why sending images for retouch to other countries?

[sophiahr]

Hello everyone,
I have this question,why sending images for retouch to other places like India(that we have seen it a lot),peru and other more?
I was working for a photography studio in chicago,doing the heigh school senior yearbooks and the images they were sending to Peru for retouching,very very bad retouching.
But people still send to those places for cheap retouching and really have done bad to the market of retouching.
So my question goes to the non-retouchers,why you send images for retouching to other countries?

[w23]

How old are you? I have to ask because the question leads me to believe that you are either very young or just naive.

Why would you have anything manufactured in China? Toys, knick-knacks, clothing, whatever. Of course these things can be made much better in the US. The answer is money. Get it?

Able bodied people expect to be compensated fairly for their labor. Leaders of industry would prefer to return to slave days. Since slavery was (supposedly) abolished, leaders of industry have decided that the best solution was to export these jobs to India, China, wherever in order to maximize profit. They can pay a retoucher a fair wage for the work or they can ship the work elsewhere and pay peanuts. As for the level of work, who cares? I can buy a shirt at Target, made in China, for 10 bucks. I'll wash it twice and it will be garbage. That means I'll have to go back to Target and buy another, right?

I really respect and appreciate the people that work at the upper levels of any given industry. But for every person that sits down for a 4-star meal, thousands flock to McDonalds. To answer your question, the people that outsource have a Charlie Trotter appetite but a desire to spend McDonald's money. They want to keep the money in their pocket and choose to use dirt cheap labor.

It's not my intention to slam anyone in India, etc. doing this work. If I were in their shoes I'd do the same. And I don't want to paint with such a broad brush as to say that all of the retouching work being done in India, etc. is garbage. I just have a big issue with the excessive greed that leads to outsourcing.

On the flip side it's an enormous wake up call to those who wish to make a living in this line of work. Step up your game.

[sophiahr]

I know and I already say that they do it cause it's cheap.
Whatever you say it's true and you think that I don't already know that?
First of all I'm not young or naive I've been doing this job for years.
This job is art and technology.And again what you're saying is true don't give me wrong but it is sad.

Thank you for replying

[pixelzombie]

it's a business and it's all about making money...

[zacker]

it is cheaper to have unskilled people in other countries do it that to have skilled pros in your own country do it.. Besides, who wants to pay alot for an excellent job when they can get mediocre (at best) almost free? lol... seriously though, It all comes down to $$ My thoughts on this is.. if you are or wanna be a pro photographer, learn to edit and retouch for yourself and you wont need to pay others to do it for you. If you want to make a career of retouching / editing for others, learn to do it so good, no one else can match you then, carve out your own niche in the business and get paid accordingly.

[Quantum3Studio]

Originally Posted by w23

How old are you? I have to ask because the question leads me to believe that you are either very young or just naive.

Why would you have anything manufactured in China? Toys, knick-knacks, clothing, whatever. Of course these things can be made much better in the US. The answer is money. Get it?

Able bodied people expect to be compensated fairly for their labor. Leaders of industry would prefer to return to slave days. Since slavery was (supposedly) abolished, leaders of industry have decided that the best solution was to export these jobs to India, China, wherever in order to maximize profit. They can pay a retoucher a fair wage for the work or they can ship the work elsewhere and pay peanuts. As for the level of work, who cares? I can buy a shirt at Target, made in China, for 10 bucks. I'll wash it twice and it will be garbage. That means I'll have to go back to Target and buy another, right?

I really respect and appreciate the people that work at the upper levels of any given industry. But for every person that sits down for a 4-star meal, thousands flock to McDonalds. To answer your question, the people that outsource have a Charlie Trotter appetite but a desire to spend McDonald's money. They want to keep the money in their pocket and choose to use dirt cheap labor.

It's not my intention to slam anyone in India, etc. doing this work. If I were in their shoes I'd do the same. And I don't want to paint with such a broad brush as to say that all of the retouching work being done in India, etc. is garbage. I just have a big issue with the excessive greed that leads to outsourcing.

On the flip side it's an enormous wake up call to those who wish to make a living in this line of work. Step up your game.

HOhoHOhoHOhoh!!!!!! This is the best THE BEST reply I have read here and this "The answer is money. Get it?" HAha... Direct to the point.

I have been researching what about India and a middle-high wealth person in India earns around 21000 rupees per year, which are 1000 per month. They can buy many things for lunch with 1 dollar = 47 ruppees.

I have a competence in my freelance work who is an Indian who charges 0.2 usd cents for cutting out any kind of images. I did many calculations based on his price (200 usd for 1K of cutting outs/silos/clipping paths or whatever it's called) and it's around the 9700 rupees. We can say he will live for 9 months and so like a middle-high wealth Indian with only that job.

There is no competence in prices, but skills and hardware are from our side. However, this guy have won around 400 projects from the US, so he's probably a millonaire in India, having great hardware and such.

0.2 usd cents per image... We must think quickly... HAha...

[Quantum3Studio]

Originally Posted by sophiahr

I know and I already say that they do it cause it's cheap.
Whatever you say it's true and you think that I don't already know that?
First of all I'm not young or naive I've been doing this job for years.
This job is art and technology.And again what you're saying is true don't give me wrong but it is sad.

Thank you for replying

As PixelZombie says: it's all about business, money, greedy companies, not about technology and art.

But remember one thing: if the companies from the US are outsourcing at high alarming rates it's because the level of the consumer have been lowered. I don't think a French will accept an add which is not artistic enough.

[w23]

Sophia -

I apologize. While I stand by most of what I wrote I shouldn't have implied that you are naive and/or young. I dont' know anything about you and emotions got the better of me. Please accept my apology.

The issue of outsourcing labor has been hitting a bit close to home lately. I've seen a few very talented friends and relatives lose jobs and homes because their jobs were exported abroad.

[psdbunny]

Originally Posted by Quantum3Studio

As PixelZombie says: it's all about business, money, greedy companies, not about technology and art.

But remember one thing: if the companies from the US are outsourcing at high alarming rates it's because the level of the consumer have been lowered. I don't think a French will accept an add which is not artistic enough.

As a Parisian artist, I'm not sure I'd agree with your last statement at all. I find the quality of retouching MUCH higher in the US as opposed to in France. The UK has a lot of high quality retouch work, as well.

[zacker]

Maybe its just like everything else... the "craze" just hasnt hit your shores as hard yet.. I mean, there are probably alot more Brits and Yanks taking classes and learning Graphic design and / or retouching than in France and other countries because there are probably just more people who are into it.. maybe?

[zganie]

Simple! Because its a business and its about profit
there is rarely long term thinking involved

[dennisonb]

I'm a photographer, and retoucher, and yes I occasionally send stuff abroad for retouching. (Although to be fair, for most people on this forum I am *already* abroad as I live in Europe). I do send some occasional stuff to India, and it comes back mediocre, but usable. Recently I've found some other retouchers, whom I have no idea where they are based who do a really great job for 10$. I don't typically outsource everything, but there are some jobs that it pays to send it out. Especially if there are a lot of basic tasks I can let someone else do, and then go back to the image to finish it off with my own touch.

Personally- retouching is not like manufacturing. It doesn't get 'outsourced' because it never really 'belonged' to any one place. It belongs only to the talents of those who perform it. It won't be long until these 'indian guys' are just as good as any of us. In fact many already are.

dennison
www.dennisonbertram.com

[Quantum3Studio]

Originally Posted by dennisonb

I'm a photographer, and retoucher, and yes I occasionally send stuff abroad for retouching. (Although to be fair, for most people on this forum I am *already* abroad as I live in Europe). I do send some occasional stuff to India, and it comes back mediocre, but usable. Recently I've found some other retouchers, whom I have no idea where they are based who do a really great job for 10$. I don't typically outsource everything, but there are some jobs that it pays to send it out. Especially if there are a lot of basic tasks I can let someone else do, and then go back to the image to finish it off with my own touch.

Personally- retouching is not like manufacturing. It doesn't get 'outsourced' because it never really 'belonged' to any one place. It belongs only to the talents of those who perform it. It won't be long until these 'indian guys' are just as good as any of us. In fact many already are.

dennison
www.dennisonbertram.com

Hi Dennisonb.

If you need a good retoucher I'm a good one located in Argentina. I will PM you with my portfolios

Have a nice day

Mart