Best Real Estate Photo Editing Apps (Free Tools)

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If your listing photos don't showcase a property in the best possible light, it can mean the difference between a quick sale and weeks or months on the market. The good news is that free apps allow you to edit images on your phone or computer easily without needing to be a photo editing expert. 

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We’re sharing the top free DIY real estate photo editing apps to touch up and transform your real estate shots. With a few taps and edits, you can dramatically enhance lighting, correct color tones, remove clutter, and make that outdated kitchen or bathroom look bright and modern.

Top Free Real Estate Photo Editing Apps

There are various options that begin with free usage. After some time, you will need to pay to continue using some of them. Others might need a small fee to unlock new features. 

This list will give you a quick look at some of the free real estate image editing apps you could use to enhance your images. Photographers and real estate agents can gain access to and execute these free real estate image editing apps in a do-it-yourself fashion, ensuring that photos are delivered on time and in full.

If you don’t want to read our entire review, our favorite real estate photo editing platform that’s free is GIMP. It has several features and tools that Photoshop has, making it a powerful free tool for photographers.

Editing App	Paid Upgrades?	Compatibility	Best For
GIMP	No, open source	Windows, MacOS, Linux	Advanced
VSCO	Yes	iOS, Android	Beginners
Canva	Yes	Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android	Beginners
Pixlr	Yes	Windows, MacOS	Beginners and Advanced
Snapseed	Yes	iOS, Android	Beginners and Advanced

GIMP

GNU Image Manipulation Program is such a mouthful to say, so it can be safely assumed that this is why it was abbreviated to GIMP instead. GIMP is a great free option for real estate photographers looking to do more complex editing and touch-ups on their photos. GIMP can also sample pixels similar to what the Clone Stamp tool does in Photoshop. 

Real estate photographer Matias Galeano at HCE Visuals has tried various free photo editing apps, and he agrees that GIMP is a good tool to use:

“I’ve always supported GIMP simply for their efforts to maintain a free alternative to Adobe’s Photoshop, even if it can’t always compete with the latest most powerful features.” 

GIMP provides a wide range of editing capabilities like cropping, color correction, cloning, and layering that allow real estate photographers to enhance their photos without needing to purchase expensive software.

This makes it a perfect choice for those tedious background object removal tasks that exist all over real estate images. Furthermore, GIMP includes a batch processing feature so you can multitask on an unlimited number of images at a time. 

Pros:

• Completely free and open source software
• Allows batch editing for efficient workflow
• Has cloning and healing tools to remove distracting objects
• Supports layers for applying targeted adjustments
• Can adjust color balance, contrast, brightness etc.

Cons:

• Interface isn't the most intuitive compared to paid options
• Less automated tools and presets tailored for real estate
• Limited native support for RAW photo formats
• Small learning curve to master more advanced functions

VSCO

VSCO can perform image editing tasks such as lighting and color adjustments. On top of this, it has over 200 presets that help you to edit quickly and consistently. You can get members-only exclusive content if you subscribe to their membership. This includes tutorials and tips, and the app is compatible with both iOS and Android. Talk about mobility and convenience! 

VSCO is best for social media usage. This means you can shoot, edit, and post through this free realty editor app and treat it as a one-stop shop.

VSCO is one of Matias’ favorite free apps because of how easy it is to quickly edit and share images: 

“In the past, I’ve used VSCO extensively to edit images on the go on my mobile devices, particularly when time is of the essence. If the photos need to be uploaded/shared ASAP and a simple touch-up is enough, it’s a great way to work. Their presets and film emulators are a great way to get good results fast.”

In general, VSCO is a great option for real estate photographers looking for a free and easy-to-use photo editing app. With its range of editing tools and presets, VSCO makes getting professional-looking shots of homes and properties simple.

The preset filters allow you to quickly adjust lighting, color, and tone to showcase a property in its best light. The white balance tool and HSL sliders provide more advanced controls to fine-tune images. Overall, VSCO packs a lot of punch for a free app.

Pros:

• User-friendly interface and controls
• Numerous filters and presets for quick editing
• Advanced editing tools like white balance and HSL
• Free to download and use

Cons:

• Limited editing capabilities
• Requires subscription for additional presets and tutorials
• More suited for social media images than professional prints
• Can be time consuming to edit large batches of images

Canva

Canva is the perfect all-around free image-editing app. Its free plan includes various effects, tools, and image adjustment sliders. For a small fee, you can upgrade to unlock more features and options. 

Like VSCO, Canva is perfect for growing your social media page for property selling. It can fit Instagram requirements and provide catchy effects to showcase your property.

With its drag-and-drop interface and range of templates, Canva makes editing and enhancing real estate photos easy. The collage function also lets you showcase a property through multiple images in one frame.

Canva has user-friendly tools for basic editing needs like cropping, filter applications, and text overlays. These tools allow you to edit shots quickly, and the templates and graphics elements help give you a cohesive, branded look. 

While more advanced photographers may want editing software with more robust features, Canva is a great entry-level choice.

Pros:

• Intuitive drag-and-drop editing
• Numerous templates and design elements
• Collage function ideal for real estate
• Free basic version available
• Easy to use

Cons:

• Limited advanced editing capabilities
• Requires paid subscription for more features
• Not suitable for printing professional photographs
• Template-based system has less creative flexibility
• Best for social media marketing, not professional usage

Pixlr

Pixlr is a free photo editing app useful for real estate photography. Its editing features, like background removal, filters, and lighting adjustments, allow you to enhance property photos for listings and marketing. This application uses artificial intelligence to ensure editing takes a few clicks. 

Imagine everything you can do regarding staging and making sure real estate images are merged. Now you can kick ass in background removal and many other tasks with the help of AI, breezing through them in no time.

Pixlr makes it easy to virtually stage a property or remove any unwanted distractions in a photo. The AI-powered tools streamline common editing tasks like selecting and erasing objects to help improve efficiency. While Pixlr may not have the advanced capabilities of paid software, it provides a free, web-based option for basic real estate photo editing.

Pros:

• Free web-based app requiring no download
• Intuitive interface and editing tools
• AI-powered features like background removal
• Filters and lighting adjustments ideal for real estate
• Easy to edit batches of photos quickly

Cons:

• More limited features than paid software
• Requires Flash to be installed for full functionality
• Not ideal for printing professional photographs
• Fewer customization options than advanced editors
• Works best for minor to moderate enhancements

Snapseed

Snapseed's ultimate promise is to keep the quality and definition of your photos. This ensures the integrity is intact after the enhancements. This application, developed by Google, is available for iOS and Android. Moreover, it can mimic the techniques available from the paid real estate photo editing software. 

It can heal blemishes, correct curved lines, and manipulate photos using localized tools such as masking and brushing. This ability to isolate objects within the image and make changes within those bounds sets Snapseed apart from other free real estate photo editing apps.

Snapseed makes it easy to highlight the best features of a home or landscape for real estate listings. The app's selective filter is also great for local adjustments to emphasize focal points. 

While Snapseed may lack some specialized real estate features, its pro-level controls and ease of use make it an excellent free option.

Pros:

• Professional-grade editing tools
• Precise adjustments for color, contrast, etc.
• Local adjustment filters
• Intuitive interface and workflows
• Completely free app
• Great for fine-tuning real estate shots

Cons:

• Can have a learning curve for new users
• Lacks common real estate templates/features
• Optimized for mobile use, not desktop
• Less customizable than paid desktop software
• Best for enhancements rather than transformations

Benefits of Editing Real Estate Photos

In most cases, a real estate photo isn’t ready to deliver to clients right out of the camera. This is primarily due to the loss of detail in the highlights and shadows. You might also capture an object you don't want to show in the listing. 

You can take advantage of the following benefits if you know how to edit photos for real estate: 

• Real estate photo editing helps to improve color vibrancy and saturation, making the property look aesthetically pleasing
• It helps real estate agents remove distracting objects so the viewer can focus on the main subject
• HDR editing can help real estate agents reveal details in overexposed and underexposed areas
• Lens correction editing can help real estate agents reduce distortions caused by wider angle lenses
• It can help real estate agents create a 360-degree view of the property by stitching photos

To get the full benefits of editing real estate photos with a free tool, Matias shares this advice: 

“It’s important to make sure that the software gives you control over each of the settings, allowing you to adjust each individually rather than selecting a ‘style’ which is then applied over the entire image. You want to be able to adjust each aspect of the image. If possible, it should offer adjustment curves, as well as fine control over the temperature and white balance of the image, as that’s a major factor in real estate photography.”

 

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Edit Real Estate Photos?

To edit real estate photos, you first need to select the photo editing app you want to use. From there, adjust the overall lighting and color. Crop out the excess background and touch up any distracting elements. For exteriors, make sure the image has a sunny, vibrant look. For interiors, warm up the temperature and brighten dark areas.

What Is Real Estate Photo Editing?

Real estate photo editing is the process of optimizing photos of properties so they look their absolute best in real estate listings. The goal is to highlight the best features of the home and surroundings.

What Is the Best Free Photo Editing App for Real Estate?

The best free photo editing app is GIMP. This is because the application is open-source. That means you won't encounter issues with locked features that other “free” apps have. GIMP is also similar to Photoshop, giving you a lot of advanced tools that other free platforms don’t provide.

Conclusion

The above list of free DIY apps for image editing in real estate gets you kicked off in your search. With the massive range of choices, the selection process should make you go gaga over which one to pick. They are all reliable and capable of bringing in the money.

This quick list of free DIY apps for image editing in real estate should get you kicked off in your search for the one that will work best for you. They are all reliable and capable of editing photos - it’s mostly a matter of how simple or advanced of a tool you’re looking for.

Relevant Quick Links:

• Real Estate Photo Editing
• Real Estate Image Editing
• Knowledge Base
• Easy DIY Tips on Real Estate Photography Editing
• Top 8 DIY Tripod Alternatives for Real Estate Photographers