Ideas to make the most of your listings (from an idea from BLOXBOOKS)

[lejoueurdepipeau]

Never did understand those - who is going to search for "WOW" or LOOK"? Just seems like a waste of valuable available title characters.

[Jeanneneswishwell]

Hi

I am just starting off down on EBIDte and I really want to improve my photos as this really lets me down. I mostly sell clothes.

Two things I am trying to resolve

A photo editing software(prefer a free download) which I can create a white background around my items.

I can crop my items but if they are an unusual shape I still have some of the original photo background in the field and cannot for the life of me work out how to get rid of it.

Any help appreciated and thanks in advance
Jeannene

[bykimbo]

Hi

I am just starting off down on EBIDte and I really want to improve my photos as this really lets me down. I mostly sell clothes.

Two things I am trying to resolve

A photo editing software(prefer a free download) which I can create a white background around my items.

I can crop my items but if they are an unusual shape I still have some of the original photo background in the field and cannot for the life of me work out how to get rid of it.

Any help appreciated and thanks in advance
Jeannene

Photoshop has a free-hand selection method, so I know what you mean, but alas it's not free*. I can't think I've ever seen something like that in a free tool. Have you tried using a small box shape and nibbling away at the edge in pieces?

What was the second thing?


* LOL that sounds like a contradiction, I hope you know what I mean!

[johnwash1]

Hi

I am just starting off down on EBIDte and I really want to improve my photos as this really lets me down. I mostly sell clothes.

Two things I am trying to resolve

A photo editing software(prefer a free download) which I can create a white background around my items.

I can crop my items but if they are an unusual shape I still have some of the original photo background in the field and cannot for the life of me work out how to get rid of it.

Any help appreciated and thanks in advance
Jeannene

Easiest way to get a white background is to hang up a sheet when taking the photo. Messing about afterwards, even when you're experienced with photo editing software, is a waste of time, takes much longer.

Gimp is a free download and runs on Windows/Mac/Linux, is very powerful, but takes some getting used to if you want to use all its power. It does easily do simple things like cropping though, but so does pretty much any photo editor.

[deltadelta48]

I have always hated listing titles, that are in all capital letters, or full of L@@K, W@W, etc etc.

Well now there is a really good (or maybe I should say G@@D )
reason for not doing this.

Google base doesn't like it.

From the Google Base Guidelines. US (I couldn't find it in the UK ones, but that doesn't mean it's not there, or isn't used.)


US
http://base.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=61118

UK
http://base.google.co.uk/support/bin...n&answer=61118

This makes sense to me because it is standard usage for titles of books, newspaper headers etc. However, why the heck do comic book sellers use all those strange little symbols in their listing titles? Some comic book secret I don't know about? Google seems to accept them, as I have been those same listings up on google too, so they don't following google tips and still are on top of the google lists for comic? What's that about?

[deltadelta48]

Hi

I am just starting off down on EBIDte and I really want to improve my photos as this really lets me down. I mostly sell clothes.

Two things I am trying to resolve

A photo editing software(prefer a free download) which I can create a white background around my items.

I can crop my items but if they are an unusual shape I still have some of the original photo background in the field and cannot for the life of me work out how to get rid of it.

Any help appreciated and thanks in advance
Jeannene

To solve these problems go back to the source, the setting where you take your pictures. Do indoors (with daylight bulbs) someplace where a black or white blanket/sheet/tablecloth can be put put over a.piece of furniture so it is surrounded by color/lack of color. I use old Scottish throw in dark navy and my doilies stick to it for pictures. Use white or pastel tablecloth of colored items. Find something that works to blot out everything else on all sides of your item, and control the light too (outdoors you get glare, wind etc). You pictures will be great.

That way background becomes neutral, lets the item pop, and you just have to do minor alterations i.e.I just use my Fuji 10x camera's softwear and just resize all photos, occasionally crop an edge, but can use most photos as is. Trying to take background out does not work as well as just making sure it is neutral/light/dark to begin with.

Of course for something like jewelry you might need a lightbox to make it appear to float like in magazines.

[johnwash1]

...

Of course for something like jewelry you might need a lightbox to make it appear to float like in magazines.

Or try photographing it on a sheet of glass.

[deltadelta48]

Or try photographing it on a sheet of glass.

I knew someone would be savy on the jewelry photos. That is an art!!

[bykimbo]

Or try photographing it on a sheet of glass.

Not something one tends to have lying about, but it sounds brilliant... would any super-shiny surface do? I shall have a play later. Not that I need to photograph jewellery, but it sounds too interesting to ignore.

Updated to say: oooh... dismantle a clip frame!

[johnwash1]

Not something one tends to have lying about, but it sounds brilliant... would any super-shiny surface do? I shall have a play later. Not that I need to photograph jewellery, but it sounds too interesting to ignore.

Updated to say: oooh... dismantle a clip frame!

Hi Bykimbo, yes, I'm a bit of a squirrel, so I've no end of old sheets of glass stored amongst much else. Pity you're not in W Surrey, else I'd offer you a 1p auction for you to collect some glass!

Yes, shiny surfaces, especially black shiny, can be interesting.

Ganoksin.com is a big site of jewellery info, including photography, or just put jewelry photography howto into a search engine (the American spelling works better), lots of interesting sites to explore.

The Photography forum here doesn't get much traffic, you could discuss it there.