A picture editor, sometimes known as a photo editor, is a professional who collects, reviews, and chooses photographs and/or illustrations for publication in alignment with preset guidelines. Publications include, but are not limited to, websites, books, magazines, newspapers, art galleries, museum catalogs, and corporate products, such as catalogs and annual reports. In choosing photographs and illustrations, picture editors take into account their publication’s standards, needs, and budget.
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Tasks and skills
A picture editor is able to organize a photo shooting or send a photographer on assignment. He/she has a thorough knowledge of all types of images - photographs, drawings, cartoons, etc. but also needs to be familiar with moving images (videos). A photo editors knows how to find the most relevant image to suit the content he has to illustrate. He manages copyrights and keep a budget.
Sometimes photo editors are in charge of an image data base ; they are called photo librarians.
How the job is changing
New technologies and the omnipresence of images nowadays have drastically changed the way picture editors work. They do their research mostly on the Internet, and have to browse a never-ending flow of images.