Guide: Become a professional on product images

Product images are crucial if you want to reach out in different sales channels. Here we guide you to the perfect photos for all your marketplaces.

Retailers, wholesalers and e-tailers need properly photographed images for marketing, sales and planograms. Suppliers and brand owners who want to sell their products therefore need to ensure that they meet market requirements.

In this guide, you’ll learn more about the value of accurate images for both the industry and the consumer. Plus, get our own professional photographers’ top five tips for making your photos a success.

The value of product images

Hinn in time for the launch

This product photography thing may not be rocket science, but many people stumble over the amount of detail that needs to go into the execution. When the image does not meet the industry quality criteria, the step has to be redone, which can cause unnecessary delays that can even jeopardise the launch in the worst case.

Save time and money

The grocery industry in Sweden agrees that quality-assured product images linked to validated item information streamline the entire information flow. The images are used in sales, shelf planning and ultimately in consumer marketing.

Thanks to suppliers and brand owners providing their industries with product data quality for both images and item information, the consumer gets a clear message and the entire industry saves time and money.

Clear information to consumers

Unclear or inadequate product information makes consumers hesitate to buy. If each brand owner were to photograph products according to their own taste, consumers would be confronted with a variety of image styles. And if product images were not available, consumers would not be able to shop online or see advertisements about the product.

An industry-wide approach

Suppliers, retailers and wholesalers have worked with GS1 Sweden to develop guidelines on how best to photograph product images for different purposes. These guidelines are based on the GS1 global standard for product images.

Product images are shown here

Images appear in many places on the journey to launch. Here are some examples.

Quality assured product images for retail

When the right image is linked to the right item information, it creates an efficient image management process that helps your product get to market faster.

Product images are manually quality assured by GS1 Sweden before the product is ready for sale. The image is taken from Validoo’s media bank and for your image to be approved, you and your photographer need to be aware of the technical requirements and rules that apply to your product’s various markets.

Customize for your market

Remember to tailor your photography to your target market. There are different standards and guidelines depending on where and how your product will be sold.

For Swedish foodservice, for example, you should consider that the product should be photographed both in and out of its packaging, while completely different picture angle requirements apply to the Norwegian grocery market.

Take advantage of Validoo’s photo manuals

Use the photo manuals and quality assurance rules as checklists to ensure that your product image is of high quality and complies with guidelines and imaging requirements. If you get all the steps right, your image will be approved in Validoo and you are ready to launch.

Photographers’ top five tips

GS1 Sweden’s photo studio is staffed by professional photographers who know all the steps you need to take to get your product to market. Here are their top tips for product image success.

Tip 1: Book a photo shoot well in advance of the launch

Your image needs to meet the market requirements for the product to be sold. If product images do not meet the requirements, time needs to be spent on editing or re-photographing.

In the Swedish grocery industry, ECR Time Windows are used when launching new products. According to the recommendation, recipients of your images need a certain number of weeks to prepare for a launch.

Tip 2: Product styling

Before photography begins, the product needs to be seen at the seams. Inspect the packaging or food and wipe off any visible fingerprints or stains.

Dust, scratches and date stamps can be edited out in the finishing process, but if the package is too damaged, edge-damaged or has a misplaced label, a new sample must be selected. If it’s a fresh item that you’re photographing, it’s important to photograph it as soon as possible.

Here you can read more about what to consider when choosing samples.

Tip 3: The right lighting

The optimal environment for product photography is a photo studio. Lighting should be adapted to the material, colour and texture of the packaging. Choose light shapers to create a light that produces each unique product in the best possible way.

Tip 4: Use professional photography equipment

You need a professional system camera, a stable tripod and a lens that shows the product without distortion. Different lenses may be needed depending on the size of the product. The lens should be able to shoot sharply at a small aperture to make the whole product appear sharp. Feel free to connect your camera to your computer during the shoot to see the results directly on screen.

Tip 5: Editing images the right way

Once you are happy with the product image, it is time to fine-tune the quality of the image in Photoshop before uploading it to Validoo. Here you make sure the image looks good, design the correct clipping path, retouch away dust, scratches and best before dates. Also remember to adjust colour, contrast and glare.

When editing, make sure that all parameters described in the quality assurance rules for product images are met.

Last but not least. Good luck with your image production!