How Do They Do That?

Are you struggling to achieve a certain look with your product pictures? There are no secrets here at OIS. We share exactly how we get your pictures looking so good.

Not a client? That is what this blog is for - to help EVERYONE get great product pictures! If you are hitting road blocks, and need some directions, please leave a comment here, and we will write future blog posts answering your queries :-)

~Kirsten

Exciting changes at OIS!

I just wanted to share my excitement about my ever expanding business, helping WAHMs sell more with better product photos.

I can help you with your product pictures!! Now is a great time to sign up with Online Image Solutions. :)

The Online Image Solutions (OIS) website has undergone a great change! Now, current clients can upload their images directly to the website! Batch uploads and downloads make for faster, more streamlined photo management! Clients can add notes to their uploads, and respond directly on the website to any administrator posts. All information conveniently centralized, means better communication and productivity, for both clients and the photo editor!! :-)

Another exciting feature for clients is the referral program! Now clients receive two free image credits for each new client referral! Just think, one post to a social networking site raving about OIS could lead to dozens of new clients! That's alot of free image edits :-)

And yet another new feature for OIS clients is the delivery guarantee. All edits are guaranteed to be delivered within 5 business days! I strive for same day service :-)

I just wanted to let you know about the benefits of being a client of OIS. Not only do you get great product photos, delivered in a professional manner, but with the new referral program, you can get those photos that bring increased sales, for FREE!

Kind Regards,
Kirsten Slichter

Should you Watermark?

Before and After.

This is an edit I did for Vanessa of My Mommy's Bracelets. She has chosen to forgo the watermark. I was able to clean up her image with a heavy dose of the clone tool.

Is watermarking your images a good preventative for theft? I think it is! Sure, an editor can manipulate it off your image. It is time consuming to remove, and oftentimes affects the image quality. So most unscrupulous competitors surfing the net for pictures to use on their website will pass your image by if there is a watermark.

What do you think?

Showing Off some recent edits

Here are two recent edits I did. :-)

Before & After:



Before & After:



So fun!

For beach photo, heavy use of clone tool! For farm photo, just lasso the baby out, mirror the selection, and paste her in with the chickens :-)

~Kirsten

White Background #1

There are many ways to get a white background on your product photo. Some are easy, some not so easy. Sometimes, you need to do the not so easy edit to get the look you need.

Here are two images I edited for nstylemom.com. I want to tell you about how I got the look in these two images.

The first one, a wipe case.

Before:

After:

This is how I got this look:

• Select the lasso tool, and choose point to point selection. Have the feather & smoothing set to zero.
• Click around your object carefully. Once you have gotten all the way around, and you join up at your start, double click. Then you will get "marching ants" around your object. Hit Ctrl+X, and that removes your selection. Then hit Ctrl+V, and that pastes the selection as a new image.
  
• Select Image->Canvas size. Then size your canvas square by making the lengths a bit larger than the current length. (Make sure aspect ratio is unchecked.) Now you have a square image.
  
• Next, go to Layers ->Merge. Now your background is white, and your image is square.
• Now you can adjust your brightness, contrast, saturation, etc, until you get the look you want. Next, resize it for the web by resizing to at most 500X500.

When I first started editing product pictures, I cropped, but paid no mind to the measurements. But I have learned that most shopping carts will look MUCH better if your image is a square.

Okay, next image is of a chenille pillow. Before:


After:

This requires some more manipulation. When I click around the pillow, there is no way I have time to outline each little chenille tuft. So, I don't.

I quickly outline with the lasso. I follow all the steps mentioned above. And then, to get the chenille looking fluffy again, I use the Smudge tool. I grab the edge, and pull it outward, creating tufts of chenille :-)

~Kirsten

Quick Tip for white backgrounds

If you use a white background for your product pictures, here is a quick tip for you.

When you think you are finished the editing process, add a white border, or resize the canvas by 50 or 100 pixels around. What this does is gives you a view of how your photo will look when placed against a white background. Often times, by doing this, you will see background areas that were missed. For example:
I can now see that there is still some background to be removed around the edges. Before I added the white border, this image looked all done. Now I have some more work to do!

I hope this quick tip was helpful, so you may have the best pictures possible for your website!

~Kirsten

P.S. - no arrows were injured in the making of this image

Style

When taking pictures of your creations, how do you like to present your work?

For some crafters, photographing your work is another way to express your creativity. I've seen some great outdoor shots with jewelry draped over wrought iron, or on a pretty rock.

Do you use props when you photograph your pieces? I've seen flowers, seashells... I saw a photo the other day with baby shoes as a prop for a mother/baby bracelet set. Very cute!!

My favorite way to photograph my jewelry is on white paper. The reason is because that is how my pictures turn out best. When I have tried photographing outdoors, or with props, the pictures don't turn out as well. So, I stick with what works best for me.

But I sure do like seeing what works best for others too!

Please share your favorite photography style in the blog notes!

~Kirsten

Extreme (Photoshop) Makeover

YouTube has a bunch of image editing tutorials. This video I found is more artsy than tutorial, but I thought it was fascinating, and I love it set to music :-)
~Kirsten

Wendy's World Art

I thought it would be interesting to get the perspective of graphic designers for insight into what inspires the artists that work to make your website a cohesive storefront to showcase your product. I am pleased to introduce you to Wendy Sternschein, a designer I have been lucky enough to work with in M2Minc. So, without further ado... meet Wendy!

Name: Wendy Sternschein
Website: http://www.wendysworldart.com/

How did you become interested in web graphics?
I love art, and once I understood the ins and outs of my photo editor, I started using my artwork as graphics. I gradually learned through a lot of practice, how to mouse draw the graphics as well.

At what point did you think you'd like to do web graphics professionally?
I have been selling my graphics for about a year. I get many recommendations and custom orders through word of mouth, ebay listings, my website, etc so I guess you can say I take it pretty seriously- although I do it for fun too.

What software programs do you use in creating your graphics?
I only use PSP 9 (paint shop pro)..I have photoshop, but honestly, I prefer PSP.

What is your favorite photo editing software?
Same as above- ha isn't it the same? Who knows?

What is your favorite thing to graphically design?
My favorite is character illustrations. I love anything girly too.

Do you have any graphics pet peeves?
When I work so hard on an illustration and it doesn't sell. Other than that, not really. I truly enjoy it.

What do you hope to accomplish this year with your business?
Grow grow grow. There are alot of graphic artists out there who use "other people's" artwork, including background tiles. I just have to stay competitive and market myself, and of course stay true to my passion. I love designing most things, but it is even better when you can sit and design.

Do you have any advice for someone just starting a new e-commerce website?
Do your research. I have had friends who spent ALOT of money on websites, and in the end it never went public because the web designer flaked. It is really sad. Make sure you get some one reputable. You don't have to spend a zillion dollars to get a pretty website. Just do your research and you will find someone who is talented in this business who will not charge you an arm and a leg.

Wendy's bio:
Hello I am Wendy, the designer behind the artwork of wendysworldart. I am a stockbroker turned entrepreneur and now that I am home with my two toddlers, I am able to really focus on my very first passion, painting! I love creating unique and whimsical illustrations for children-anything from princesses and fairies to poodles in Paris and Nautical themes. I also enjoy designing unique hair accessories for not just infants and toddlers, but even trendy moms!!!

You can find most of my artwork at http://www.wendysworldart.com/ as well as many upscale online retail stores. Thanks so much for getting to know a bit about me!

Here are just a few of Wendy's many beautiful designs. Be sure to check her out for artwork to enhance your product line on the world wide web!!

~Kirsten

Tutorial - Corel PSPX2

This is my first video attempt ever :-)

Next video tutorial I create, I'll be sure to ZOOM in!!!

Anyway, I hope this simple tutorial helps you to fancy up your images. If you can't be bothered, be sure to send them over to me... I love to fancy up pictures!!

~Kirsten

Lighting

The type of lighting you use plays a big part in how well your product pictures will look. One of the most important things, no matter the lighting you choose, is that it be indirect. Direct lighting casts shadows. So find a way to filter the light that is illuminating your item.

I took some pictures using a variety of lightbulbs. All of these were lighting the item through a photobox, like the one I showed from Walmart.

White typing paper. Unedited photos.

Filtering the light makes such a difference! Now the process of editing will be so much easier, because you have a good start already. :-)

~Kirsten

photo box

There might come a time when it is a cloudy day, and you need to get pictures taken. Or maybe you are not free to photograph during the day, and need to get good pictures at night after the kids are in bed. A tabletop photo "studio" is something to consider.

Professional set ups can cost into the thousands. Average price for photo studio and lamps? $800. There are alternatives though, and if you can do simple edits in your software, then consider this setup: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8144811

My Walmart store sells something a bit different, and it costs approximately $45. I couldn't find it on their website, but that link is close enough. It comes with the lights, mini-tripod, and two back drops. And it is easily tucked away when not in use.

Or... Feeling crafty and thrifty? Make it yourself! Here is an excellent example: http://www.strobist.blogspot.com

Have fun and happy picture taking!

~Kirsten

The Fairies Nest

Once a week or so, I will be posting interviews with various online sellers. I am excited to begin with this interview with Cynthia of The Fairies Nest! She photographs her product in indirect sunlight, and uses Picasa as her image editor. Enjoy getting to know a bit about her!

Name: Cynthia Toy

Bio: I am a cloth doll artist, mother of three young men, avid reader, crazy cat lady, wife, corgi owner, believer in fairies, organic gardener, and compulsive fiber collector.

Website: http://www.thefairiesnest.com/ http://fairiesnest.etsy.com/

How long you have been selling on the internet? I've been actively selling online for just a little over a year. Before that I only sold through galleries and shows.

What camera do you use to photograph your product? What do you like about this camera? I have a Canon Powershot A520 that I got in 2006. I had never owned a digital camera before so I was really starting from scratch and learning by doing! I love that I can plug it in and load my pictures on to the computer so easily.

Describe your process for taking pictures of your product. What photo set up do you use?
(Okay here's where I show you how little I know about cameras, so try not to laugh!) I try to shoot outside in natural light as much as possible. So here's my fancy setup. I have a sheet of white posterboard that I use for a back drop. I place it on a table in a bright spot but NOT in direct sunlight and lean it up against the house. I usually do this on the front porch of my house, which faces west, at about 11:00 in the morning (although I have been known to use the dining room table, a pillow, and a sunny window inside if it's frigid out! ) I then set my camera on macro, make sure the flash is off and zoom in to where the doll is close but still in focus.Then I take LOTS of pictures from all different angles! That way I'm sure to get a few decent shots.

What is the photo editing software you use most often? I use Picasa2 and I have to say that besides being free, which for a starving artist is really cool, it does what I need. I can crop, adjust light and color, sharpen, and straighten up those shots where I seem to be leaning into the wind...how Does that happen?

What do you like best about this software? Did I mention it's free?! Seriously!

What are some of your struggles with product photography/editing? I wish I had a camera with picture stabilzation, fewer blurry shots in less optimal lighting situations.

What is your favorite thing about product photography/editing? I love being able to take an okay shot and turn it into something that really shows off my product. I've also recently gotten into more staging of my shots, adding a prop or shooting in a natural settting, and that can add some fun to the process.

Do you have any product presentation tips you'd like to share? A problem I see a lot of people make is trying to get too close to their object. I use cropping when I edit to get more of a close up and that allows me to keep my dolls in focus. Blurry pictures are one of the biggest photo no nos I see on Etsy.

Thank you, Cynthia, for sharing with the OIS blog your experience! I asked Cynthia to send along a before and after shot so we could see what comes out of the camera, to what ends up being the final product photo. I think she has a good thing going!

Be sure to visit Cynthia's website and etsy shop to see more of her beautiful fairie folk.

~Kirsten

Lighting for Free

Lighting. It is the most important aspect of product photography. You could have the fanciest camera, but if your lighting is incorrect, you will not get good results. Conversely, if you have good lighting, and a so-so camera, you will get surprisingly good photos!

Photo editing can repair some lighting errors, but not all. The heavier you need to correct with software, the greater your image quality will suffer.

So lets talk about lighting! The options are countless, so I would like to focus this blog post on a readily available lighting option. If we start looking at strobes, fixtures and gadgets, we will soon realize we could easily overspend! If photography is your hobby, or your livelihood, then those things are exciting. But this blog is for those selling a product, and needing to get good pictures for the internet. We're not professionals. So, lets spend our money on other things. We can get good pictures with inexpensive lighting.

In fact, the first light source we will discuss is FREE. Yep, that's right! Can you guess? :-)


The sun. It is the perfect lighting for product photos. It is what you do with that light that will make your photos good. Placing your product in sunlight and snapping pictures will most likely not yield good results. The light needs to be INDIRECT, filtered in some way. You want to avoid shadow. Covering pieces of cardboard with silver foil (of the kitchen variety) and positioning them at angles to your product will act as reflectors and help light your product from many angles.

Do you have a counter or tabletop that gets good indirect light? Do some experimenting. Start with a white background (Typing paper, poster board, or for larger items, paper on a roll.) Position yourself so you are not casting a shadow. Position your reflectors. No flash. Macro.

A gradient background is helpful for objects that won't be well featured on a white background. It also has a professional look. You can get gradient paper at photo shops. In a future blog post I will talk more about backgrounds.

Another option using sunlight is to add artificial lighting. Doing so will cut down much of your photo editing. Later this week, I will blog about light bulbs. Halogen, LED, incandescent, florescent, warm, cool, high watt, low watt... Wading through the technicalities is confusing! Which is best for product photography, and how can I get the best result for the lowest cost? Later this week, I will tell you!

~Kirsten

Macro

So what is macro? It is photographing your product at close range. With macro, you can get close sharp details of your product - essential for online presentation.

Whether you are using a point and shoot camera, or a digital SLR like the Canon Rebel, you will need to know about shooting in macro. Future blog posts will talk about special-purpose lenses for your DSLR. This blog post will consider macro of the point and shoot variety.

Almost every point and shoot digital camera comes with a macro setting. Don't know if your camera has macro? A flower is the industry standard icon. Look for the flower on your camera, and select that.

Don't confuse macro with zoom. When you photograph in macro, you do not zoom at all. Zooming will always affect image quality. While great for catching your kid in action on the soccer field, zoom is not used at all in product photography.

A steady hand is important, as macro photography is not very forgiving, and even the slightest waver or vibration can effect your image quality. Some photographers set up on a tripod with a "shutter extension" so they don't even touch the camera, for even that slight movement can affect the image.

Not to say that all of your pictures using macro need to be on a tripod. And I personally have never used an extension button. Just be aware that you will need to be super still when you press that shutter button! Hold your breath.

Whether you are photographing on your kitchen counter on a sheet of typing paper, in a light box with professional photo paper, or out in nature, you will need to use the macro setting to capture your product best.

Future blog posts will talk about tips on getting the best macro shots. My one tip for now is to hold the shutter button down half way, allow your camera to focus, then push down the rest of the way for the picture. If you find your camera is not focusing, back out ever so slightly, even just a quarter inch, and try again. My camera is finicky, and sometimes I will need to half-way push the button five or six times before it will finally focus and I can get my shot.

Of course, lighting is the most important part of photographing in macro. When you photograph in macro, you will not use a flash. Stay tuned for the next blog post, which will discuss certain aspects of lighting.

~Kirsten

Picasa

There are plenty of photo editing programs on the market today, in all different price ranges. Perhaps your digital camera came with organizing and editing software. For family pictures, this software is very helpful. You can get rid of red eye, crop, and auto enhance.

If you are wanting to showcase something on the internet, you will probably be looking for software that offers you more. The search for the perfect software is daunting, especially if you are price conscious. The adage "you get what you pay for" does not necessarily fit in this situation.

In the coming weeks, I will be blogging about editing software options. Today, I will tell you about Picasa, which is a free download from Google. Link: http://picasa.google.com/

Picasa is similar to the software you might get with your digital camera. It organizes your photos, and performs basic editing such as auto enhance and resizing. It is packed with common sense, and that is worth alot! Editing software tends to come with a learning curve. Not so with Picasa. And if you do find you need help, they have a user-friendly online FAQ and "getting started" guide.

If you want to fancy up your family pictures, Picasa has alot to offer you, with several auto-effects such as sepia, and black and white, with easy controls to adjust brightness, contrast & color saturation.

If you want to improve your product photos, Picasa might leave you frustrated. You do not want fancy effects on a product image. You want bright, crisp and clear details. You can resize your image through "export" but the sizes are predetermined, leaving you with no flexibility.

Surprisingly, one thing I can depend on Picasa for is resizing text graphics. I have found it resizes the text perfectly with no loss of clarity. If you are having trouble with your text blurring when resized, give Picasa a try.

Picasa's strength is in photo organizing, and enhancing family pictures. And it is free. Try it, and post back here about how it went!

~Kirsten

Goals

Oh glorious day! I am finally starting a blog for Online Image Solutions. I thought it would be a good idea to set some goals for this blog, so that I know what the heck I am doing here.

This blog will be where I discuss tips and tricks for getting your photos looking good for the world wide web. My target audience is online sellers - people selling their wares on the internet, be that on their website, or at auction sites such as eBay.

When I first started selling on the internet, my photos were very poor. I knew they were bad, but I did not know how to solve the problem. Advice from helpful online sellers in the eBay forums, as well as years of trial and error, and I now have the skills needed to make bad photos look great.

As my photography & photo editing skills increased, so did my sales. In looking back, I wish there had been someone I could send my images to for editing. My sales would have been better sooner!

If you are struggling with your photos looking good, then I want to be the person that helps make them look great. And in the meanwhile, if you wish, you can learn how to edit your pictures yourself. But why put off better sales now while you learn?

This blog will give you some guidance on digital photography of products that you sell here on the www. It will give you tips and tricks, links to helpful websites, and tutorials for various photo editing software.

If you have a topic request, please post it in the comments section, or email me at help@onlineimagesolutions.com.

Regards,
Kirsten