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Production assistant/editor vs photo editor

The differences between production assistant/editors and photo editors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a production assistant/editor and a photo editor. Additionally, a photo editor has an average salary of $63,168, which is higher than the $50,759 average annual salary of a production assistant/editor.

The top three skills for a production assistant/editor include adobe photoshop, photography and audio board. The most important skills for a photo editor are adobe photoshop, stock photography, and photo shoots.

Production assistant/editor vs photo editor overview

Production Assistant/EditorPhoto Editor
Yearly salary$50,759$63,168
Hourly rate$24.40$30.37
Growth rate-5%-5%
Number of jobs61,50910,068
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

What does a production assistant/editor do?

Production assistants/editors are individuals with skills in communication, adaptability, organization, and administration. They also possess a healthy dose of enthusiasm and perseverance and the ability to work well under pressure. This career choice calls for assisting directors of film and television in collecting and organizing elements needed to edit the film, and overseeing the various lists and instructions needed for putting the film into its final form.

What does a photo editor do?

Photo Editors are employees in the creatives or marketing department of the company. They handle photos used by the company for its marketing collaterals, social media posts, or publishing. They also ensure that the photos are in line with the company's brand and image. Photo Editors may add items or elements to make the photo more eye-catching.

Production assistant/editor vs photo editor salary

Production assistant/editors and photo editors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Production Assistant/EditorPhoto Editor
Average salary$50,759$63,168
Salary rangeBetween $34,000 And $74,000Between $38,000 And $104,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-Apple
Best paying industry-Professional

Differences between production assistant/editor and photo editor education

There are a few differences between a production assistant/editor and a photo editor in terms of educational background:

Production Assistant/EditorPhoto Editor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorPhotographyPhotography
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Production assistant/editor vs photo editor demographics

Here are the differences between production assistant/editors' and photo editors' demographics:

Production Assistant/EditorPhoto Editor
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 48.1% Female, 51.9%Male, 44.6% Female, 55.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 7.3% White, 76.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between production assistant/editor and photo editor duties and responsibilities

Production assistant/editor example responsibilities.

  • Develop SEO strategies to increase profitability and manage social media to spread brand awareness and bolster readership.
  • Promote to improve design consistency of the daily metro sections.
  • Monitor internal systems for media requests, including tape and DVD duplication, encoding and file management.
  • Assist with filming and editing for a friend's YouTube channel covering inspirational minutes for community organization.
  • Develop proof-of-concept project for DVD proposal.
  • Utilize content management systems and SEO metadata to provide quality finish VOD products to both domestic and international customers.
  • Show more

Photo editor example responsibilities.

  • Manage SEO tags for photo base articles.
  • Lead teams of multimedia writers to creating short documentaries.
  • Manage metadata and implement SEO practices that increase page views!
  • Manage international man-made fiber market research/publishing company and supervise editorial content and sales of industry statistical journal.
  • Experience with HTML and CSS coding to build a web-base interface to display training modules.
  • Maintain the image database, caption placements, color correction, image archive and ftp images to clients and agencies.
  • Show more

Production assistant/editor vs photo editor skills

Common production assistant/editor skills
  • Adobe Photoshop, 9%
  • Photography, 7%
  • Audio Board, 7%
  • Video Production, 6%
  • Teleprompter, 5%
  • Adobe Premiere, 5%
Common photo editor skills
  • Adobe Photoshop, 23%
  • Stock Photography, 7%
  • Photo Shoots, 6%
  • Instagram, 6%
  • FTP, 5%
  • Facebook, 4%

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