Please note that this Go Digital course content was developed in 2017 and therefore should be used as a guide only as the referenced online services may have changed over time.
Week 18 - Product Photography and Website Images: Your Guide
Whether you need to improve your product photography or simply source better images for your website; this week’s Go Digital module will help you move forward.
For the product photography enthusiasts, I show you how to take better photos of your products with nothing more than a smartphone, a window, and two pieces of cardboard… oh and a pretty, pretty necklace.
For people without products to sell, I show you how to find free images on the internet that don’t violate copyright. Then I demonstrate how to resize them and edit them so they fit in with your website and aesthetic.
Also, if you want to use these images on your social media channels, don’t forget to check out the bonus session I did on Canva. It’s free software that will help you easily add text, graphics and all kinds of elements without needing a degree in graphic design.
Here’s the breakdown of the videos in this week’s module:
Product Photography:
- I take you behind the scenes of a product photography shoot;
- you’ll see both the setup and I share my screen on my smartphone
- so you’ll know exactly what I did to create the image above – there are a few general photography tips, so it could be useful even if you don’t have a product to shoot
- I show you step by step how to take the photo from the camera and edit in on your computer so that you can make it look like a professional took the image, using free software (aviary.com – an Adobe product).
Imagery for your website / business:
- I take you on a tour of places to find images on the internet and what to look for in terms of licensing so that you don’t violate copyright etc.
- Then I show you how resize the image for the web as well as how to make changes to the style of the image with pixlr.com (free software).
How long will it take?
There are a total of 4 videos ranging from 10 – 20 minutes duration. Of course, you don’t have to watch them all. Take a look at the descriptions and watch the ones that apply to you and skip the rest. In total there are about an hour’s worth of videos in this week’s materials.
Video 1: Product Photography Part 1 – Taking Photos
In the video below, I take you behind the scenes of a product photo shoot. It sounds fancy, but it is simply using a table up against a window in my house. I show you both views, the setup and I share my smart phone screen so that you can copy the process for your own products.
Duration: 8:04
Video 2: Product Photography Part 2 – Editing Photos
After the photo shoot, we do some editing to the photo, to get it looking as professional as possible. I use some free software called aviary.com which is super easy to use. Even if you have your favourite software, you’ll see what I make changes to and it will give you ideas for your own images.
Duration: 17:54
Video 3: Finding the best images for your website without violating Copyright.
I take you on a tour of the world wide web and the different sites you can find images, for free. I also talk about licensing and what to look for to ensure you aren’t violating someone’s copyright.
Duration: 17:23
Video 4: Resizing and Editing Images for your Website (or social media)
I use a different program called pixlr.com to allow you to make your images smaller, but still look great. The bigger the image, the longer it will take your web page to load for your visitors, so this is pretty important. I also show you some different editing options that the software has to offer, so if you want to apply a different look (e.g. alternate colour tones etc).
Duration: 15:09
What’s up next week?
We’re coming to the end of our weekly content, only two formal weeks left and a bonus module coming soon after. Next week will be about how to keep the balance between everything we’ve learned so far. A range of systems you can use to stay on top of content creation, so you can balance giving info with creating income.