How to Edit Photos for a Zillow Listing

Why Zillow Listing Photos Need to Be Perfect

Over 95% of home buyers start their search online, and Zillow is where most of them look first. The listing photos determine whether buyers schedule a showing or keep scrolling. Listings with professional-quality photos sell faster and for more money. The National Association of Realtors reports that homes with high-quality photos sell 32% faster. AI photo editing gets you professional results without the $200-500 cost of hiring a real estate photographer.

Zillow Photo Requirements and Best Practices

Zillow accepts JPEG and PNG files. Photos should be at least 1024 pixels on the longest side, but higher resolution is better since Zillow displays large images. Zillow recommends at least 6 photos per listing, with the hero photo being the most important. The hero photo should show the front exterior with a clear sky, or the most impressive interior space. Avoid photos with visible watermarks, text overlays, or heavy filters since Zillow may reject or deprioritize them.

The Edits That Sell Homes Faster

• Sky replacement on exterior shots turns gray, overcast days into clear blue skies
• Interior lighting correction makes dark rooms look bright and spacious
• Decluttering removes personal items, excess furniture, and distractions
• Virtual staging adds furniture to empty rooms so buyers can visualize the space
• Color correction fixes the yellow cast from indoor tungsten bulbs
• Lawn and landscaping cleanup removes brown patches, trash cans, and parked cars

Editing Exterior Photos

The front exterior is the hero image of every Zillow listing. Blue sky replacement is the single most impactful edit for exteriors shot on cloudy days. Beyond that, cleaning up the lawn, removing trash cans from the curb, and brightening the overall exposure make a dramatic difference. For twilight shots, enhance the warm window glow against a darkening sky for a magazine-quality look.

Editing Interior Photos

Interior real estate photos struggle with two consistent problems: dark corners and mixed lighting. Fix both by asking the AI to brighten the space with natural-looking light. Window blow-out (where windows appear as bright white rectangles) is another common issue. The AI can balance interior exposure with the outdoor view visible through windows. For occupied homes, removing personal photos, refrigerator magnets, and countertop clutter helps buyers picture themselves in the space.

Virtual Staging for Empty Rooms

Empty rooms are hard for buyers to visualize. Virtual staging adds realistic furniture to show how the space could be used. A vacant living room with a couch, coffee table, and rug gets significantly more engagement than the same empty room. When virtual staging on Zillow, agents are required to disclose that staging is virtual, but most buyers respond positively to it since it helps them understand room scale and potential layouts.

Editing Ethics for Real Estate

There is a clear line between enhancing a photo and misrepresenting a property. Fixing lighting, removing temporary clutter, and replacing a gray sky are universally accepted real estate edits. Removing permanent defects like cracks, water stains, or structural issues is not acceptable and could create legal liability. Keep your edits to lighting, temporary items, and sky conditions.