Journalist to picture editor
A journalist already meets 64% of what the picture editor role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
43.1/ 100
1 How much of what a picture editor is expected to do is already part of a journalist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the picture editor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A picture editor role treats 15 of its required skills as things a journalist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- ICT software specifications
- adapt to type of media
- build contacts to maintain news flow
- consult information sources
- copyright legislation
- develop professional network
What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 29 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A picture editor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a journalist background worth leading with.
- already held select photographic equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held set up photographic equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held maintain photographic equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held use photographic equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held select camera apertures working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held follow newspaper house style assisting and caring
All 29 carried skills, including the 15 the picture editor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 19 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn negotiate exploitation rights required
- still to learn consult with editor required
- optional, not held create editorial board optional
- optional, not held determine image composition optional
- still to learn supervise staff required
- still to learn supervise work required
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- still to learn graphic design required
- still to learn post-processing of photographs required
- optional, not held motion graphics optional
- still to learn select photos required
- optional, not held create rough cut optional
- optional, not held colour grade images with digital intermediate optional
- optional, not held digital content creation optional
- optional, not held perform backups optional
- optional, not held use presentation software optional
- optional, not held check stories optional
- optional, not held search for a suitable filming location optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a picture editor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 negotiate exploitation rights practise this
- 02 select photos practise this
- 03 consult with editor practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 29 skills that carry over
- already held ICT software specifications knowledge
- already held adapt to type of media skill
- already held build contacts to maintain news flow skill
- already held consult information sources skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held edit negatives skill
- already held edit photographs skill
- already held editorial standards knowledge
- already held follow ethical code of conduct of journalists skill
- already held meet deadlines skill
- already held multimedia systems knowledge
- already held perform image editing skill
- already held photography knowledge
- already held press law knowledge
- already held apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- already held create online news content skill
- already held desktop publishing knowledge
- already held edit digital moving images skill
- already held follow newspaper house style skill
- already held follow the news skill
- already held maintain photographic equipment skill
- already held participate in editorial meetings skill
- already held perform video editing skill
- already held select camera apertures skill
- already held select photographic equipment skill
- already held set up photographic equipment skill
- already held use photographic equipment skill
- already held use word processing software skill
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held check stories optional
- optional, not held colour grade images with digital intermediate optional
- optional, not held create editorial board optional
- optional, not held create rough cut optional
- optional, not held determine image composition optional
- optional, not held digital content creation optional
- optional, not held perform backups optional
- optional, not held search for a suitable filming location optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held motion graphics optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- optional, not held use presentation software optional
90 held skills the picture editor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt to changing situations skill
- not needed by the target role address problems critically skill
- not needed by the target role analyse market financial trends skill
- not needed by the target role analyse trends in the food and beverage industries skill
- not needed by the target role apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- not needed by the target role art history knowledge
- not needed by the target role ask questions at events skill
- not needed by the target role attend book fairs skill
- not needed by the target role attend performances skill
- not needed by the target role attend trade fairs skill
- not needed by the target role audio editing software knowledge
- not needed by the target role check correctness of information skill
- not needed by the target role communicate by telephone skill
- not needed by the target role corporate law knowledge
- not needed by the target role court procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role criminal law knowledge
- not needed by the target role critically reflect on artistic production processes skill
- not needed by the target role cultural projects knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop film skill
- not needed by the target role digital journalism knowledge
- not needed by the target role direct photographic workers skill
- not needed by the target role do historical research skill
- not needed by the target role document interviews skill
- not needed by the target role economics knowledge
- not needed by the target role edit recorded sound skill
- not needed by the target role election law knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure consistency of published articles skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate writings in response to feedback skill
- not needed by the target role film studies knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial jurisdiction knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow directions of on-site director skill
- not needed by the target role food hygiene rules knowledge
- not needed by the target role food materials knowledge
- not needed by the target role food science knowledge
- not needed by the target role grammar knowledge
- not needed by the target role history of dance style knowledge
- not needed by the target role interview people skill
- not needed by the target role interview techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role law enforcement knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with celebrities skill
50 further entries not listed here
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn graphic design required
- still to learn post-processing of photographs required
- optional, not held motion graphics optional
Other moves recorded from journalist
Common questions about this move
Can a journalist become a picture editor?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A journalist already covers 64% of what a picture editor is expected to do: 29 skills carry over, 15 of which the picture editor role treats as required.
What skills does a journalist need to become a picture editor?
7 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is negotiate exploitation rights.
How hard is the move from journalist to picture editor?
Its learning distance is 43.1 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.