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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Image Assembler

💰 $45,000 - $70,000

DesignE-commerceDigital MediaPost-ProductionMarketing

🎯 Role Definition

The Image Assembler is a visual artisan and technical specialist who serves as a critical link in the creative production pipeline. This role is responsible for transforming raw photographic and graphic elements into polished, cohesive, and on-brand final images. Blending a keen artistic eye with deep technical expertise in software like Adobe Photoshop, the Image Assembler meticulously retouches, color-corrects, and composites images to meet the precise specifications of marketing campaigns, e-commerce product pages, and digital media. More than just an editor, this individual is a guardian of visual quality and brand consistency, ensuring every image that reaches the public is flawless, engaging, and perfectly aligned with the creative vision.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Junior Graphic Designer
  • Photo Retoucher / Digital Technician
  • Production Artist

Advancement To:

  • Senior Image Assembler / Senior Retoucher
  • Digital Asset Manager
  • Art Director or Visual Content Strategist

Lateral Moves:

  • Motion Graphics Artist
  • UI/UX Designer
  • Video Editor

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Assemble and composite multiple image components, such as products, models, backgrounds, and graphic overlays, into a cohesive and photorealistic final image that tells a story.
  • Perform high-end, detailed color correction, grading, and balancing across entire image sets to ensure visual consistency and adherence to established brand standards.
  • Execute complex and subtle retouching tasks, including beauty/skin refinement, product surface cleanup, and texture enhancement, while always maintaining a natural and authentic look.
  • Create and manage precise clipping paths, masks, and alpha channels using the Pen Tool and other selection methods to isolate objects for use in various layouts.
  • Adapt, crop, and resize master images into a wide array of formats and specifications required for diverse platforms like e-commerce sites, social media, and digital advertising.
  • Work from creative briefs and art direction to skillfully interpret visual concepts and translate them into polished final assets that meet marketing and campaign objectives.
  • Serve as a brand steward by ensuring all produced images strictly align with brand guidelines, including color palettes, lighting mood, and overall aesthetic tone.
  • Manage a high volume of image assets within our file structure, applying meticulous file naming conventions and metadata tagging for efficient organization and retrieval.
  • Collaborate closely with photographers, art directors, and marketing managers to understand project goals and provide input on post-production workflows.
  • Conduct rigorous quality assurance checks on all final images to identify and correct any technical flaws, inconsistencies, or deviations from the creative brief.
  • Create realistic shadows, reflections, and environmental effects to seamlessly integrate subjects or products into new composite scenes.
  • Develop and maintain a library of reusable visual assets, templates, and Photoshop Actions to streamline the production process and improve team efficiency.
  • Perform advanced image manipulation tasks such as perspective correction, distortion removal, and content-aware scaling to achieve desired compositional effects.
  • Prepare and package final image files for delivery to various internal and external stakeholders, ensuring they meet the technical requirements for web, print, or other media.
  • Build and maintain layered, non-destructive Photoshop files (PSDs) to allow for easy future edits and iterations by other team members.
  • Perform exacting color-swatching and product colorway changes with a high degree of accuracy for e-commerce product listings.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc image requests and assist in sourcing and preparing visuals for internal presentations and communications.
  • Contribute to the evolution of the organization's visual style guide and post-production best practices.
  • Collaborate with the web and e-commerce teams to ensure images are optimized for site speed and performance without sacrificing quality.
  • Participate in creative brainstorming and sprint planning ceremonies, offering a technical perspective on what's achievable in post-production.
  • Assist in the management and organization of the company's Digital Asset Management (DAM) system.
  • Troubleshoot and resolve issues related to image color profiles, file formats, and other technical specifications.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Expert Proficiency in Adobe Photoshop: Complete mastery of layers, masks, adjustment layers, smart objects, the Pen Tool, and color channels.
  • Advanced Image Retouching: High-end techniques for beauty, product, and lifestyle imagery (e.g., frequency separation, dodge & burn).
  • Color Correction & Grading: A deep understanding of color theory, histograms, curves, and color balancing tools to match existing plates or create new looks.
  • Photorealistic Compositing: Skill in seamlessly blending multiple images by matching lighting, perspective, color, and grain.
  • Digital Asset Management (DAM): Experience with organizing, tagging, and retrieving assets using DAM software (e.g., Adobe Bridge, Bynder, Canto).
  • Non-Destructive Workflow: A disciplined approach to editing that preserves original image data and provides maximum flexibility for future changes.
  • File Format & Compression Expertise: Knowledge of when to use JPEG, PNG, TIFF, WebP, etc., and how to optimize for both web and print.
  • Automation & Batch Processing: Ability to create and use Photoshop Actions and Droplets to automate repetitive tasks on large batches of images.
  • Familiarity with Adobe Lightroom Classic: For raw image processing, cataloging, and making initial global adjustments.
  • Understanding of Color Spaces: A solid grasp of sRGB, Adobe RGB, and CMYK color spaces and their proper application for web and print workflows.

Soft Skills

  • A Meticulous Eye for Detail: The ability to spot minute imperfections, inconsistencies, and alignment issues that others might miss.
  • Strong Visual & Aesthetic Sensibility: An innate sense of composition, color harmony, and what makes an image visually compelling.
  • Exceptional Time Management: The ability to juggle multiple projects and tight deadlines in a fast-paced creative environment.
  • A Collaborative Spirit: Thrives on working with cross-functional teams and actively participates in building a positive team culture.
  • Receptive to Constructive Feedback: Able to interpret and apply creative criticism from art directors and stakeholders without taking it personally.
  • Proactive Problem-Solving: Identifies potential creative or technical challenges in the workflow and proposes effective solutions.
  • Impeccable Organization: Fastidious in file management, version control, and adhering to established procedures.
  • Adaptability & Eagerness to Learn: A passion for staying current with new techniques and software as the digital imaging industry evolves.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Associate's Degree or a professional certificate in a relevant field.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design, Photography, Digital Arts, or Visual Communication.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Graphic Design
  • Photography
  • Digital Arts & Media

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2-5 years of professional experience in image retouching, compositing, or a similar production role.

Preferred: Experience working in a fast-paced e-commerce, advertising agency, or in-house creative department is highly desirable. A strong and polished portfolio showcasing advanced, real-world retouching and compositing skills is required for consideration.

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