© Photoshack Publishing All rights reserved No part of this work covered by the copyright herein may be reproduced, transmitted, stored, or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, mechanical, including but not limited to recording, scanning, digitizing, taping, Web distribution, information networks, or information and retrieval systems All trademarks used in this eBook are the property of their respective owners All images © Photoshack Publishing unless otherwise noted Figures 3,11,18,35,41,42,44,46,47,55 ©dollarphotoclub.com All enquires please contact gsekonda@mail.com Table of Contents Introduction What makes a great eBay picture? Equipment needed Photography Basics Preparation and Setting up the Shot Lighting Setting up Your Studio Photographing Clothes, Jewellery, Antiques, Electrical Goods, and Etsy Uploading Pictures to eBay and using Stock Pictures 10 Photo Editing Software How to take eBay Photos that Sell Introduction Ebay truly is an internet success story Since its humble beginnings it has grown into a multi-billion dollar business, and has operations in thirty countries It’s successful because it allows anyone with access to a computer and camera to become an entrepreneur overnight, giving the seller and buyer more choice and flexibility than ever before You can buy anything from an elastic band to a house In the UK, eBay accounts for 15% of online sales, with million users listing at least one item for sale every month That is a big market, with huge profit potential However, the competition is fierce, so anything you can to get your product noticed is a major advantage No matter how professional your product description is, you can lose a sale with a poor picture, as many sellers There are even people who make a living finding products listed with poor pictures, buy the product at a low price, then sell it back on eBay at a healthy profit, all because they know how to produce a decent picture that leads to a sale The first contact customers have with your product is through your pictures As they scroll through the listings they’re bombarded with pictures, so they need to stand out to attract their attention You don’t need an expensive kit to get great eBay pictures Just a simple camera, one or two lights, maybe a reflector, and you’re ready to go You can even make your own accessories that work just as well as professional ones Figure – This kit comprises a digital SLR camera with zoom lens, plus a flash gun, tripod, reflector, and a backdrop This is all you need to achieve professional looking eBay photos As you work your way through this book you will learn the techniques and creative methods used to produce highly effective eBay product pictures From the basics of exposure, to the importance of lighting, plus photo editing tips used by the pros, this book covers it all If given the choice between two photographs, would you choose the one that is out of focus, poorly lit, with a distracting background, or the sharp well lit image that jumps out at you? Learn to: • Prepare your products • Achieve professional looking light on a budget • Understand the psychology of advertising and colour • Photograph clothes, jewellery, antiques, and electrical goods • Style and position your products • Choose the best background • Be creative with exposure • Shoot indoors and outside • Add text, graphics, and watermarks • Save on eBay fees • Resize and crop your images • Use Photoshop to achieve pro results every time Includes link to download a full legal copy of Photoshop CS2 from Adobe (free Adobe account required) These techniques work for any online retail outlet such as Amazon, Alibaba, Etsy, or even your own retail website Whether you are just starting out or a full time power seller, the tips and tricks in this book will give you the advantage over the competition in the highly competitive marketplace of eBay •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• What makes a great eBay picture? A picture really does speak a thousand words, or in your case a thousand pounds, euros, or dollars We are surrounded by pictures, and the advertisers know all the photographic techniques to get you to part with your cash A professional looking picture doesn’t just increase the value of your product It shows the buyer that you have taken time and pride in your work, thus increasing their trust in you and your products EBay is built on trust, so gaining your customers trust is vital to your success An effective eBay photo enables the customer to gleam as much information about the product as possible It should be well lit, in focus, and have no distractions in the background This straight forward approach works well for most products and can be thought of as objective photography Figure - This picture gives the customer lots of information to go on It was shot using window light combined with flash, plus a few minutes in Photoshop Simplicity is always the best approach - don’t get side-tracked You can easily produce a professional looking photograph with low cost equipment and a bit of initiative Other products benefit from a more subjective and emotional approach For example, a summer dress worn by a model under the warm light of a sunset in a field with wild flowers will communicate to your customer the notion of summer, warmth, and freedom Or an eye mask worn by someone resting in bed will convey the message of sleep and relaxation Imagine your product in actual use and communicate this through your photograph Look at product pictures on the internet and in magazines and ask yourself what emotion is being conveyed Pay attention to the lighting, props, poses, colours, and background This combination of technical and creative skills creates a synergy that invokes an emotion, and makes a sale Figure – The blue background contrasts with the phone helping it to stand out Along with the wooden table, a sense of time and place is invoked, further enhancing the retro feel The Psychology of Advertising Advertisings’ main function is to inform, influence, and persuade Persuasion works on two levels, direct persuasion and indirect Direct persuasion is aimed at people who are already thinking about buying the product and are weighing up the pros and cons such as time needed to save the money, the usefulness of the product, and similar alternative products Direct advertising is effective when the facts and arguments presented are believable to the customer When you advertise a product you aren’t just selling the product, you‘re selling an emotion This is central to all advertising and you should strive to achieve this in every aspect of your listing, from the picture, to your eBay name and branding, and the description Indirect advertising works on a more subconscious level, and triggers emotional cues, such as an emotional story, bright colours, or an attractive model On the surface the customer largely ignores these cues but they invoke temporary feelings, which lead to a desire for the product Figure 49 – The above shot was taken in a table top studio using diffused light A close-up of the damage was also taken so the customer can clearly see it Figure 503 – This cabinet was taken in a full size studio using two-point diffused light For furniture and fine stringed instruments, include a close-up of the wood grain, again using continuous light rather than flash to reduce glare Figure 514 – The picture of the guitar was shot using diffused two-point lighting A roll of white paper was used as the background Some shadow underneath gives it some depth If you are photographing pictures it is best to take out the glass from the frame in order to reduce reflections However this isn’t always possible so you should use a large diffused light source to cut down on reflections, coupled with a polarizing filter Alternatively, try bouncing some flash of the ceiling, but watch out for any reflections in the glass You could also try tilting the glass slightly away from the wall using a lump of blu tack This may help to reduce reflections Photographing Consumer Electronics Consumer electronics are everywhere on eBay, from mobile phones, to laptops and tablets The usual approach is to place your product against a white background This works well, but bear in mind that if your image hasn’t got any shadows it will look like it is floating in space and can look weird Therefore a slight shadow will help give your image some depth Too add even more depth place your item at angle and photograph from slightly above so it jumps out at the viewer This also allows you to include more detail in a single shot You can add drop shadows to your product using Photoshop This helps it stand out and gives it some depth It’s always a good idea to switch on your item so the display and lights can be seen This helps catch your viewer’s eye, and shows them that it’s working You may have to use longer shutter speeds settings to pick up any illumination, so use continuous lighting Figure 525 – This mobile was placed on a sheet of transparent Perspex to add some reflection, giving it a more High-Tec feel The screen was turned on to further enhance this feel You should always take more than one shot so the customer gets a good view of the item If you have the box and any accessories, then photograph those too Etsy Photography Etsy Photography needs a slightly different approach to most eBay photography Styling and creating a mood are more important as they products are handmade and you need to convey handmade quality and style Developing your style makes your store unique and cohesive and will attract more sales Consider how your item will be used and photograph it in that setting For example, if you make teapots then consider using a tablecloth to complement it Or if you make purse then maybe place it next to a handbag It is a good idea to brainstorm a list of uses and feelings associated with your product to inspire your choice of setting and background As Etsy is all about handmade art and crafts consider using background items that reflect this If you make woollen gloves maybe use ball of wool as a prop, or if wooden toys are your thing add some wood shavings and a craft tool Remember to keep it simple and don’t overdo it, just one or two accessories are all that’s required Figure 55 – This Etsy shot shows a collection of related items against a complementary background If you are selling a range of similar products then take a photo of all of them together, and then each one separately As usual diffused lighting is best, particularly the warm light of a sunset, or a gold reflector Such light can help communicate that homemade quality and feel •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Uploading Pictures to eBay and using Stock Pictures Uploading Pictures Uploading pictures to eBay is self-explanatory once you are on the eBay description page Just click on the picture icon and you’re presented with four choices These are: • Basic • Self Hosting • Copy Web Files • Standard You can upload pictures in the following formats: • JPEG (.jpg file extension) • PNG (.png file extension) • TIFF (.tif file extension) • BMP (.bmp file extension) • GIF (.gif file extension) The JPEG format is recommended because all cameras use it and it offers a good compromise between file size and quality The maximum file size for eBay pictures is 7MB per picture The basic picture option allows you to upload up to 12 pictures, without any photo editing options This is recommended if your picture is already edited or doesn’t need any editing The standard option allows you to upload up to twelve pictures, and also gives basic editing functions of cropping, contrast adjustment, rotation, and adding text The self-hosting options allow you to upload pictures from an external website Ebay often charges fees for uploading multiple pictures, and uploading several pictures for lots of items can soon eat into your profit margins However, you can link to external sites and paste the URL into the selfhosting box and eBay won’t charge you Photobucket is a popular picture hosting site which allows you to open a free account with different albums in order to organise your pictures You can also insert pictures directly into your product description This allows the customer to view the pictures without having to scroll to the top of the screen and click on a picture each time they want a closer look To insert pictures in your description simply select the picture in Photobucket or another hosting site, then copy the code from the URL tab, and paste it into eBay’s product description window, making sure you have selected html view Double check you have inserted the picture by clicking on the normal view tab You can inset multiple pictures using this method and eBay won’t charge you any picture fees Below is an example of HTML code from Photobucket Whichever upload method you choose make certain your pictures are at least 1600 pixels on the longest length You can check this in your photo editing software If you’re using Photoshop go to Image Image Size, from here you can see the pixel count All modern digital cameras will have a pixel count of at least 1600 on the longest side, but some phone older phone cameras may have less than 1600 pixels eBay Stock Photos If you are selling books or DVDs/CDs then using eBay’s stock pictures feature is a real time saver, but always double check against your product as these covers often change depending on their date of issue To use eBay’s stock pictures choose the advanced selling option and type the product name into the search box If available, Ebay will present you with a range of pictures for that product If you run a professional eBay business then you may have access to a business to business website from your supplier You may be able to use product pictures from the B2B website by simply right clicking and copying the link, then pasting into eBay However, make sure you have permission from the supplier to this Also be aware that although a picture on a website may look good, they are often of low resolution and may not meet eBay’s minimum resolution requirements Although it may be tempting, don’t use pictures that you don’t have permission to use The copyright holder may report you to eBay and your listing can be removed or your account suspended Selling Pictures to eBay You can sell your product pictures to eBay through the eBay pictures programme The following link takes you to the relevant page: http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/sell/contribute-pictures.html From here you can create an account on eBay pictures, then search for pictures they are after The payment ranges between £0.50 - £6.00, with some items going for up to £20 However, if eBay buy one of your pictures then they will own and have exclusive rights to your picture •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 10 Photo Editing Software There are a number of different photo editing software options available The most popular free option is Picasa It is good because not only is useful for quick fixes, but can also help you organise your picture library However, Picasa won’t give you the control over details that Photoshop will, so the rest of this section will be devoted to Photoshop You don’t need the latest most expensive version; Photoshop Elements has all the features at a much lower cost Bear in mind that you can’t polish a turd, so if your picture is poorly lit and out of focus to begin with, no amount of photo editing will save it Also, don’t be tempted to use photo editing cover up imperfections and damage in your product, as eBay products have to be sold as described, or you may receive bad feedback and be forced to give a refund For a full legal copy of Photoshop CS2 from Adobe please follow this link A free Adobe account is required http://tinyurl.com/ojhmgo4 Cropping After you have opened up your picture in Photoshop you should crop the image Select the crop tool, and then use the mouse to drag it to the desired position Remember to crop the image tightly, so it doesn’t appear too small in the eBay listing page Adjusting Levels The next step it to adjust the levels of your picture Open up the levels panels by going to Image > Adjustments > Levels, or press Ctrl + L on Windows / CMD + L on Mac Figure 56 – The levels window on Photoshop The levels panel shows the brightness values of tones within the image The left hand side shows shadow, the middle mid-tones, and the right side shows highlights A picture that has an even distribution of highlights, mid-tones, and shadows will produce a graph covering the whole area However, most shots don’t have an even distribution of tones, especially if they are shot against a white background This means you will have to increase the shadows, and decrease the highlights The professional method to this is to move the left and right cursors to the point where the graph begins, and leave the middle cursor alone You could simply select auto on the left side of the Levels panel and let Photoshop estimate the correct setting However, this usually doesn’t give the desired result Figure 57 – The cursor on the right was moved until it met the end of the graph, resulting in an even range of tones The cursor on the right didn’t have to be moved Making the Background White Many products, particularly electrical products, books, & DVDs/CDs look good against a pure white background, and as eBay uses a pure white background as well these pictures can really stand out A studio shot will never have a completely pure white background, even if the actual background is white There will always be some gradient and shadow, and the background may be more cream than white Also, you may have had your camera on the wrong colour balance resulting in an unwanted cast For example, a daylight colour balance setting shot under incandescent bulbs will result in a yellow colour cast Additionally light meters record white as medium grey, which can be seen in figure 57 To achieve a pure white in Photoshop you have to select the white point in the Levels panel Open up the Levels tool, and you’ll see three pipette tools on the right-hand side on the panel The one on the right selects the white point Select this one and move the cursor over your picture to a point that your want to change to pure white, then click the left mouse button You will see the picture adjust its colour relative to the white point you selected If you don’t get the desired result then try another point Pay particular attention to the shadows, as their intensity can change depending on the white point you have selected Figure 58 – The white point was selected with the pipette in the bottom right hand corner of the image This made most of the background white, but has still left some shadows These could then be selected again to make them white Changing the white balance may not change all of the background to pure white, and this can be quite hard to see, depending on your monitor and the kind of light you are working under To check if all of your back ground is pure white select the pipette tool on the tool panel on the left hand side move it around your image, clicking the left mouse button As you this look at the colour panel in the top right-hand corner You will see the numbers changing as the cursor is moved The value for pure white is 255 each for Red, Green, and Blue You can also spot which parts aren’t pure white by looking at your monitor from side on Uneven gradients are easier to spot than looking at the monitor straight on Using Curves in Photoshop In most cases the Levels tool is all that is needed to correct the tonal range and give your image more punch However, you can have greater control over the intensity of different tones by using the curves tool Select Curves by going to Image > Adjustments > Curves Experiment with moving the cursor around the line and observe the different effects that result Notice that when you click on a point on the curve it moves between the points you have selected, and less so outside these points To remove points click on them then drag them outside the curve panel To get good results from curves use a shallow ‘S’ shaped curve To this click on a point in the centre of the curve, then drag the right hand portion upwards This will increase the highlights, and darken the shadows, producing an image with more contrast and bite Figure 59 – A shallow s-shaped curve works well in most cases, and helps give pictures more bite Spend some time experimenting with the Curve tool, as it is great for enhancing all types of photography Correcting Colours If you selected a white point as a background you may have noticed the colour of your product has changed slightly, in particular a blue tint around the highlights To select the Colour Balance tool go to Image > Adjustments > Colour Balance Start by moving the top slider to the left to remove the blue tint Do this for shadows, midtones, and highlights You may also have to adjust the other colour channels Experiment until you get the desired result Figure 60 – A slight adjustment to the colour balance can correct any colour balance issues To ensure the picture is an accurate representation of your actual item, check the colour on your screen against the actual colour of your item Always this under daylight or fluorescent light, as colours can appear yellow/orange under incandescent light Sharpening Images You can’t sharpen an out of focus image, but you can make sharp images a touch sharper To this go to Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask Use the mouse to move the sliders, keeping the threshold at zero, and the radius below Adjust the Amount slider, and then click on the preview image You will notice that it snaps between the sharpened and original image Keep adjusting the Amount slider until there is just a little bit of difference between the two images Don’t over sharpen an image; it will make it look gritty and weird An Amount of 19, with a Radius of 1.8, is a good starting point If your camera has built in sharpening you should keep this turned on Adding Text Adding text to your image can provide the customer with information that hasn’t been included in the title, such as free postage or country of origin This is useful if there aren’t any more characters left in the title box To add text select the text tool in the tool bar, it is the ‘T’ icon Then point your cursor at the point in your image where you want the text and type The font, size, colour, and spacing can be changed at the top Figure 61 – Text was added to the top of this image, so there was more space in the title to describe the item Combining Photos If you are selling items with different variations, such as colour, then it is a good idea to combine photos into one That way your customer can see the choices in the main photos as they scroll through the items To combine photos first determine the size of your image Do to this go to image > image size, and make a note of the dimensions, and the resolution Next create a new blank image by going to file new If you want to combine two images then make sure the width is at least twice the size of your original image So if your original width is 1200 pixels, make the new image at least 1400 Keep the height and the resolution the same After you have created your new blank image go to one of your original images, and select all of it using the dashed rectangle tool near the top of the tools palette Copy it by pressing control + C, then past it into the new blank document Move its position around by selecting the move tool and the top of the tolls palette Then repeat the process with the second image, and move it into place If the images are the wrong size go to edit > transform > size, then use the mouse to drag it to the correct size Once the images are in the correct position and the correct size go to layer > flatten image Then you can save the image in the usual manner •••••••••••••••THE END••••••••••••••• I hope you have enjoyed reading this eBook If you have any feedback or suggestions please don’t hesitate to contact me at gsekonda@mail.com Please tell your friends about this book and share it on your social networking sites This book will be updated in the future with more tips and more pictures, so stay tuned! Many thanks George ... thinking about buying the product and are weighing up the pros and cons such as time needed to save the money, the usefulness of the product, and similar alternative products Direct advertising... shutter speeds as you decrease the f-number, so a tripod is required Product photography usually requires the full range of your product to be in focus, so values below f/5.6 are recommend Aperture... angle, looking down on your product This makes the product look more approachable Avoid low angles as they invoke a domineering mood (unless that mood reflects the actual product in use) After you