What image type should I use for auctions? It is generally best to photograph images at a higher setting at first, and then use your software to compress images down later. The reason is you want to get a nice, clear image to start with, leaving you some margin for error before you start reducing your file size with compression. You could film in TIFF or a a high, uncompressed JPEG format, and then either batch convert or batch compress all your images later (see image software). For auctions and web design, a JPEG setting is perfect. Just start at a decent file size, say 80 or 90 K, and then you will have some leeway to compress it even lower, when you optimize with your software. Don't use TIFF format, unless you are planning on doing print or desktop publishing work- TIFF is extremely high quality, but also uses huge chunks of card memory. The extreme resolution of these images is unnecessary for those old Star Wars action figures- You just want to move them quickly for a profit in your auction. It's always better to get a high quality picture in the camera, and then do most of your resizing and compression on the computer. Play around a bit with settings and cropping images with your image software. You'll find after awhile that a comfortable work pattern develops, and the optimal setting to leave your camera on during your shoot will present itself, with the minimum amount of editing work required after image transfers. What DPI resolution is best for auction images? The amount of resolution within your image is referred to as DPI. This stands for dots per inch. Images at a higher DPI have better resolution, but also take more memory card space and time to load. The ideal web resolution for both websites and auction images is 72 dpi. Look at some of the banner ads on this page by way of example- they are most likely set at 72 dpi. Some people use 96 dpi for slightly better image quality on the web, but that is the absolute max you will need for 99.9% of the images you use during your auctions. If you want super close ups for fine detail, you can go with a higher DPI. But keep in mind, even 300 dpi is higher than what print magazines use for artwork and typesetting- in fact, they use only 266 dpi. Many scanners scan at 300 to 1200 dpi or more. Unless you are doing national intelligence work as a satellite imaging specialist for the CIA, then you don't even have to think about working anywhere near this level of dpi- save your money on gadgets that tout these dpi levels, cause you just won't need them for almost of all your auction needs. Cropping Images: Fast loading equals more bids! Just remember, with digital photos, every pixel of information translates into memory size and file speed, and as with all things, time is money. Yes, your images may look award winning and pretty at that huge size on your screen, but no one will ever stick around to see them load all the way- there goes another bidder, off to shop elsewhere. The exception to this is if you are selling expensive antiques, pulp magazines, stamps, documents, old comic books, etc, where a super close-up look is required to establish a specific grade or condition. In this case, you could link from a smaller 'thumbnail image' of 10 K to your 'high-res' images of 50K, 200K or however large you think is appropriate. The key is to make sure that all edges of your image are framed by a pleasant, neutral border, with the rest of the kitchen, backyard or what have you masked out or camouflaged. In other words, crop out unnecessary borders or garbage from your pictures, so that only the actual antique, collectible, toy or whatever is featured. You won't be saving images to the web in the original file size you shoot them in; unless you have tweaked your camera settings just right you won't want to, trust us. How many times have you actually waited 30 or 45 seconds for an auction image to finish downloading? How many times did you instead, go and find something else to bid on? On a 56.6 Kbps (Kilobytes Per Second) modem, the transfer rate is approximately 1 K per second, so a file that is 30 K will take 30 seconds to download. With the right jpeg compression program, the quality difference between a 10 or 11 K image and a 30 K image is barely noticeable, yet the 10 or 11 K version only takes 10 seconds to download, and the 30 K version takes 30 seconds. Which one are you going to stick around and wait for? How can I make my image files smaller? First of all, with any image, whether captured with a camera or a scanner, it is best to use only the actual DPI you need for the image. Many people use far more resolution than they need, which slows the auction description loading time needlessly. After shooting, transferring and previewing a few shots, adjust your camera settings to the lowest comfortable megapixel and/or DPI size, which still leaves you some nice quality to play with in your imaging software. This will cut down on file size and save you work later on in editing. Second, as mentioned in the previous section, crop out any unnecessary garbage from your photo's background or edges with your imaging software. Third, make sure you are using jpeg for auction photos. This photo standard is the premier choice used in the majority of all auction photos, due to its compression quality and wide acceptance. Fourth, whatever file standard you use, make sure and compress your final images or otherwise adjust your file size, being careful to maintain an acceptable picture quality. You can use software like Adobe Photoshop, Dell Image Standard, Arc Soft Photo Impression, etc. Always use preview to check your images visually before saving, and save backups of your raw files in case you make an error. You don't want to have to re-shoot those photos. Using these methods, great results can be realized without noticeable loss of image quality. But the lower file sizes you achieve will mean more people will decide to wait for your auctions to finish loading, and that almost certainly means a noticeable increase in profits for you. How can I quickly find my pics? You can quickly locate images on your computer using one of several image viewers- We recommend using ACDsee 5.0. We have used their line of imaging products for some time, and have found them to be powerful, and easy to use. ACDsee 5.0 is great for sorting, organizing, renaming and storing your images. It allows you to see images in several modes, including an impressive thumbnail mode which is much more powerful, in our humble opinion than the Windows option you may use. Not merely an image cataloging program, ACDsee 5.0's greatest feature is that it allows you to work in batches. You can use batch mode to resize, crop, cut, correct, rename or compress your images. This saves spares you from having to go in and do this with each image individually, which means a lot less work on your part. Some high featured photo-imaging suites like Adobe-Photoshop also come with cataloging features built in, or are included as side programs in the suite. For more details, read the next section, or see our Image Software page. Fixing image problems If you will be doing a lot of image editing in addition to image cataloging, it may be wise to invest in an image editing program like Adobe Photoshop LE 2.0 in addition to a simple image viewer. Of course, if you are really serious about digital images, and want the industry standard tool that graphic arts professionals have relied on for years, consider Adobe Photoshop 7.0. In addition to offering the ability to work with layers, Adobe software offers incredible photo effects and art tools, photo touch-up like red-eye and skin wrinkle correction, lighting and filtering tools, and more. As with the simpler image viewer programs, they offer batch editing commands for processing large groups of pictures all at once. The program also offers a handy 'save for web' feature, allowing you to see what your images will look like at different levels of compression for that file type; you can preview each image against the original, or against several versions for comparison all at once, to view your changes before saving. This cool feature lets you know exactly what that auction photo, banner ad or website image will look like, before it ever hits the net. Why is my picture so Dark? Your image may be dark for one of two reasons: There was a problem with your camera's light level or exposure setting before the picture was taken, or the area lighting was wrong during the shot. This article has so far dealt with how to fix lighting problems during the shot, but what happens when you get those 450 images transferred to your computer, and suddenly you remember that while taking your pictures, the flash wasn't set, or that maybe you forgot to turn on some fill lights? Or maybe all of your filming conditions were perfect, but still, your final images just look- well... bad? Before you spend another three hours re-shooting, or worse, just posting those feeble pictures in your auctions any way, there is a little secret you can try. We are only too happy to share it with you now, as you can definitely be a better auctioneer once you learn it: Imaging Secret: You may know about certain correction tools in various Photoshop programs, such as the ability to adjust brightness, hue, saturation levels, etc. But perhaps the handiest feature of Adobe Photoshop is the 'Adjust Auto-Properties' command. This miracle of technology automatically corrects problems in your image such as bad lighting or shadows, under-exposure, color problems etc. Try this on a few of your images and you may be surprised when you toggle back and forth to look at before and after results. Photos that used to look hopelessly under-lit, shadowy, or with colors terribly off, suddenly look bright, cheery, lifelike and right on the money.... click the mouse, and Presto! It's like magic! You have to see it to believe it. Once you try it a few times, you will find yourself using it on all your photos. Probably 70 percent or more of the images we routinely see on ebay could benefit from the adjust auto-properties command in Photoshop. It's a quick, simple fix, and it could easily realize some sellers more frequent and higher bids. This secret trick is now yours- It only takes a mouse-click or two, and the computer does all the work for you. So have fun! Just remember not to use imaging software to make your auction items look too good- The point is to correct any image mistakes, not to artificially correct problems with the item for sale itself. If you pump picture levels and brightness to the point where that shabby, worn antique looks fully restored, that's what your buyer now expects to receive in the mail. Correct your accidental image problems, but use your new found magical powers wisely! Your buyers can and will notice the difference. To find out more about image editors, viewers and other types of image programs, please see our Image Software page.
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