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May 12, 2026
Discover all you need to know about the value of short-term rental photo editing.
Worth over 154 billion in 2026, the short-term property market is lucrative right now. The problem is that it’s also very competitive! That means to succeed, you need to do everything you can to make sure that your listings stand out from the crowd.
The most effective way to do this is to use high-quality visuals. Indeed, great visuals provide all sorts of benefits to your Airbnb business. From stopping potential customers scrolling by, to building trust and demonstrating professionalism.
Good short term real estate images even allow guests to quickly compare the listing on offer to find something that best fits their needs. They also show how clean and spacious your Airbnb property is.
But what happens when the person taking your images has a bad day? When you can’t afford a professional photographer, or when the lighting just isn’t conducive to the perfect picture? Should you just accept that your listing won’t get as many bookings as it should? That you will lose out on valuable occupancy and revenue?
No! Of course not, and the good news is that you don’t have to accept defeat. Instead, you can use real estate photo editing to help you achieve the high quality images that your Airbnb needs to thrive. Keep reading to find out about all the benefits of photo editing below in the visually driven short term real estate market.
Image located at Pexels – Licence CC0
Airbnb photo editing is the process of using software to enhance a property’s images. The great thing about this process is that it can be used to improve a range of image factors including:
The first thing that short-term rental photo editing can do for you is to improve the lighting and correct any exposure issues. What this means is that you can brighten up dark interiors, making them look more inviting. It also means you can correct any window bloom issues where the light coming in from the windows overpowers the image. Lastly, vacation rental photo editing allows you to ensure that all the light in your property looks natural and appealing. This lighting especially important for your initial thumbnails. This is because thumbnail images help bring clients to your listing.
Real estate photo editing can also be used for color correction of your vacation rental photography images. This is really good news if you have photos that do not accurately portray the authentic tones of the walls and furniture in your property. Remember you want your images not only to be as appealing as possible but also as accurate as possible. This will prevent disappointment when clients arrive helping you to maintain trust and gain good reviews.
You can also use Airbnb photo editing to color correct your images. This can be particularly helpful in giving your short term rental property an inviting glow. It’s a simple changer but it’s also one that can just tip the scales in your favor.
Great thumbnails are crucial in the visually driven environment of short term rentals. That is why it’s also a good idea to use real estate photo editing for Airbnb to tweak your thumbnails making them as attractive as possible. Even small things that you may not be in control of such as dark or cloudy skies can impact the success of your images. That is why using photo editing to change cloudy skies to blue ones can also be very effective.
Clutter, even if it may be useful to your short term tenants, can be distracting. It can also make a property look smaller and untidy. The good news is you can rectify this with real estate photo editing and create a more premium appearance.
When images of short term rentals feature crooked walls, and lines they instantly look less professional. This can put off potential clients both because of the issue of aesthetics and trust, so correcting these via short-term rental photo editing can ensure your images are as effective as possible.
Professional Airbnb photos increase Airbnb bookings in a number of ways:
The first of the Airbnb listing photography tips that will help you increase bookings is to always have a strong thumbnail. The reason for this that a good thumbnail will help boost your CTR or click through rates. This means that more potential customers actually click through to your listing from the search results.
Another of the most important Airbnb listing photography tips is that better photos also improve guest trust. This is because images that look professional show that the owner is serious about their Airbnb, and that guests can expect a reliable description leading to a positive experience.
Aesthetically pleasing professional Airbnb photos will always make it look like a more expensive property. This higher perceived property value helps guests understand and justify higher nightly prices. A strategy that can help Airbnb owners make more money per booking.
Last of all, you can use Airbnb photos for more bookings. This is because great photos help to generate more demand for your property. In turn this boosts occupancy rates. More bookings over time, means your both occupancy and profits rocket!
Now, let’s take a look at some of the most common mistakes in Airbnb listing photos, and why you need to avoid them.
You may be wondering whether it’s best to have your vacation rental photography professional edited or whether to edit them yourself. Well, there are pros and cons to each option. Read about them below.
When it comes to DIY vacation rental photography editing, the biggest benefit has to be the lower cost involved. You can even use free apps to edit your Airbnb listing images. Although it’s important to ask whether this cost saving is worth the other sacrifices you may also end making. For example, it can take up to 10 hours to edit a batch of 20 images with DIY editing. Once you have put the effort in to learn the software, a task that can take a long time and that has a steep learning curve. Even when you have learned the software, that’s 10 hours of your time that could be better spent elsewhere.
However, with professional editing you can get the image back in 24-48 hours. All while freeing up your time and focus to run the other parts of your business. Consistency too tends to be of a much higher quality with professional editing, which helps to reinforce the professionalism and trustworthiness of your brand. Quality too tends to be higher with professional editing. This is because professionals pay for the full editing suites, allowing them access to more functions including HDR, and retouching. Again professional editing scalability wins in comparison with DIY as editing any more than 3 properties can be a real time-consuming chore, for the latter. Yet professional editing can handle hundreds of properties without issue.
What this means is that outsourcing professional image editing is the best choice for Photographers, Hosts, and Property Managers. For hosts, professional vacation rental photo editing means higher quality images that boost CTRs and bookings. For property managers, better images reduce a property’s time on the market and so costs. Lastly for photographers outsourcing professional image editing increases consistency, and productivity.
Wondering which of your Airbnb photos it’s best to edit? Check out our expert recommendations below:
Short term rentals main unique selling point is that they are a home away from home. This means showing the living room in your property in a favorable light is a must. To achieve this you can emphasize the living room by editing photos of the space to be comfortable and cozy.
Part of the appeal of an Airbnb is that guests have access to a kitchen to cook in. You’ll want to highlight these features by using real estate photo editing for Airbnb to show off the cleanliness of the kitchen space. Be sure to also drawing attention to high end appliances, and any dining areas.
Guests will always want to know that they will have somewhere calm and peaceful to sleep. Edit your images to reflect this by plumping pillows, and creating a warm inviting environment that oozes rest and relaxation.
Would you rent a Airbnb with a dirty bathroom? Of course not, and neither would your guests. That is why editing your property’s bathroom photos reveal the cleanliness of the rental is critical. You can also show that it’s well stocked with toiletries, helping guests to travel lighter.
Balconies are always a plus for short term rentals. Just be sure to edit your balcony images to accentuate a clean, usable space, and good view.
Ensuring that your short term rentals amenities are captured in the best light is vital to a successful listing. That is why you need to clean up any shots of amenities, removing clutter and making sure they get the attention they deserve.
Golden hour shots are a must for Airbnb listings. Happily, now, no matter when you take the images, you can still achieve those exterior images drenched in golden hour sun. All you need to do is edit them.
The answer to the question of whether Airbnb photography editing is worth the investment is a resounding yes! This is because the short-term rental market is a visually dominated medium. What this means is that the things you do to improve your listing’s images with editing will make a positive difference.
Good photo editing can result in many advantages that are critical for success. These include reducing vacancy, providing you with a more conscious and predictable income. Well-edited images can also convert browsers into paying customers, with a strong first impression.
Lastly, high quality photo editing can help you convey that real value of your property. This results in a higher nightly rate and a better profit margin overall. For these reasons professional photo editing provides excellent ROI for short-term rental owners.
In the short term rental market, visuals have a direct effect on how many bookings you get. This is partly because customers need to be able to make a fast comparison between your property and thousands of others. Good quality images help them do that effectively.
Images that have been edited to highlight cleanliness, facilities and over all care also help to boost the client’s impressions. Not only of the listing itself, but as you as a host, helping them to trust you with their hard earned cash.
The short term rental market market that has the potential to be very profitable. Yet it is also is also highly competitive. That is why Airbnb photography editing offers both excellent ROI and a competitive advantage that cannot be ignored.
Send us your photos and let our expert real estate photo editors handle the editing — fast, accurate, and ready for publishing.