topic Re: Poor image quality in Selling

Poor image quality

plant_hoarder — Mon, 21 Jan 2019 00:36:33 GMT

Has anyone else noticed their image quality degrades, mostly the colours are duller if you list your item using the app? It doesn’t seem to happen using the website but it takes twice as long doing so. Accurate colours are important to my listings

Re: Poor image quality

Anonymous — Mon, 21 Jan 2019 00:58:15 GMT

I have heard about far too many problems with using the app to ever want to try touching it

We do have some very clever and cluey members here though, so someone might have some good suggestions to help

Re: Poor image quality

imastawka — Mon, 21 Jan 2019 01:33:59 GMT

I don't know about using the app either.

But you only have 12 listings atm, so what's it matter if it takes longer to use

the full site, if it gains you a better pic?

And as an aside, the colours may show up better if not photographed with grass

and/or a wooden fence in the background.

Try for a neutral background that's not so busy, so as to detract.

Re: Poor image quality

digital*ghost — Mon, 21 Jan 2019 03:01:03 GMT

It's a compression issue, in the main.

eBay will compress images when they are uploaded, and they also serve compressed images on mobile devices so many images will look worse on the app than they do on a PC (presumably it's for faster load times and data conservation for mobiles etc).

Re: Poor image quality

plant_hoarder — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 07:03:01 GMT

The items actually stand out that way and I’m talking as a whole picture, including the grass. I also I thought an aged fence is a neutral colour. Thanks though

Re: Poor image quality

padi*0409 — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 09:01:51 GMT

As Stawks said, neutral backgrounds work much better on listings, here's a (rather extreme) example of how it doesn't work.

This listing would more than likely have sold ages ago with better photography - it's been listed for well over 6 months now.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Four-Japanese-Antique-Imari-Porcelain-Saki-Cups-With-Saucers/292924082161?hash=item4433a2c7f1:g:XOQAAOSwDkVaBjaH:rk:67:pf:0

Re: Poor image quality

davewil1964 — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 11:06:40 GMT

Blerk

Re: Poor image quality

kitty-kat-kollection — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 11:21:51 GMT

Oh my goodness! They would have stood out and looked lovely on a simple white background!!!

Re: Poor image quality

padi*0409 — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 12:16:05 GMT

@davewil1964 wrote:

Blerk

Re: Poor image quality

padi*0409 — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 12:23:57 GMT

@kitty-kat-kollection wrote:
Oh my goodness! They would have stood out and looked lovely on a simple white background!!!

Yep, imagine seeing the listing just on a saved search list with only the small images on the lefthand side !!

Even so they are, in my opinion, overpriced even now after the price reductions over time.

Re: Poor image quality

purplemon18 — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 12:25:38 GMT

Hi,

Having looked at your pictures, I can see that you have actually put some thought into the background when you took your pictures, and they don't look bad. In fact compared to some of the pictures on ebay, they are pretty good, but they can be improved some more.

You are right in that the actual colour of the fence is fairly neutral, in fact some photo editing programs have grey as an option when editing. The problem is that it is not a uniform single colour, it is pattened and that makes your plants somewhat blend in. While grey is neutral, white is generally considered better, especially when photographing something that has shades of white in it, so that people can see how much it differs to white.

I have included 2 pictures of the cheap **bleep**py light box I made out of some cardboard boxes, a white LED light and some plain cardboard sheets. Ignore the fact that I break a cardinal rule about white backgrounds, I'm going for a theme for my store. I do still have a white sheet that I use when I really need it, like my cream coloured high heels.

The purple cardboard goes from horizontal to vertical with a curve, rather than at right angles, this makes it very hard to tell where the floor ends and the wall begins. What that means is that the background falls away and you focus just on the object.

The reason I use a big long light is that the light hits the object from several different directions at once which minimises shadows, if I had used something like a desk lamp, that has a single point of light, there would be a big shadow on the other side of the object. I should also stick some white paper to the boxes I am using as a light stand, because when the light bounces of the brown cardboard, the light gets a little browner than it should be. Also, having white surfaces for the light to reflect off would further reduce the shadow problem,

Obviously this type of thing is only good for your smaller plants, but for your bigger ones, you might want to try a big clean white sheet and sow a dozen fishing sinkers to each of 2 ends of the sheet. you could then hang it over the fence without it easily blowing away. Also, take your pics in the morning before the wind picks up.

Re: Poor image quality

karecoope-95 — Thu, 24 Jan 2019 01:02:07 GMT

Re: Poor image quality

mull8x5 — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 23:38:32 GMT

I am not a frequent ebay seller, but never have any issues with photo quality with my listings,

but as a retired professional photographer I feel that many listers haven't a clue about the best shot of a product they are listing to show their wares in the best possible light, in terms of view, lighting etc

Snap snap and hope for a sale it seems.

They do say that a picture (good maybe) is worth a thousand words.

Re: Poor image quality

valcampi-77 — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 02:16:08 GMT

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread HERE if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.