Take better photos: online auctions

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»	Choose a simple background
»	Include multiple pictures
»	Flatter your item with good lighting
»	Edit to sell

Choose a simple background

Clear the clutter to show off your auction item.

When selling online, you don't want to distract potential buyers from what you're selling. Provide a clean space that shows off the item you're selling.

Try these techniques for focusing on the product:

Set the item on a clean table and shoot from above—this works well with flat items such as stamp or coin collections.
Use a white or blue draped background—paper (available at crafting or photo supply stores) or a clean, smooth bed sheet can work—to get a catalog look for more dimensional products, such as kitchen equipment or toys.

And when shooting, keep the camera very steady. A tripod is a great accessory to have for this.

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Include multiple pictures

Include several pictures with your posting to increase sales.

Plan to include one "beauty shot" that shows the piece to its best advantage. Take shots from a variety of angles, and select the best photo. Then consider what other information a buyer might need in order to buy:

Use close-ups to reveal details of the item you're selling. Learn more about close up photography.
Show all item components: If you're selling a set of dishes, show the platters, cups, serving bowls as well—these details will reassure your buyers that the item matches your description, and is worth the price.
Multiple views provides a more natural shopping experience for your buyers, and many sites allow you to upload as many as 12 photos.

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Flatter your item with good lighting

Indirect lighting is most effective for showing off your auction item.

Lighting is your secret weapon for making your auction item stand out. Brighter lighting shows the most detail and makes the item look desirable. Boost the wattage with these tips:

Go for diffuse light, not direct: Place a light (clampable shop lights or shaded table lamps work just fine) to the side of your object to provide even, indirect lighting.
Don't use flash, as it is too direct and creates a lot of harsh glare. Not pretty!
Use white poster board on the side of the shoot to act as a reflector. It will boost light to shadowed areas.
Learn more about lighting.

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Edit to sell

Crop to show details as necessary.

Zero in on your for-sale item's best features. If you plan to crop the photo, shoot at the highest resolution or best quality setting. This way you have the most image detail to work with when you edit. Then edit your picture for maximum selling power. Here's how:

Use HP Photosmart Essential or other photo-editing software to crop and resize the photo.
Crop the photo to highlight special details in what you're selling: a carved decanter top deserves to be seen!
Resize the image: Different auction sites have unique specifications for image size, usually expressed in pixels. For instance, EBay's maximum image size is 800 x 600 pixels. You can set this in your image editing software, and automatically get the right size every time.
Image format: JPEG is the standard format online. It is likely what your camera takes anyway, but you can also set it in your editing software.
Optimize for the Web: Once you have the picture that will sell, use your editing software to make it Web-friendly. This will reduce the image "weight" (that is, how large a file it is) which will make it load more quickly.