Find a calculator ↗Product Photography Budget Calculator
Estimate product photography costs from item count, final images, shooting effort, retouching, and fixed project expenses.
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Enter your values and calculate.
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What is this product photography budget calculator?
This calculator combines product setup and capture time with per-image retouching effort. It provides a transparent production budget for a group of similarly complex products. Final delivered images, rather than every camera exposure, determine the retouching workload.
How to use the calculator
Count products and final images needed per product. Estimate shooting minutes including normal setup, then retouching time per final image. Enter a blended labor rate and fixed expenses outside those time allowances.
Check the input assumptions
Review the help text beneath each field before calculating. Enter amounts in US dollars where shown and use consistent units. Change one assumption at a time to understand which inputs affect your result.
Formula and worked example
Example calculation
Twenty products with three images each create 60 final images. Shooting takes five hours at 15 minutes per product. Retouching takes ten hours at ten minutes per image. At $60 per hour plus $200 fixed costs, the budget is $1,100.
These numbers illustrate the calculation; they are not recommended rates or industry benchmarks.
How to interpret your result
Compare quotes with the same number of deliverables and revision scope. More angles increase editing effort even when the product setup stays largely unchanged.
What the estimate leaves out
The model assumes comparable product complexity and one blended rate. It does not price usage rights, talent, complex compositing, or reshoots unless entered.
Frequently asked questions
Should I count every photo taken?
No. Count final images requiring retouching and delivery.
Where does setup time go?
Include routine per-product setup in shooting time and shared setup costs in fixed expenses without duplication.
Can shooting and editing rates differ?
This version uses a blended rate. Run separate cost estimates if that would be more accurate.
Are image usage rights included?
Only if their cost is included in fixed expenses. Confirm licensing terms with the supplier.
Does the cost per image include fixed charges?
Yes. The total budget is divided by final image count.
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