On this episode of the Seller Community Podcast from List Perfectly and Listing Party we’re joined by Justyn Lee, the Community Lead at List Perfectly’s partner Photoroom. We talk about PhotoRoom, Community, The List Perfectly PhotoRoom Partnership, and maybe a little bit about The Smiths and Seinfeld, and more.
The Seller Community Podcast from List Perfectly is the e-commerce resource for the seller community across all platforms and a hub for information on growing your business. Find out more at thesellercommunitypodcast.com, leave a message or ask a question at anchor.fm/sellercommunitypodcast, or email us at podcast@listperfectly.com.
Links
Seller Community Podcast on Anchor
Doug Smith (snoop.dougie) linktree
Trish Glenn (Super Sale Trish) Instagram
Episode Links
Intro
Doug: On this episode of the Seller Community Podcast from List Perfectly and Listing Party I’m joined by Justyn Lee, the Community Lead at List Perfectly’s partner Photoroom.
If you didn’t know PhotoRoom is the all-in-one app that edits, designs, and optimizes visual content and helps you run your business from your phone. It’s also desktop-based. You can remove or erase the background of photos or use templates to create your own content.
They’ve just added a bunch of great AI features that we talk about. Obviously, there’s background removal where you can edit photos quickly and accurately. You can create backgrounds with AI in PhotoRoom now. Expand images beyond their borders with AI and replace and remove objects with a swipe.
Listen in on this great interview I had with Justin Lee. We talk about PhotoRoom, Community, The List Perfectly PhotoRoom Partnership, and maybe a little bit about The Smiths and Seinfeld, and tease some future stuff.
Photoroom and Community with Justyn Lee
Doug: All right. On this episode, we’re excited to welcome Justyn Lee who is the community lead at Photoroom to the show. Justyn is an experienced community and business development lead with a proven track record of building large-scale online and offline communities that align with both brand mission and advocate for positive change in the startup industry, and then I just found ladies and gentlemen.
If you know me, you know that I love The Smiths. Justyn also loves The Smiths and I love Seinfeld and Justyn also loves Seinfeld. So we’re not going to talk about Photoroom. We’re just going to talk about the Smiths and Seinfeld, but welcome to the show. Justyn, thank you so much for taking the time.
Justyn: Dougie, thank you so much for having me. I’m so excited to be here and yeah, I’m so happy to meet another Smiths and Seinfeld fan. I feel like we’re going to get along. Just fine. And I can talk about Smiths and Seinfeld all day. So super excited to speak with you today. And like I said, you do have a very impressive record collection back there. Like this is the coolest background I’ve ever seen in my life. No need for Photoroom to remove that background. It looks amazing.
Doug: And there are some Smiths and Morrissey records on the wall, and then I have a whole Smiths and Morrissey section over here too. Yeah, so there you go.
Justyn: You got to invite me over one time, have a little Smith’s party.
Doug: That’s right. A Smiths listening party and a Seinfeld watching party.
Justyn: Exactly. The List Perfectly listing parties. We’re going to have a listening party.
Doug: We should do, we could do, some people would tune in for a Smiths and Seinfeld episodes.
I think that’s a good idea. I’m going to make a note. I do have my own slot on there. So the Snoop Dougie show, so I could have you in and we can do a Smiths episode and then a Seinfeld episode.
Justyn: Snoop Dougie. I love it. That’s amazing, man.
Doug: Cool. The other thing I like is we both have backgrounds in community and then obviously backgrounds in e-commerce. And so what’s your background in e-commerce? And I also noticed that you used to work at Depop as well.
Justyn: Yeah, exactly. I’ve just always been obsessed with everything vintage. I guess I can call myself a vintage connoisseur. Grew up just wanting to dress as fly as possible. The only way I could do that, on a budget, was by hitting the Goodwills and trying to really showcase my personality inside my style. And just gravitated more towards thrifting. I like that old school kind of vibe and yeah, vintage has always just been a part of me and I guess I got into the e-commerce world. I was actually traveling in the UK doing a little Euro trip and people were talking about this app called Depop.
And this was back in 2014 when there weren’t a lot of other apps really like for e-commerce, like there was eBay, Etsy, and things like that. But they were all web-based. So this was really like the first, like a mobile-first app. So I don’t know. It just got me quite excited. And yeah. And when I got home, I was, broke and I was like, I spent all my money on this trip. So what am I going to do, for a living? And I was thinking, and I remembered this app called Depop. And it was really like when I first opened it, it just felt very familiar.
It was like a If you can call it like an Instagram and like eBay’s baby, I think you can get Depop and there were just a bunch of like-minded people on there and really just feeling the energy of the community. So it just took an opportunity to take a picture. I think I was wearing vintage, like eighties Lakers, like a snapback. And I just took a selfie, threw it on there, and then forgot about it, but. Before I knew it, I got the notification that it was sold. And I was like, that’s crazy. Like this, I picked this up for one, one buck and I just flipped it, for four 50 and I’m like, okay, maybe I’m onto something.
So I just went into my closet and just started picking things out. And listing it on Depop. And then before you know it I just built a following there really just tried to get the community animate the community out, out in LA. So I started doing lunch and lists for Depop, just being like an unofficial ambassador. And then I guess before, Depop reached out they were opening up a space in LA, and yeah, and then I guess the rest, his history, I started working for them and that kind of started my startup like e-commerce life.
Doug: That is cool. That is cool. So it’s interesting too, cause that’s what I love about online sellers is that there are a lot of community aspects and online and offline, it sounds like you connected that early on. And so did you have a community background before that or is it, or how did that come together? Did you discover that at Depop? I think it sounds like you brought it to Depop.
Justyn: Yeah, I can’t take all the credit, but I was a part of the first community team at Depop which was great. And I didn’t really like at the time knowing that it could be like a career, being in the community space. But I guess I do like I did unknowingly like any background in the community where I used to work like in apartment complexes and things like that. And just like finding fun and creative ways to bring the residents together. And I guess that was the start of creating some kind of community there and then just like always, just making an effort to stay curious, get to know people, and connect people together. So I guess I always was like a community guy without even knowing it. And then when I found out that it could be a career, I was just like, so excited because it felt like I found, my calling and, and yeah, it’s been it’s been amazing to work for really cool startups and some founders that really value, community and and you know what it can bring to to, to a company.
Doug: Yeah. Yeah. And it’s interesting too. You mentioned apartment complexes and things like that, but it’s all a community. Any type of community is all about bringing people together, and connecting. And like you said, engaging them. But I think a big part of it is being relatable, being authentic. And you’ve definitely, you’re definitely that kind of person.
Justyn: Thank you, Dougie. That means a lot to me. I really appreciate that, man. Same to you.
Doug: Yeah.
Justyn: Feel the vibe.
Doug: Yeah, definitely. Definitely. So how does your role as community lead at Photoroom, how does community tie into Photoroom and what do you love most about working for Photoroom?
Justyn: Yeah. Community is like the heart and soul of Photoroom. Like we really try to do everything we can for our users and find meaningful and impactful ways to bring them together. The community is just amazing at Photoroom. It helps to have such a great product, but I think they’re just super excited about Photoroom and you know the impact that it has on their business. I mentioned earlier that I was a reseller and I’m just so like always so Mad that if I like that I didn’t have this tool You know when I was coming up because it just would have made things so much easier I can’t tell you the amount of like struggles I had, just trying To list something or find the perfect spot in your house and just Photoroom eliminates, all the complexities and just makes it so easy.
It’s been quite a great experience, working with so many amazing sellers and people that use the app just in so many cool ways. And I just get inspired every day by what they do and the, and this kind of stuff they create.
Doug: And obviously you’re a world traveler. And so Photoroom is based in Paris. So what did they do, how much did it take to convince you to move to Paris or was it an easy decision for you?
Justyn: That’s a great question, Doug, but I can’t say that I can give all the credit to Photoroom because I was actually I’m actually in Paris for love, my wife, she’s French and Yeah, we met in L. A. and then I moved to Paris and just trying to, figure out how I can create a life here. And like I was, I didn’t know the language and I was a bit stressed, seeing if I was going to be able to find a job. And I was lucky enough to hook up with the Photoroom guys quite early on. And yeah, and it’s been an amazing experience ever since. The guys here, everybody on the team is just so talented and it really gives, the opportunity just to bounce around and learn about different departments and projects that you wouldn’t normally just being, in the A.I. Space and you know how exciting it is, and speaking with, like the machine learning guys, how they remove the background, or create backgrounds and yeah, it’s just been super exciting. Just such a great experience.
Doug: No, that is cool. That is cool. And that’s a great story. Move into Paris for love, finding the perfect job. Almost like a Smiths song, but happier.
Justyn: There you go. Yeah. It’s like a Happy Morrissey, I think.
Doug: There you go. Yes. So what’s the biggest misconception you see out there about Photoroom?
Justyn: Yeah, I think, the biggest thing is that we’re not just a background remover. We’re so much more than that. And I think that probably a misconception is that we started off as just removing the background, but now, the app is just jam-packed, with so many exciting features that really can just take your photography to the next level.
Doug: Yeah. And just to focus on the background remover a bit, because that’s what sellers use a lot and within List Perfectly as well, that’s where I’ve messed around with it, but the background it’s the best background mover I’ve seen. And it’s amazing. And I tell the story that when I first started messing with it, I would just take pictures of everything and just be like, let’s see if we can remove the background. Let’s see if we can remove the background. It’s a great tool. Can you tell us a little bit how it works?
Justyn: Yeah, I can try. We might have to get some of the machine learning guys on here to explain one day, but basically, we leverage deep learning technology, to accurately distinguish and isolate the subject backgrounds. And this just basically allows users to effortlessly replace the background and enhance their images like really in just a few clicks.
But like you said, it’s the best on the market. And it’s, It’s not something that should be overlooked is that, this is where, Photoroom, really starts, with the background remover and, we were only so good as this tool, because, it really is what compliments, everything else in the app and as you said, I take a picture of myself, I got crazy hair, sometimes I got, bad hair some days and, it’ll just basically like perfectly, have the outlining of the hair and just like everything makes it look, just so great. And yeah, it’s just an amazing cutout. I can’t complain.
Doug: So what are some other top features that you think really stand out with Photoroom?
Justyn: Yeah. There’s just so many things. I guess the AI the gen AI backgrounds right now is the really, the really exciting feature. You can really create, a scene from your that you, that from your, from text or just anything that you can really imagine, it’s really like having a photo studio in your pocket, where you can just take out your phone and basically, take a picture of a product and then that the background will basically adapt to that product you know in terms of like lighting shadows all this kind of thing you know, it’s all there for you and just in the app already.
Or if you know if you have an idea that may you know that maybe is not in the app you can really you know use the You The pencil tool and just, add a prompt, a basketball field, in a basketball court for some Jordan ones, wherever you want to take it, it it’ll bring you there
Doug: And it’s an app and it’s also a desktop application as well.
Justyn: Yeah, exactly. You can do some amazing things on the web. You can do it on the app or both on iOS and Android. And yeah, it’s quite convenient depending on your use case of what you’re looking to do.
Doug: Okay. Is there an underutilized feature that you think people need to know more about?
Justyn: I think the most underutilized feature might be batch mode. If you’re not, if you’re editing, if you’re a reseller, all the, like all the resellers out there, if you’re taking pictures of your products individually and you’re not like multi editing in batch, you’re doing something wrong.
Use the batch mode, it’ll basically, allow you to edit multiple photos at the same time. And you can then remove the background and really create that aesthetic for your shop. Definitely. I would say batch mode and then maybe using Photoroom for creating marketing materials, I think, for social, I think you can really use it to sell your products. So advertise your products on Instagram and TikTok and things like that.
Doug: Okay, cool. Yeah. And any new features that have been added recently?
Justyn: Yeah, actually we just did a pretty big product launch where we launched some really exciting new AI features. Like AI image, which is basically you can create high-quality images inside the app from scratch. So anything that you can imagine, you can create an image for it. So it’s quite exciting. If you want a beach or, baseball courts, anything you really want, you can create in the app AI expand, which is definitely going to help, for Social media assets.
So if you have an AI background, anything like that, and you want to use it for your stories or on Instagram, you can use the AI expanded feature auto rotate is new, which is, which basically corrects camera angles, ensuring that your images always look professional.
We recently launched which is to enhance the image resolution and quality of your images. There are so many different things and some of those are either released now or are coming soon. And it’s quite exciting. We also just released our first in-house foundational model, which is really exciting. And that will just bring more control for our users and improve the overall quality of the app. So we’re super excited about that.
Doug: A lot is coming. So great to hear about that. So let’s talk about the List Perfectly Photoroom relationship. You’ve got the background remover integration, So give us some insight into that relationship and how it came about.
Justyn: Oh man. I can’t say enough about the List Perfectly team. They’re just like some of the best people I’ve ever worked with and just always so happy and energized and just an amazing crew from not only the team but also the community, shout out to the LP community.
They’re just like, always passionate about List Perfectly and we’re happy that we can sprinkle a little bit of a Photoroom in there too, and make them excited. Yeah, you guys have the API integration, you’ve got you’re already cross-platform, cross posting To, to Depop, Instagram Depop, eBay, any, anywhere you want to go, anywhere you want to take your listings to.
And now you can automatically remove the background through the integration. I think it’s an amazing partnership and it’s just a no-brainer, it just makes so much sense. And it’s just been an amazing ride. And we’re so happy to have you guys, a part of the Photoroom family.
Doug: Oh, that’s awesome. Thanks so much. And yeah, we feel the same about you. We love the Photoroom community, the cool stuff you guys do and just helping sellers grow their business. And, obviously again, not to focus too much on the background remover, but it is the best out there for sure.
Justyn: For sure. Yeah. Shout out Marco on the background remover, on the Photoroom team. Yeah.
Doug: All right. What’s up, Marco? Thanks for putting the work into that. So if you have A single Photoroom tip, what is it?
Justyn: Wow. That’s tough. I think my number one tip for using Photoroom is the light on feature. I think it’s just something that I constantly struggle with and I know, other resellers, small businesses out there or anyone that’s taking product photography is getting the right lighting and light on just, clicking that light on just totally enhances the image and the product and just, really takes it to the next level. And it’s just amazing. It’s my go-to, just remove the background, put the light on, and throw it up on eBay or wherever.
Doug: That is cool. That is cool. It’s like you see sellers and some sellers still do have the big, crazy giant light setup and things like that. But it’s cool that you guys have that. So you talked about AI a little bit and obviously that’s coming, it’s here coming like a freight train. What’s next for Photoroom and what’s next with some of the AI stuff you’re doing?
Justyn: Yeah. Right now we’re really just trying to stay ahead of the curve, and always make sure that we are doing whatever we can for the community and making sure that these AI features that we’re adding are beneficial.
For small businesses and commerce. Outside of that, we are really excited about helping businesses and teams work better together. We’re really focusing on making it super easy for people to collaborate on their projects. And really excited to make sharing and collaboration more simplified on Photoroom.
Doug: Cool. No, that’s awesome. And so before we go, anything to add?
Justyn: Just, like how amazing it’s been to be on this chat. And thank you so much for speaking with me today and having me on.
Doug: Cool. Cool. No, thanks for joining us. I’m sure we’ll do more stuff. And Justyn Lee is the community lead at Photoroom. Great image tool and so much more. All the information about them is photoroom.com. And again, great great community. So check that out. And then what’s the best place to find and participate in the Photoroom community?
Justyn: Oh, you got to join our Facebook group facebook.com/photoroom community. I’m there. Always hanging out. So please, say hello. I know the LP team is in there once in a while. Give a shout-out to them as well. And yeah, send us a message, in the app or wherever you can find us, we love connecting with the community and hearing feedback. Any kind of feedback that you have for us on how to improve the app please let us know. It would mean a lot.
Doug: All right. Sounds good. And we’ll put the links in there and I’ll, I’ll spend some more time there as well. And I’m going to hold you to, we’ll do the Seinfeld and the Smiths listing parties and we’ll accommodate Paris time. No problem. Because I’m a romantic myself, I love a good love story. So we don’t want to make you go too much out of your way, but thanks for joining us. I’m sure we’ll do more in the future. And I appreciate you taking the time.
Justyn: Thank you so much, Dougie. It’s been a pleasure and can’t wait for the Smiths and Seinfeld listening party. That’s going to be amazing.
Doug: It might be interesting if we did one together, but probably more fun if we did two.
Justyn: I think we gotta do at least two because there’s just so much to discuss there.
Doug: Exactly. Exactly. And we’ll see if people can hang with us in the discussion.
Justyn: Yeah. It’s going to be tough. You got super fans over here, so we’ll see if they can if they can hang.
Doug: All right. Cool. Thanks, man.
Justyn: All right, buddy. Thanks Dougie.
Outro
Trish: Thank you for joining us on The Seller Community Podcast from List Perfectly. You can find us at the Seller Community Podcast.com https://thesellercommunitypodcast.com
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