Before selling an item on eBay or other online auction site, make sure you post a good product photo. Clear, well-lit photos have a better chance of selling and can also increase the final price. This tutorial will show you how to improve your product shots, step by step.
In this CNET quick tutorial, we will be using Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.
Find a staging area to photograph your item. Tape a large sheet of white paper to the wall and drape it across the surface of a table to create a plain background for your product photo.
Position lights (table lamps should work fine) on either side of your staging area. Place your item on the white paper and adjust the angle of the lights to reduce glare. Set your camera's white balance setting to match the lights you're using (generally Tungsten or Fluorescent).
Use a tripod to steady your camera, or put your camera on a stationary surface and use the self-timer to eliminate camera shake. Also, turn off your flash--the light is too harsh.
Adjust your setup while taking a series of photos. Try different angles and one shot of the entire item. Also, remember close-up photos of important details.
Items such as paintings are best photographed flat on the ground. Stand over the painting and photograph it from above. Don't use a flash. If indoor light is too dark, shoot outside in a shady area away from full sun.
Use an image editor to crop and resize the image to upload online. Crop images so they're not more than 600 pixels wide. Then reduce the image so it's not more than 100K in file size. Finally, save as a JPEG and upload with your product text for use online.
Editor's note: The content of this course is adapted from the following sources and used with permission: CNET Networks (copyright 2005), and ElementK (copyright 2005).
