Are you selling online? Your product photos are among your most robust selling tools. One way to get good photos for an online store would be to hire a professional photographer. However, the cost for a single image can be very high, and with some know-how, you can create good product photos using your images. A smartphone with a good camera and a few tips and tricks, and you’ll be well on your way toward professional-looking product photos.
Editing tools help you to give your images that extra bit of polish. For example, a cluttered background won’t create a good impression. So instead of setting up backdrops, you can remove image backgrounds using a simple tool. Let’s look at a straightforward process you can follow.
1. Choose Good, Natural Light
For those who don’t mind the extra investment, some gadgets can help with lighting, but in general, good, indirect, natural light will be sufficient. For example, a spot near a window can become your photo studio. If you decide to set up a backdrop, choose something simple – a sheet of white paper is popular since it reflects light back onto the product.
If the light is too strong, you may have to use a diffuser sheet to get the right effect. On the other hand, overly harsh light will result in two-dimensional-looking images and poor depiction of colors.
2. Use a Tripod
A mini tripod is worthwhile to get consistent results and eliminate camera shakes. Suppose you need to photograph the product from several angles. In that case, you can move it around rather than moving the camera, thereby keeping the lighting effect uniform and producing a neatly matching set of images.
3. Set Up Your Camera
Adjust your white balance, exposure, and focus, then lock your settings. Try a few test shots and make further adjustments as needed. Ideally, you don’t want to edit your images too much. The better they look, the likelier you are to create realistic product pictures that still look good. Try various smartphone photography tips and tricks, don’t use the zoom function, and ensure the flash is off.
4. A Few Editing Tweaks
Use good photo editing software like Lightroom (Shopify recommends) to finalize your images. No matter what background you used, you’ll probably use a background remover to eliminate it now and opt for a white-layer background. If you need to adjust lighting, contrast, and sharpness, keep your changes minimal. While you want your images to look good, you also want them to represent your product as accurately as possible.
5. If, at First, You Don’t Succeed
If your initial results look dreary, don’t give up just yet. Instead, try to figure out what went wrong. It may just be a matter of choosing different lighting or adjusting your camera slightly differently.
Given the cost of professional photography, it’s worth trying to get it right, even if it takes several tries. However, if your phone’s camera isn’t very good, don’t despair. It’s possible to pick up a budget smartphone with a 12 MP camera for less than you may have expected. It will undoubtedly be cheaper than going for a top-of-the-range camera with more features than you will ever use.
6. Don’t Overlook the Details
Your product pictures may look great, but you may face problems if you don’t upload the right file type. Most e-commerce platforms will advise you about the file type and size you should use. If you use the wrong file type, you may have grainy images. If the file is too large, you could have loading issues on your website.
7. Add Alt Text
When you upload your product photos, make sure to add alt text. This is the text displayed if the image doesn’t load properly. Search engines also use it to help them understand your vision.
8. Hire a Professional Photographer
If you want to ensure that your product photos are of the highest quality, you can always hire a professional photographer. This is an expensive option, but it may be worth it if you have many products or want to make a strong impression.
A professional photographer can take advantage of all the latest techniques and equipment to produce stunning results.
Never Lose Sight of Your Goal
Your first goal is to produce images that do your products justice. Avoid the temptation to exaggerate colors or have an idealized version of what you’re offering. Your customers expect to get what they see on your website, so ensure that your product photos accurately represent your products.
