyday photoshop, employers will be looking at how real you can make your pictures, and how presentable it is to the public.

Making a Website

Not just an idea for web designers, but also for anybody trying to make their work more presentable. This will show your professional status, and a sense of propriety above other people in your field of work. If you want to build a site keep it very simple, simple colors, simple design, simple texting and so on. If you don't know a lot about web design it is best to let your work speak for you. Microsoft offers a Visual Web Developer for free, so you might want to look into that, if you are just starting out. It also offers free lesson on how to use the program on the site.

Although building a website is a good effort to be taken more seriously in the photoshop community it is also a commitment. In order to have a website you need to get a web host, a business/service that lets you run your website. The best idea is to get shared hosting which will run you about 5$ a month, for a minimal hosting plan. Your not going to find a domain name for free. Web hosts make it very easy for you to put up your website so no extreme knowledge of computers is needed. We find HostMonster.com to be the best web host for beginners, trust us there is a lot of confusing hosting plans out there.

Selling Photos Online in order to Make some Early Money

If your aspiring to become a graphic designer, or work with picture editing in general then you might like to sell your creations to buyers via the internet. If you have already made a website or are planning on making a website then this will make the process even easier. Selling your digitally photoshoped photos can be a promising business and it is a way to get your name out there to gain some experience in the business. If this is something you might be into, then you can get started anytime. Purchase the C.D. Program then learn how to upload your photoshop and start a freelance business. Anybody that is already a freelance digital photographer learning photoshop can do nothing but help your business. Buyers will bid at a high price for photos digitally mastered and have a professional look.

Can a Photo Editor Sell Pictures through Stock Photo Sites?

This is a completely acceptable practice, and actually puts you ahead of the game if you know how to use both Photoshop and a digital camera. Who buys photos from stock photography sites anyway? Graphic designers, photo editors, and advertisers to just name a few. If you are a photo editor yourself, then you know exactly what buyers of stock photography want, and are able to supply them with better pictures. Altering your digital photos will only make them more presentable and relate to other buyers in a similar position. A few things you should remember are: don't alter the picture too much because people don't need fully altered pictures and if you make your pictures too complex you are marketing to the wrong crowd. Also, only use your own material which means take the digital pictures yourself... it's not a good idea to resell someone else's freelance photography. Selling to stock photography sites is a great job to have while looking to be hired as a full time photo editor or graphic designer.