How to Create Product Photos for Online Stores

Do you like shopping in stores whose shop windows look as if the decoration hasn't been changed in the last 10 years and the dust layer can be seen even at night? Probably not. It's the same with online shopping. Slow loading times, a long way to the checkout or bad product photos deter many customers. If you now own an online shop yourself, you hopefully took decent care of the first two things (if not, you can find a helpful article on this). We'll tackle the topic of product photos in this article.

Just grabbing a mobile phone camera and pressing the shutter button doesn't work anymore - we'll reveal that at the beginning. Too many web shops are now competing in all kinds of sectors. Just like in social networks, your product photos really have to stand out, completely capture the product and ideally evoke emotions in the people interested. How you achieve all this is revealed to you by our guest author Nils Martens in this guide. In addition, you'll find plenty of tips and we'll reveal to you what you need for good product photography and what format is ideal for product photos.

Why does an online shop need good product photos?

Imagine your favourite online shop suddenly had no product photos online anymore. What would be left? Product descriptions, the menu and prices. But the inspiration from photos and your imagination of what the clothes would look like on you would greatly diminish. The desire to shop would drop at least by half in an instant. The good thing: The debits on your account would also, as you would only shop what you need. Product photos are essential for the shopping experience of most customers.

Now you have put yourself in the shoes of a customer. As online shop owners, you have therefore understood why photos are important for the shopping experience. Product photos only contribute to increasing sales when they are good. So, your primary task is to know where to get good pictures or how to take them yourself. By the way, high-quality product photos have even more benefits for you and your online shop:

• The number of complaints is proven to decrease, the better the product photos are made and presented.
• This reduces your company's CO2 footprint.
• In addition, good product photos increase your conversion rate and thus your sales, as customers can understand very well online whether it is the right product for them.
• Product photos convey emotions to the buyer, something product texts hardly achieve. Emotions (and sex) sells!

High-quality product photos for online shops bring you more sales and satisfied customers.

Important characteristics of high-quality product photos

To provide these benefits, you should make sure that your product photos have certain characteristics. First and foremost, image size, resolution and format are crucial. Choose between a square and a landscape format, anything else will not be crawled by Google and image SEO is important for the reach of your online shop. In addition, you should work with a high resolution to allow customers to zoom in on your product. At the same time, you need to make sure that the resolution is not too high, as it would blow the file size and consequently affect your loading times. Result: User experience decreases!

Upload images in JPG format, as it is the best compromise between quality and compression. Just remember the following: The "heavier" the files, the slower your online shop. PNG format is therefore only suitable if you cannot do without product images with a transparent background. The PNG format cannot be compressed and therefore provides larger files.

Using professional product photos also means conveying all the information about your product as well as emotions. For this, it is important to know your target group. If you know what your audience wants to know, you can also put the appropriate images online. If your product has many details, for example, capture these with the camera. If one of your items is particularly small or large, you need to show the ratio in the product photo. Packaging is also relevant nowadays, which is why it should be photogenic.

Another small tip at the end:Make sure that the rights to your product photos - if you take them yourself - belong to you and that the copyrights are thus mentioned in your terms and conditions. This way you protect yourself as far as possible from misuse.

There are three ways to get professional product photos for your online shop

Where do you get good product photos for an online shop? Very good question. You have exactly three options to get high-quality product photos: hire a product photographer, use existing product pictures of a supplier or take product photos yourself. The last point in particular offers you a lot of advantages. For example, you save a lot of money, as having good product photos taken is expensive. In addition, you have full control over the images and can respond immediately to changes in your products, instead of waiting for the product photographer to fit you into their schedule. This way, you can also be sure that the photos will look exactly as you have imagined them in your mind. The hurdle: You have to learn a little bit about product photography for online shops.

This is what a product photo can look like.

What you need to take good product photos yourself

To take good product photos, you need to know what a product photographer does. Naturally, they have a head start in experience and training, which you can largely make up for with creativity, dedication and your knowledge of your target group.

The right setting: The background of your web shop photos plays an almost as important role as the product itself. However, the art is not to push the background to the foreground through picture power, as the product is the star. Make sure that the background matches your product. Additionally, you should check your competition that has the same target group as you do. Get inspired there, what your audience is used to seeing and try to add a little touch of uniqueness. A result could therefore be a kitchen knife with a wooden handle, upright with the tip in a tree stump in nature, while the background is blurred (bokeh effect).

There are no limits to your creativity. The only important thing is that the environment matches your product, the product photos look lively, the product is always the focus and the customers finally recognize exactly what they are shopping. Alternatively, you may use a photo studio equipment and present your products on uni-white background. Especially if you want to sell on Amazon, this is a good idea. On the number 1 shopping platform, emotions are secondary. Here, your product and its ranking are exclusively in the foreground. What equipment you need for this, you'll find out in the next chapters.

The right equipment: The backdrop can look as beautiful as you want, if in the end bad pictures come out. So choosing the right equipment is just as important. First and foremost, this includes the right camera. Smartphone cameras can do a lot nowadays, but you better get yourself a professional SLR camera. This is expensive, but significantly cheaper than a photographer, you can write off the camera for tax purposes and you will have something from the camera for many years. A perfect investment, therefore. Canon, Sony or Nikon are known for good SLR cameras. If you want to strike financially at the right timing, wait for a Cyber Monday or a Black Friday.

Also buy a tripod that you can adjust in height according to the size of your largest and smallest products. If you decide for Amazon white background photos, you need a photo studio. You don't have to rent it, you can buy it. Search in the shopping world for a photo box or light tent and pay attention to the size; after all, your product has to fit in. Ideally, lights are already integrated, so you can start taking photos right away. However, this does not yet answer the question of what light is needed for product photos.

A light tent in which you can photograph your products shadow-free with a white background.

The right light: If you photograph without a photo box, but with decoration or lively background, rely only on professional light. Daylight is unpredictable and the light in rooms often too dark. The solution: Softboxes or simple room lamps with bright LED bulbs, whose screens you can adjust flexibly. The only important thing is even illumination, so get at least two spotlights that shine from two opposite sides, from above or frontally onto your product. This way, you won't have a visible shadow that makes a photo look amateurish. In nature, you can use a party tent to not be influenced by sunlight. The light sources remain your softboxes.

Clear light defines your products perfectly at first sight and offers the advantage of repeatability: you can always put different products, on different days, at different times in the same light. This way, no difference between the product photos will be noticeable in your online shop. Only for outdoor shots you may have to adjust the brightness later with a photo editing software. In rooms, professionals advise to darken windows or use a windowless room such as a storage room.

The right lens:Which lens is suitable for product photography? Since you've chosen an SLR camera, you have the option to switch between lenses. This alone is already a big advantage over a smartphone cam. However, which lens you need to use depends on the subject and product. In most cases, the included standard lens is sufficient. Looking for a suitable SLR camera look for a kit. This refers to camera sets that are delivered with a lens.

The right pose:Like supermodels, you have to pose your (super) products photogenically for the photo shooting. The primary thing here is that you explain your product well to potential customers through photos and show it from all sides - especially the chocolate sides. Optical frills or deco are secondary. Never forget one thing: Product photos for online shops are intended to provide the user with as much visual information as possible to reach a purchase decision as quickly as possible - they are not intended to be exhibited in galleries.

Nevertheless, you want to know how to make beautiful product photos - understandable. If you follow every chapter of our article, you will automatically get high-quality, high-resolution, very explanatory and professional product photos that appeal to your target group. Just don't lose yourself in perfectionism. Product photo ideas can also be "googled" or found on Pinterest.

An example of an easy to navigate online shop.

What should happen after the product photo shooting

If you have product photos made, you will receive them edited. If you take the photos for your online shop yourself, you also have to take over this part. Basic knowledge of Adobe Photoshop or Gimp is sufficient for this. After all, with the optimal lighting and the right camera you have already done most of the work. The better the equipment and the preparation, the less post-processing is necessary. Small tip: Remember the settings you make in the image editing software to apply them evenly to each photo. This will give you a nice overall view in your online shop. Tutorials for both software can be found on YouTube like sands on the beach.

Compressing your images should also be part of your plan. Since online shops should have as short loading times as possible - just like websites -, "heavy" files are disturbing. The middle way between high resolution and small file is the way to the goal. SaaS solutions like tinypng are the right support when compressing.

Manage your product photos in one place and accessible to everyone

In the end, your product photos count as digital assets and should be accessible to everyone on the team. Since successful online shops have the habit of selling more and more products over time and thus always adding more product photos, software solutions will help you. These include, on the one hand, a Digital Asset Management (DAM) and, on the other hand, a Product Information Management (PIM).

Digital Asset Management: In your DAM tool you can collect and manage all your online shop photos in one central place. In addition, you can add meta data to each photo, version them and most importantly make them accessible to anyone who needs to work with the product photos. This prevents duplicates and the rotting of images in employees' folder structures. On OMR Reviews you will find a selection of user-rated digital asset management software like this one:

• AdmiralCloud
• Canto
• CELUM
• Container
• 4ALLPORTAL

Product Information Management: Since online shops also have to be filled with sales texts and numerous product information in order to inform your customers as well as possible about your products, the use of a PIM tool is a good idea. With Product Information Management Systems you can manage all product information in one central place, configure, structure and translate it. The PIM system can also be linked to your Digital Asset Management system to enable efficient workflows for you. You can also find a selection of rated PIM software on OMR Reviews. A sneak preview is available here:

• Syndigo
• Pimcore
• Akeneo
• Contentserv
• Plytix
• inriver

Use a helpful shop system.

To get the perfect basis for your online shop, choose the right shop system. This depends on how big your web shop should become, how big the expected traffic is, whether you also want to build a brand or you have other requirements. In addition, a professional presentation of your freshly made product photos depends on the picture frame. In the case of an online shop, the picture frame is a theme; a template for your shop design, which you will find in good shop systems. All good things come in threes: In addition to DAM and PIM systems, you can also compare shop systems on OMR Reviews. The three most popular are:

• Shopify
• WooCommerce
• commercetools

Shopify is considered one of the most popular shop systems worldwide.

7 tips from pros: The secret of professional product photography

Now you know how you can make professional product photos for your online shop yourself. To stand out noticeably from your competition or generally to stand out better, you can present your products in videos or make 3D photos. Both are a bit more complex than making "usual" product photos. However, customers can perceive the product better before it lands in the shopping cart. Videos and 3D product photos are usually only suitable for products that have many functions or are very detailed.

Tip 6: Ask professionals for their opinion

The nice thing about our today's business world: We are networked everywhere. You can quickly ask experts for their opinion and exchange ideas. Once you have built up a profile on LinkedIn, you can ask your followers and the rest of the crowd of 750 million users strong for their opinion on your images. Put two images side by side and let them vote. Faster market research is not possible anywhere else. At the same time, your online shop gets attention, you personality and show transparency. Three important qualities nowadays. Tip 7: Your bestsellers as category photos. If you have categories in your online shop, you also need photos for this. Best take the product photo of your bestseller - the item that sells the best or generates the most attention. Alternatively, you can also take a separate photo that reflects the respective category. Semrush. Die bringen uns zu Tipps 2.

Tipp 2: SEO ist auch für Bilder wichtig

Damit Euer Onlineshop gefunden wird, müsst Ihr Suchmaschinenoptimierung betreiben. Eure Produktfotos können Euch dabei eine Hilfe sein. Google crawlt nicht nur Geschriebenes, sondern auch Bilder und Videos. Damit das zu Eurem Vorteil passiert, beachtet folgende Punkte:

• Die Dateinamen der Produktfotos sollten die Keywords enthalten, zu denen die Bilder jeweils ranken sollen.
• Verwendet immer Bindestriche im Dateinamen, keine Unterstriche.
• Eure Bilder sollten mindestens 320 x 240 Pixel und maximal 1280 x 960 Pixel groß sein.
• Querformate und quadratische Bilder mag Google am liebsten.
• Lasst die Bilder nicht per JavaScript laden.
• Bindet die Produktfotos nicht in iFrames ein

Tipp 3: Schießt, was das Zeug hält

Selbst, wenn Euer Set immer gut ausgeleuchtet ist und Ihr von keinerlei Sonneneinstrahlung oder anderen Variablen betroffen seid, besteht die Möglichkeit, dass die Bilder unterschiedlich schön werden. Das umgeht Ihr, indem Ihr ein Produkt pro Pose immer mehrmals fotografiert. Bevor Ihr zur Fotobearbeitung übergeht, sucht Ihr Euch das Beste heraus. Der Titel des Tipps ist zudem zweideutig: Bietet dem Kunden auch möglichst viele verschiedene Blickwinkel auf Euer Produkt an. Wie bereits im Artikel erwähnt, reduziert es die Retouren und befeuert den Kaufentschluss des:der Kunden:in.

Außerdem solltet Ihr Produkte, die angewendet werden, in Ihrer natürlichen Eigenschaft in Szene setzen. Verkauft Ihr beispielsweise Schnürsenkel, stellt ihren Zweck direkt an einem Paar Schuhe dar. Passt hierbei nur auf, dass Ihr keine Markenschuhe nehmt, um Markenrechtsverletzungen vorzubeugen.

Tipp 4: Nutzt das richtige Shopsystem

In Zeiten des E-Commerce existiert eine Vielzahl an Shopsystemen. Sucht Euch die zu Euren Kenntnissen passende Lösung aus; jede funktioniert ein wenig anders und basiert auf unterschiedlichen Technologien. Auf OMR Reviews könnt Ihr mehr als 25 davon vergleichen. Grundsätzlich sollte Euer Shopsystem auf die Schnelligkeit Eures Webshops und auf Responsive Design achten sowie SEO-Features besitzen.

Tipp 5: Setzt auf Videos und 3D

Um Euch merklich von Eurer Konkurrenz abzuheben bzw. generell besser aufzufallen, könnt Ihr Eure Produkte in Videos vorstellen oder 3D-Fotos machen. Beides ist ein Tick aufwendiger als „übliche“ Produktfotos zu erstellen. Kund:innen können dadurch das Produkt besser wahrnehmen, bevor es im Warenkorb landet. Videos und 3D-Produktfotos eignen sich aber meist nur für Produkte, die beispielsweise viele Funktionen haben oder sehr detailreich gestaltet sind.

Tipp 6: Fragt Profis nach Ihrer Meinung

Das Schöne an unserer heutigen Business-Welt: Wir sind überall vernetzt. Ihr könnt schnell Experten nach Ihrer Meinung fragen und Euch austauschen. Habt Ihr Euch erst einmal ein Profil bei LinkedIn aufgebaut, könnt Ihr Eure Follower und den Rest der gesamten 750 Millionen User:innen starken Crowd nach Ihrer Meinung zu Euren Bildern fragen. Stellt dabei zwei Bilder nebeneinander und lasst abstimmen. Eine schnellere Marktforschung ist nirgends möglich. Gleichzeitig erhält Euer Onlineshop Aufmerksamkeit, Ihr Persönlichkeit und zeigt dabei Transparenz. Drei wichtige Eigenschaften heutzutage.

Tipp 7: Eure Bestseller als Kategoriefotos

Habt Ihr Kategorien in Eurem Onlineshop, benötigt Ihr dafür ebenfalls Fotos. Am besten nehmt Ihr das Produktfoto Eures Bestsellers – der Artikel, der sich am besten verkauft oder am meisten Aufmerksamkeit generiert. Alternativ könnt Ihr auch ein separates Foto schießen, dass die jeweilige Kategorie widerspiegelt.