High quality product photos are a vital part of the online shopping experience, and can help your store increase sales and entice both new and returning traffic. Check out these three tips on how to optimize product images and give your online store that professional touch.
1. Take multiple photos
By taking multiple photos, the customer’s expectations of the product are more likely to meet reality.
Start off with a hero image. This photo is the first of a series under the product listing and the one that represents the product on the ‘shop’ page. The hero image should show as much of the product as possible, which is why more often than not, the hero image is a simple front-on shot.
By taking multiple photos, the customer’s expectations of the product are more likely to meet reality.
Start off with a hero image. This photo is the first of a series under the product listing and the one that represents the product on the ‘shop’ page. The hero image should show as much of the product as possible, which is why more often than not, the hero image is a simple front-on shot.
The hero image should be followed by photos of the product from alternative angles and close-ups of special features or textures that will help the viewer create a clear image of the product in their minds.
A great way to end your series of product images is with an in-context photo, which is simple a nicely composed photo featuring your product and either people, nature, food, a textured background or even other products.
The idea of an in-context photo, is to sell the product by showing the viewer what to do with the product. You also want to convey a certain quality, tone, or mood that influences the viewer’s perception of the product, as well as sell the product by showing the customer how the product can be used or worn.
2. Use a white background
Keep it simple and let your products do the talking by placing them on a white background. When it comes to product photography, consistency is key. Using a white background across all your product images will give your Weebly store a clean, professional look.
Aside from drawing attention to your product, a white background won’t clash with any other color. You can use it for any product and it will suitany website design. This means you can use the same product images for your online store and any other marketplace or social media platform, and you won’t need to update your product images should you choose to change your website’s color scheme.
Tip: Apply a drop-shadow to light-colored products to make them stand out on the white background. This will look much better than having a single dark background amongst the white backgrounds, and will give some dimension to your product too.
3. Create a template
Creating a template for your product photos will make your life a lot easier and ensure that you have consistent images.
Create a blank file in Photoshop, Canva, or Gimp, and set the dimensions you want to use for all your product images. The bigger the better, as your Weebly store will automatically resize images to fit your template - you just need to ensure the dimension ratio is the same. Aim for anything between 1000 to 1600 pixels on the longest side. Insert each photo into the template and resize it accordingly, then save the image as a new file.
Holly Cardew Holly is the founder of Pixc, a professional product image editing service. She has experience building and running online stores and growing a large social media following.
