What is a product image?

Product images are photographs of the product you are selling.

Businesses use product images for marketing their products through ads, posters, and eCommerce shops or websites. An excellent product image should attract potential customers and leave a lasting impression on the product. 

There are many advantages when buying from an eCommerce store. Still, the main disadvantage is the lack of possibility to see or try on a product.

Therefore, eCommerce store owners heavily rely on delivering the right message through images.

Tips on how to make the best product image designs

1. Camera – Use what you have 

Let’s talk about the equipment first. You don’t have to have the latest camera with many features or a professional studio to create stunning photographs.

Nowadays, smartphones come with a high-quality built-in camera with automatic and manual camera settings, perfect for beginners.

If you are unsure how to use all those settings, it is easy to find an online tutorial for your smartphone.

2. Use a tripod

This one is self-explanatory. If you don’t want your images to be shaky, out of focus, blurry, or you simply want to have free hands when filming, buy a tripod.

Professional tripods can get pretty expensive simply because they have features that a camera doesn't have. Still, there are also a variety of travel, mini, and phone tripods that go under 30 dollars.

This 3-In-1 Selfie Stick and Tripod Stand is perfect for taking pictures, business, Face time and more.

3. Use proper light 

Lighting is one of the most important things to consider when taking a photo.

Natural light

Professionals advise that you take pictures in the morning or evening because it offers soft light without sharp edges. You might have heard of the ‘’golden hour’’ or ‘’magic hour?’’

The last hour before sunset and the first hour after sunrise provides the perfect light for stunning photos.

Use outdoor photography if your product is somehow connected to nature, meant to be used outdoors, or shows people in photos.

Natural lighting is incredibly forgiving for shooting portraits.

Artificial light

Depending on the effect you want to achieve with your photos, you can also opt to shoot indoors. With artificial lighting, you control the conditions. There are different light sources you can use:

• Constant lights (light bulbs, neon lights, LED  studio lights, lamps, candles) and 

• Flashes. Since the light from the flesh can be pretty harsh, soften it using plastic diffusers in front of the flash head.

Using flash eliminate motion blur on the image.

Window light is an excellent source of free and natural light.

It can produce the same results as much larger and more expensive lighting equipment.

A large window functions as a large softbox, diffusing light into the room and around the photo's subject.

4. Use white background

Taking a picture against a crispy clean white backdrop makes your product pop!

If you are on a budget, you can use a white poster board or a roll of white paper. 

Make sure your backdrop is set up with a sweep – a white, one-piece background without seams.

It means you won’t have sharp corners or showing angles behind your product.

It’s an easy DIY project. All you need is a chair, some clamps, and a piece of white paper for a smaller sweep.

Using a sweep means less time spent on editing as it won’t show texture, shadows, or blemishes. Instead, as you can see in the picture above, all the attention is drawn to the product.

5. Create a story

When taking a product photo, you are not just selling the goods. You are selling experience, atmosphere, and aesthetics.

As you can see in this photo, these are some summer essentials from Bath&Body works. But instead of just showcasing these products against the white background, we want to create an atmosphere.

This setup provokes summer, heat, and palm trees swinging in the wind. You could almost feel the summer breeze by looking at this photo.

That being said, use props!

Don’t be afraid to use different objects to show how can your products be used.

This is a great example of how to do that. Jo Malone is combining props with a holiday backstory to create a stunning image!

6. Show people in your images

Do you know that pictures with people on them are 38 %  more likely to receive likes and comments than photos with no faces? 

People are likely to connect with something relatable to them. So showing real, ordinary people in everyday situations can make your audience feel accepted and understood.

The focal point of the image is a hat but is set in a scene that is familiar to many.

7. Take pictures from several angles

Since people can't touch a product or try on a piece of clothing when shopping online, they rely on images. Therefore, the more details you provide, the more likely someone will buy that product.

This example includes 7 different angles making it easier for customers to choose

 If you sell clothing, show them on a model, in different poses. 

1. Show all the colors and prints available

2. Show the material and details

8. Include customer’s photos

User-generated content or UGC is original content– posts, videos, images, reviews– created by your followers and published on social media.

But, what does it mean?

86 % of social media consumers say that authenticity is very important when deciding what brand to trust. And half of them say that most brands are not sincere and authentic.

On the other hand, 60 % of them think that UGC is the most authentic form of content.

As you know, many people will buy something that a family member or friend recommended.

So, how can you incorporate UGC into your strategy?

1. Ask your followers to create something using your hashtag.

This company uses UGC to show how real people make their products part of their homes.

This company finds value in reusing UGC in its campaigns, ads, newsletters, and more.

1. Always ask for permission before reposting UGC and give credit. It is courteous and makes a stronger connection between a brand and customers. This way, you show that you appreciate your audience.

To summarize

Investing in product photography for your eCommerce business is one of the best business decisions.

You will not only see an increase in conversion rates, but you will also be able to improve your ad campaigns with excellent personalized images, showcase the USPs of your product through visuals, maintain your brand identity, and attract more customers.

Since we process visuals 60,000 times faster than text, not only do images show who we are as a brand, but it's also the first thing customers see.

If you need a solution that can help simplify the process of creating product photos and designing them,Glorify can help you with that. 

It is a great tool that lets you create mockup products. Choose among 248 different templates. And create stunning images for various social media – Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, E-bay, Aliexpress, Amazon, and many others.

Another great feature is the Brand kit.

It allows you to have all the information of your brand in one place – logo, color palette, font – and use it throughout different templates and formats.

Explore various options for free, and start creating engaging product images now!

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