You may wonder about the price of clipping path services. Perhaps you are a photographer, an eCommerce seller, or an agency. The good news is that pricing can range from $0.25 - $5+ for every single image, depending on various factors such as how long it takes to complete, how complex your images are, and so forth. However, there is a lot to consider before choosing how much you will pay for your clipping path service to avoid overpaying.
Average Clipping Path Cost Per Image
Most clipping path service providers including Clipping Mask Asia follow a pricing model where they charge on a per-image basis. Here is an average price range for the most popular types of editing service:
- Basic Image – $0.25 - $0.50
- Standard Image – $0.50 - $1.50
- Complex Image – $2.50 - $5.00+
Most providers will advertise a low cost for their initial edits ($0.25 - $0.39) for basic/simple images. For most real-world projects, however, most businesses pay an average of approximately $0.50 - $2.00 for each image.
Pricing by Image Complexity (Most Important Factor)
The complexity of your clipping path service is the most significant factor in determining your cost for the service.
Simple Clipping Path - Low Cost
Objects that have smooth edges or few curves are considered to be simple clipping path objects.
- Price: $0.25 - $0.49 per image
- Examples: Books, Cups, Boxes, and Phones
These are the least expensive images to produce because they require less editing time, thus costing less to produce.
Medium Clipping Path (Moderate Cost)
You will have images that contain a moderate amount of curves and holes or have multiple objects in them.
- Price Range $0.70 – $1.20
- Examples:
- Shoes
- Bags
- Bottles
- Apparel items
Medium Clipping Paths require more time than Simple Clipping Paths.
Complex Clipping Path (High Cost)
Complex Clipping Paths are for high quality, detailed images that have many curves, holes and/or require multiple clipping paths.
- Price Range $2.50 – $5.00+
- Examples:
- Jewelry
- Bicycles
- Machinery
- Grouped products
Complex Clipping Paths require a much longer amount of time for editing, which increases the price.
What factors affect the pricing for your Clipping Path?
There are no fixed Clipping Path pricing. Instead, there are several business and technical reasons that will affect the price of your Clipping Path.
The primary factors to determine the cost of a Clipping Path are as follows:
- The complexity of the image (the more curves, holes, or detail there are in the image, the more costly your Clipping Path will be).
- The number of images you are having clipped (the greater the number of images you order, the lower your per image price will be).
- The turn around time you require (if you need your images urgently, it may cost you more).
- The type of service you require (e.g., basic clipping paths, multi clipping paths, image masking, retouching or shadowing).
- The quality of work required (AI vs. manual).
Manual clipping paths tend to be more expensive to purchase, however, they provide a higher quality of work than AI clipping paths.
Bulk Pricing - Are There Savings to Be Had?
When working with a large number of images (hundreds or thousands) there is an opportunity to realize significant cost savings.
The following is an example of the discount structure for bulk Clipping Path orders:
- 1 to 20 images are billed at standard prices.
- 50 to 100 are billed at a moderate discount to the standard prices.
- 500 images or more are billed at the lowest per image cost, often under $0.30 per Clipping Path.
👉 Many ecommerce companies try and negotiate monthly contracts or long-term deals to save money on their purchases.
Cost Example of Doing Business
Suppose that you have an online store and require the editing of 100 product photos:
- Basic Edits
– 100 images of basic complexity × $0.50 = $50
- Medium Complexity Edits
– 100 images of medium complexity × $1.00 = $100
- High Complexity Edits
– 100 images of high complexity × $2.00 = $200
Based on these examples it is easy to see how quickly costs can add up as quality increases.
Should You Buy More Affordable or More Expensive Options?
Not all pricing options are equal. Purchasing the least expensive option may sometimes return undesirable results.
Low-Cost Vendors ($0.25 – $0.50 each)
- Good for bulk items or simple photos
- Typically get quicker turnaround
- May use partial automation
More Expensive Vendors ($1.00 – $5.00+ each)
- Hand drawn clipping paths
- Better edge quality
- Ideal for high-quality product photography
👉 If you have images that play a critical role in generating revenue (eg. Amazon, Shopify), then investing in good-quality images will usually be worthwhile.
Final Verdict: What Should You Expect to Pay?
Consider your financial planning:
- Budget range is $0.25 – $5.00 each image
- The majority of images you will see will be between $0.50 – $2.00 each
- For large qty., you may be able to find prices below $0.30 for each image
Ultimately, the price will depend on the difficulty level of your image as well as how many you would like to have edited and what level of quality you need.
Asha is working as a Creative Director at Clipping Mask Asia. She has completed her Graduation from the University of Dhaka inFilm and Television Studies. She has vast knowledge in Photography, Videography, Video Editing, 3D Modeling, Rendering and Animation. She loves to explore the creative world with her academic knowledge, experience and creative mind. She writes creative blogs on design, illustration and editing for renowned brands like Clipping Mask Asia.