Yesterday, I wrote about empowerment that comes with learning new skills. Mindful delegation also brings empowerment. Recognising that you cannot be an expert in all things, and thoughtfully outsourcing to people or services with complementary skill sets, can free you up to focus on assignments that bring you joy and satisfaction.
Against this background, I am grateful to Ruth de Vos (via Helen Conway and the SAQA list) for introducing me to the photo-editing services of www.deepetch.com. While I have definitely improved my skills at removing excess backgrounds from images of my artwork, I find it fiddly and time consuming. Now I outsource to Deep Etch and get professional results at very economical rates. (Pricing varies depending on which credit package you purchase; the complexity of the assignment and the requested turnaround time.)
Deepetch is currently offering 25% extra credits on their $230 and $495 bundles. If you don’t need that many credits, why not team up with another artist or two for best economy? Now is an excellent time to go through your image archives and clean up your photos. With professionally deep-etched images, you might even be inspired to put together a photo book portfolio as shown by Kristin La Flamme.
To see if this service works for you, sign up for Deep Etch account (it’s free) and they will process FIVE images free of charge. (And if you let them know in your delivery instructions that brenda@serendipitypachwork.com.au sent you over, I receive a small referral fee at no extra expense to you.)
Do you have a delegation and outsourcing empowerment tip? Please share by leaving a comment.
neroli says
I can feel every graphic designer reading this wincing. I know I would hate (hate!) to ever deep etch an image for $1. There are some pretty nifty ways to remove backgrounds in photoshop quickly now, but some pieces still need it done the more time consuming draw around the outside way. It feel a bit like asking someone to quilt a quilt for $5. I’m guessing they are outsourcing to someone who is paid very, very little.
Brenda Gael Smith says
My images were very simple. More complex images attract a higher fee. Also I purchased a bulk bundle and chose 7-day turnarounds which brings the price down. The Deep Etch website states “We are an Australian managed company with customer support provided by Aplus Image Solutions Pty Ltd. We also own our production centres in India and Phillipines.” Your comment raises questions about ethical purchasing that we all have to grapple with across a range of goods and services. There are no easy answers. If you know of a comparable 24/7 comprehensive image-processing service on a customer-friendly platform that doesn’t make you wince, you are welcome to share in a comment.
Penny Gold says
I am very glad to know of this service. I have done the work involved on a few of my photos, and each time swore I wouldn’t do it again–so much time, and no pleasure in the doing. I hadn’t thought of the issue of how little someone is getting paid, though, to do this. . .
Ali George says
Thanks for this advice and pointer – looks like a great site and planning on taking advantage of their starting offer … many thanks 🙂