Saving time through expert retouching and collaboration to get the best shots

Growing with Shoedazzle

ShoeDazzle revolutionized the subscription market for fashion lovers. While the initial focus was on shoes, this evolved over time to include clothing, apparel, bags, and accessories, giving users the whole package. As the business increased its offering, this also meant that the workload grew too.

Originally, Mark Clough started out freelancing for ShoeDazzle, but as the company grew, he stayed with them, becoming a part of the team, controlling the development from studio to website. He had a specific interest in retouching, "I love retouching; it's like problem-solving in a way." Mark is part of a small team, and each member wears multiple hats. Due to the continued success of ShoeDazzle, they needed additional, flexible support, and so they came to Pixelz after an unhappy experience with their previous retouching team.

Effective Communication to Get the Best Shots

As with any initial relationship, Shoe Dazzle and Pixelz worked together in the beginning to understand the requirements of the job, any specific techniques or issues that they had faced. To help with this, Mark created a guide to support the collaboration.

"I did a retouching guide with all the call-outs, including what to do in terms of visible nipples or facial scarring, calluses on toes or blisters, etc. We set it out in a PDF so that it was clear to the person who was retouching what we wanted and what we expected.”

That said, ensuring that the images weren't over-edited was important to Mark. "We keep the skin really simple. We want a natural look overall, just without blemishes or acne. We also have a specific color background." By sharing his thoughts and expectations, the team was quick to understand what was important to Mark and ensure everyone was on the same page.

Saving Time While Getting the Job Done

One of the reasons that ShoeDazzle came to Pixelz was that they needed more time, as there could be thousands of shots to complete. "The most important thing is that I'm saving time. For me, retouching isn't complicated because of how long I've been doing it. I used to sit and do all these myself, but now knowing that I have the freedom to share some of the load with the same standard, I'd expect if I'd done it myself."

ShoeDazzle has also made use of our expedited delivery service to get the best results with a fast turnaround time. As Mark explained, "the 24-hour turnaround was great - I've used it once or twice maybe, but it's nice to have that in your back pocket if needed."

By having both of these options, ShoeDazzle is able to take on bigger challenges and look towards further growth in the future without having to worry about sacrificing the quality of their final images.

Shoedazzle X Pixelz

"I'm really happy with Pixelz overall. The turnaround time is great, being able to get the files. It's really refreshing to be able to drop files and then get them the following day if I need them."

"I'd definitely recommend Pixelz. I'm pleased with the work, and I feel like the initial rejection guide that we gave you guys set a standard. Pixelz goes above and beyond that standardized set. I think it's great."