1. How to Make Money
with Your Photoshop
Editing Skills

2. 2 | How to Make Money with Your Photoshop Editing Skills
The gig economy is a wonderful thing.
It functions so well because it’s
largely made up of individuals making
money by doing what they love, from
editing, to graphic design and even
photography. A subset of these last
two creative professions is the art of
Photoshop. Photoshop is a designer or
photographer’s best friend. It allows them
to take their work from great to perfect
by making images clearer, more vibrant,
and highly evocative. Trust that when we
refer to “the art of Photoshop,” we aren’t
exaggerating – it really is an art form.
How to Make Money with
Your Photoshop Editing Skills

3. 3 | How to Make Money with Your Photoshop Editing Skills
Because it takes a certain
amount of talent and skill to
be great at Photoshop and
Photoshop editing, it’s not
very difficult to make money
with your Photoshop skills.
In fact there are plenty of
categories on Fiverr where
skilled Photoshop editors
can post their Gigs in the
hopes of connecting with
the right customer. It’s all
about finding something
that you love to do and that
speaks to your talents. This
eBook explores some of
the categories you may be
interested in.
How to Make Money with Your Photoshop Editing Skills

4. 4 | How to Make Money with Your Photoshop Editing Skills
It’s rare that a picture looks perfect without any retouching. The things we snap in our everyday lives and put up on
social media are fine without retouching (although sometimes a filter or some tweaks in the Camera+ app can really
take that selfie to the next level), the larger, more important and lasting moments of our lives often require a bit of
help. After all, who doesn’t want their wedding photos or professional headshots need to be perfect?
Wedding and
Professional Photos
B E F O R E A F T E R

5. 5 | How to Make Money with Your Photoshop Editing Skills
Many Photoshop
editors earn money
on the side by working
with professional
photographers on
making photos for big
events looks stunning.
Depending on the
event, these photos are
meant to last a while.
A professional headshot
ought to last a few
years, while wedding
photos will be adored
for a lifetime.
Wedding and Professional Photos

6. 6 | How to Make Money with Your Photoshop Editing Skills
More and more, small businesses
are relying on Facebook, Twitter, and
Instagram to connect with customers and
serve as promotional platforms for their
work. Because of this, they have to churn
out content on a regular basis, making
sure their online presence is always active
and that their content is always relevant.
Many business owners will need help
creating this content. They might need
a design expert to fix some flaws in a
photograph, or they might need someone
who can create custom graphics from
scratch on a weekly basis.
If you do help a brand out with their social
media creative, be sure you know the best
Social Media

7. 7 | How to Make Money with Your Photoshop Editing Skills
practices for each platform. For instance,
Facebook will only let you promote images
if less than 20 percent of the image surface
has text on it. Meanwhile, Instagram
creative needs to look like it belongs on
the platform, meaning pristine images of
a beautiful beach at dawn would work well
for a surf brand, while a big brightly colored
graphic advertising a sale on wetsuits
would not.
When working with someone on their
social media presence, be sure the
business owner tracks which of the content
performs the best on their platforms. This
is a great way to get clear feedback from
the community. It will also help you create
better assets as you move forward.
Social Media

8. 8 | How to Make Money with Your Photoshop Editing Skills
Nike’s swoosh. Apple’s apple. McDonald’s
golden arches. The logo is a very powerful
thing, conveying tons of information and
emotions in just a few seconds. In fact, the
three brands mentioned at the beginning of
this paragraph don’t even need to have their
name printed near their iconic images for
people to immediately know what they are.
But logos aren’t just for huge corporations.
The flower shop down the street and the
small law firm your neighbor works for also
could use logos to help convey their value
and be easily identifiable. These logos will live
in many places – email signatures, business
cards, corporate stationary, banners at
conventions. It’s not just for storefronts and
the ends of TV commercials.
Logo Design

9. 9 | How to Make Money with Your Photoshop Editing Skills
Becoming a logo designer takes a bit of
skill, but if you have a knack for it, you can
make a lot of money on the side coming
up with logos for brands and businesses.
Keep in mind that logo creation is usually
a process. It will most likely start out with
a conversation with the business owner
about what their business is all about.
Then, you’ll probably need to create a
handful of logos that help you and the
client get on the same page. Then, from
there, you may need to come up with
more alternates or tweak a version to line
up with the client’s needs. On top of that,
you’ll want to give them the logo in a few
different high-resolution file types that
can easily be use for a variety of needs,
from t-shirts to Facebook profile pictures.
Logo Design

10. 10 | How to Make Money with Your Photoshop Editing Skills
Like it or not, there are a lot of
advertisements on the web. And
someone needs to make those
advertisements.
If you’re skilled at Photoshop editing,
you can make a lot of money designing
these banner ads, or cleaning up the
work that someone else has already
done. Like social media graphics,
banner ads have their own best
practices for getting the attention of
people on the web. You’ll also probably
need to collaborate with others – the
business owner, the original designer –
to ensure you’re creating an asset that
accomplishes their goals.
Banner Ads

11. 11 | How to Make Money with Your Photoshop Editing Skills
Looking for Gigs can be difficult.
That’s why there are sites such as
Fiverr, which brings creators and
businesses together to accomplish
a common goal. However, there are
other routes you can take instead
of, or in addition to, selling your
Photoshop skills on Fiverr.
Some digital creatives find success
working with marketing and
advertising agencies on a freelance
basis. This can be a benefit for a
variety of reasons. One, it’s usually
up to the agency to find the work,
Working with an Agency
vs Doing it on Your Own

12. 12 | How to Make Money with Your Photoshop Editing Skills
meaning all you have to focus on is
delivering the final product. Second,
depending on the agency, this can be
an opportunity to work with some big
brands that you wouldn’t be able to
work with if you were a solo freelancer
looking for work. Also, agency
engagements are often ongoing,
meaning that you can have somewhat
regular work without the drawbacks of
a full time position.
However, freelancing on your own,
working with Fiverr, or similar websites
have plenty of their own benefits. For
instance, not freelancing at an agency
allows you to work from just about
anywhere in the world, from a cabin in
the woods to a flight heading to Asia,
Working with an Agency vs Doing it on Your Own

13. 13 | How to Make Money with Your Photoshop Editing Skills
and never worry about needing to
come into an office for a meeting or
presentation.
Freelancing on your own also allows
you to pick and choose the projects
you want to work on. There is no
guarantee that your client roster
will ever change. If you work with
the agency for seven months, you
may work on the same client or two
for that entire time without any
chance of getting to do something
new. However, when you freelance
on your own, you set your own
course. You decide the clients you
want to work with and how heavy
your workload will be.
Working with an Agency vs Doing it on Your Own

14. 14 | How to Make Money with Your Photoshop Editing Skills
One last word of advance: if you’re
talented at Photoshop editing and want
to make extra money doing anything
we’ve described above, seriously
consider finding a copywriter to work
with on a regular basis.
The relationship between copywriter and
designer is an important one. There’s a
good chance that your designs will need
some copy, whether it’s a logo for a local
café or the slogan of a fashion website
you’re helping design.
Sometimes the client will hand over
copy and expect it to be incorporated
into a design. Obviously you don’t have
to come up with any original copy in this
Find a Copywriting Partner

15. 15 | How to Make Money with Your Photoshop Editing Skills
situation, but it can be good
to have a copywriter partner
who can check your designs
for typos, or look for ways to
subtly improve the copy.
If you have a copywriter that
you work with regularly, you
may be able into incorporate
them into your freelance
work. If you bill your self as
a team, you can win bigger
business, helping budding
brands and small businesses
create their visual and tonal
aesthetic. In essence, you
become an agency of one.
Find a Copywriting Partner

16. 16 | How to Make Money with Your Photoshop Editing Skills
Using your Photoshop
editing skills to make
money isn’t an easy task
by any means. For every
stretch of regular work,
there may be periods
of time when it’s hard
to make money doing
what you’ve set out
to do. However, once
you get experience
and a good reputation,
you’ll almost certainly
see more business,
more money, and more
enjoyment doing what
you love.
Be in It For the Long Haul
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