27 Oct china Product photography is the most important part of e-commerce.
china Product photography is the most important part of e-commerce. If there is no product image, the conversion rate will be greatly reduced. High-quality product images can attract users and build brand trust.
In addition to taking pictures, optimizing images based on platforms and marketing channels has played a crucial role in promoting products. In this article, we’ll detail the classification of product images, the image formats required for each channel, DIY photography and editing techniques, and image SEO optimization.
01
Determine image type
Before you start taking a picture, decide which type of product image you need. Here are the five main types of images, along with the corresponding image capture and editing requirements:
1, product picture
Only taking pictures of products is the most common type of e-commerce. This type of picture gives the consumer a visual representation of the product, usually in white.
Below is a product image taken by the Wee Squeak store:
You can see that the product background is white. Most platforms require the main image to be a white background, such as Amazon. The white background also makes it easier for sellers to edit and optimize images.
On Amazon, Google and other platforms, it is recommended that the background of the product image be pure white, gray or light.
2, scene map
The second type of image is a usage scenario that shows the product. It is often used on social media, blogs, or advertising platforms, but it is now increasingly popular to display scene graphs on product pages.
3, social media pictures
This type of picture is different from the types mentioned earlier. Social media is more free and creative, you can take pictures of various backgrounds, or demonstrate how to use the product.
But note that each social platform has its own target market and style, so the product image you take is suitable for the style of the platform. Below is an introduction to the picture style and shooting skills of each social media platform:
Facebook
As the most comprehensive platform for the audience, the product images posted on the Facebook account need to stand out from the crowd and attract consumers. The seller wants to show his brand style.
Facebook product photo shooting tips include:
Keep up-to-date with the latest trends and image formats;
The picture is clear and influential;
Perform A/B testing on the image;
It’s easier to catch people’s eyes with scene images or richly colored backgrounds.
It is also known that 84% of users aged 30-49 are active on the Facebook platform. 75% of the platform’s users have an annual income of $75,000.
Instagram
The Instagram platform is mainly based on pictures, with few texts. So the visual effects and style of the picture become especially important.
Here are some of the product photo shooting tips for Instagram:
Use eye-catching pictures of life or colorful pictures
Avoid stacking text
A white background image is not recommended unless the product is unique
Simple picture
Image style is consistent to determine brand style
The data shows that 75% of users on Instagram are under 30 and 83% have been attracted to new products on Instagram. If your images are popular on Instagram, the interaction rate is 4 times higher than Facebook.
Pictures of Pinterest come in a variety of sizes;
Among Pinterest active users, 79.5% are women;
50% of Pinterest users are millennials;
Users tend to use Pinterest to focus on specific areas, and some categories are particularly popular on Pinterest, such as 70% of users searching for accessories, watches and jewelry on the Pinterest platform. 52% of users purchased more than $500 worth of beauty products in six months.
Snapchat
The Snapchat platform is mainly based on life pictures, not the elegant and fashionable pictures of Instagram, but more rude and close to life. The style is mainly humorous and uses emoji.
4, advertising product picture
Each marketing channel has its own requirements, and the seller needs to optimize the image accordingly.
Facebook advertising product image requirements
For Facebook campaigns, sellers need to make sure that the text on the image is less than 20%. You can combine scene images with product images. Here are the specific image specifications for all types of Facebook ads:
Single image ad
The pixels of the picture are 1080×1080. The picture is clear and concise, and it is the most eye-catching.
Facebook story ad
The pixels of the image are 1080 x 1920 and are described in a fascinating way.
Facebook Carousel Advertising
The pixels of the picture are 1080×1080. Sellers can use a combination of different images to highlight product features and add up to five images.
Collection Ads
The picture pixel is no less than 400×150, which highlights a product and its functions. You can do a picture test to see if the scene graph is working well or if the product image is better.
Facebook Audience Network
The pixel requirement for the image is 1200 x 628.
Facebook Messenger Ads
The types of Messenger ads are different, and the requirements for images are different. The Messenger story requires that the image pixels be at least 90×160. Sponsored is required to be 1200 x 628 pixels. Messenger Inbox requires 254×133.
Instagram advertising product image requirements
Instagram posts must be simple and stylish. Here are the image requirements for various Instagram ads:
Landscape Image Ads
Image pixels require 1200×628.
Instagram snapshot ad
The picture pixel requirement for a snapshot ad is 1080 x 1920. You can combine images and text to attract users’ attention. Alternatively, you can combine images with GIFs and emoticons to build videos.
Instagram Carousel Image Ads
The picture pixel requirement is 1080×1080.
5, the website home page and category pictures
The homepage picture of the self-built station is mainly based on scene pictures or product pictures, but if the pictures are more unique and diverse, they can attract more traffic.
02
Photography style guide
Before taking a photo, you need to determine the style of the picture to ensure that all pictures are consistent in appearance. This will also make your shooting process more efficient. Here are some key points to keep in mind when developing a photographic style:
1, the picture is composed
The seller needs to first determine the type of picture, as well as the composition and layout of each picture, to ensure that the angles and styles of different products are consistent.
2, set the background board
In addition to pure white, you can also choose other color background boards, such as:
Earth color
Wood texture
Neutral color
marble
You can also shoot a white background and then change the background color.
3, focal length
To maintain the consistency of the image, the focal length should remain the same, which affects the composition of the image. All in all, all images use the same lens and camera settings. Camera settings include aperture, shutter speed, tripod height and distance to the subject, white balance, and more.
4, location and background
The scene in which the product is located is important when taking pictures.
5, saturation
Image saturation is inconsistent and will make you look amateur.
6, shadow
If shadows are used in the image, make sure that the shadows, size, and position of all the images match.
7, the template is consistent
Templates for product images must be consistent. You can use Photoshop to make template settings:
First create a product image template file
Then set the horizontal and vertical guides
Set internal reference lines and save
Insert the image and center it to make sure the image fits the template
Best to save the picture
03
Product DIY shooting skills
1, using a tripod
Taking pictures of your own products, the tripod is one of the most important shooting equipment. Without a tripod, picture quality and accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The tripod stabilizes the camera, preventing blurring and maintaining a consistent camera height.
Here are a few tips on how to pick a tripod:
head
There are three main types of heads for the tripod: the pan/tilt, the sphere, and the universal joint. Since the shooting product does not require too many moving cameras, most of them are panning, and the focal length of the lens is more than 300mm. It is recommended to use a universal joint.
Central pillar
The center pillar refers to the bracket in the middle of the tripod. It makes it easy for you to move up and down and adjust the height of the tripod. This feature is less frequently adjusted during product shooting.
height
To avoid bending over to look at the camera, it is recommended to purchase a tripod that matches the height of the stand.
support
The bracket has a tubular shape and other shapes. Note that the higher the height of the tripod, the more unstable the bracket.
stable
Try to find a tripod with good stability and balance.
2, select the camera
Although it is now possible to shoot with a mobile phone, it is recommended that the seller invest in a digital camera. You can choose a camera with the following features:
Detachable lens
Manual mode
Video function
High pixel
auto focus
Excellent chromatogram
When taking pictures, do not use wide-angle lenses to ensure that the images are not distorted. The focus should be clear and the white balance needs to match the lighting environment.
3, set the lighting
After debugging the camera and the tripod, you need to adjust your lighting environment. Without enough light, the white background will not show pure white in the picture. There are two options for lighting, one is the light in the studio, and the other is natural light. The studio is suitable for pure product shooting, and natural light is suitable for scene shooting. For studio lighting you need to buy light boxes, light bulbs, etc.
4, angle
Don’t forget to show all aspects of the product so that consumers can fully understand the product. Keep moving the product perspective, find the best lens, and use close-ups.
The seller wants to DIY the product picture, you need to prepare the following equipment:
camera
tripod
Image editing tool
Shooting station, etc.
04
Edit product image
After taking a picture of the product, the next step is to edit it, including background editing, shadowing, color correction, and more. Post-processing is an important step to ensure that the image is perfectly displayed. Sellers can use the following editing tools:
·Canva
·Filterstorm
·Fotor
·Gimp
·Lightroom
·Snapseed
·Photoshop
·Pixc
·Pixelmator
·Pixlr
·VSCO
Use these tools to adjust and edit the product image to ensure the quality of the image:
Edit the background to create a unified style
Adjust the color of the image to ensure that the product in the image is close to the real image
Adjust the size of the image based on the channel
Use the correct format, such as JPG, PNG, GIF, etc.
Resize the image to fit the various devices
05
SEO optimization for images
After completing the above steps, the best thing to do is image SEO optimization. Not only do you need to guarantee the loading time of your images, but you also need to get conversion rates. The SEO optimization of the image can take the following steps:
Name the picture correctly
The image name is important when saving product images. Try to convey the content of the picture in simple text, don’t name it with numbers. Naming uses hyphens to improve readability in the algorithm, without spaces.
Compress Pictures
When uploading images to websites or social media, try to compress the images without sacrificing quality, which ensures fast loading without compromising the quality of the images.
Add alt text to the image
After compressing and uploading the file, add alt text to each image. The correct way to use alt text is as follows:
Use alt text only in pure product images
Use model or serial number in alt attribute
Don’t pile up keywords
Describe the content in a simple language
The above is the complete product image guide. Follow the steps above to optimize your image.
No Comments