This document provides photo tips and advice for homeowners to take quality photos of their home to include on their real estate website. It recommends: 1. Renaming photos descriptively by room in lowercase without spaces or dashes for organizational purposes. 2. Taking horizontal shots that fit as much of each room in the frame as possible to showcase the space. 3. Ensuring photos are at least 450x338 pixels for horizontal or 254x338 for vertical shots and not cropped. 4. Hiding or removing any personal items from photos to keep the focus on the architecture and space of each room.

1. Photo Tips & Advice for
Your Website
Key Points:
Before you send your photos, please do this:
• Always keep in mind
buyers are more
1. Rename your photos so that they will be grouped by room. Please do
interested in the over- not use CAPITAL letter s, spaces, or dashes.
all architecture of Cor r ect example: livingroom1.jpg, bedroom5.jpg
each room. When
taking a picture of a
Incor rect example: IMG051.jpg, Living Room.jpg
room, fit as much as
you can into the shot 2. It is highly prefer red that you take horizontal shots. Please keep your
so buyers can see
how it is built and vertical shots limited to bathrooms and other small rooms, only if
imagine their own absolutely necessar y in order to get the shot.
furniture in it. Do not
focus on the furniture
already in the room. 3. Please make sure your photos are no smaller than 450 pixels wide by
338 pixels tall for horizontal shots and no smaller than 254 pixels wide
• It is very easy for by 338 pixels tall for vertical shots. Do not stretch smaller photos up to
personal items to slip this size, because they will look out of focus. Instead, retake the shot.
into a picture. Make
sure dirty dishes,
newspapers, cans of 4. Please DO NOT crop photos. Your photos are added to your website in
soda, etc. are all a Gallery format, and they are all uniform in size. If a photo is cropped,
hidden from view. In
bathrooms, be sure to it will not match the same dimensions, and will cause an obvious gap
have the toilet seat next to the other photos.
down. In bedrooms,
make sure beds are
made, etc. 5. When you have taken all of your photos, please send them to your web-
site designer.
• Use natural light as
much as possible.
Regular lighting can
make white walls look
A note to Mac users using the iPhoto program:
yellow and cause By default, your digital photos will export into iPhoto. We’ found that iPhoto is really
ve
glare in a picture.
intended for printing digital photos, and doesn’ work well for the web. To cure this
t
• Make sure your problem, we’ created very clear guidelines on page 3 for exporting your photos from
ve
camera lens is iPhoto. Please read them to assure your photos can be used on your website without any
CLEAN.
bumps in the road. If you follow the guide, we can post your photos much easier.
How to edit your photos:
Windows: If you have photo-editing software installed on your computer, you can use
that to edit your photos, rename them as indicted above, and re-size them to the above
sizes. If you do not, you are capable of renaming your photos by browsing to the
folder you saved them in. Once there, right-click on the photo to be renamed, and
click “rename”from the menu that pops up.
Mac: You already have a great editing tool built-in to your Mac! Just use iPhoto.
Phone: (760) 603-0100 / Fax: (760) 603-0106 / Email: FastHomeSystem@gmail.com

2. Photo Tips & Advice for
Your Website
Key Points: Getting a great picture:
1. Use a digital camera set in a medium resolution ( ie. 800 x 600 pixels)
• Always keep in mind
buyers are more
interested in the over- 2. Fit as much of the room as you possibly can into a shot. Try to get both the
all architecture of ceiling and the floor in the same shot. This helps convey how large the
each room. When
taking a picture of a room really is. A wide-angle lens (getting as far back in the room as you
room, fit as much as can) will do the trick. Do not focus on specific objects like tables or beds.
you can into the shot Those will distract the buyer and make it more difficult to visualize their
so buyers can see
how it is built and own furniture in the room.
imagine their own
furniture in it. Do not Remember: Horizontal photos work best on the website
focus on the furniture
already in the room.
Avoid personal items:
• It is very easy for
personal items to slip Be sure to put away personal items that will show up in the shots. Common items are
into a picture. Make often overlooked. Read below for some helpful tips on what to look for in the shot.
sure dirty dishes,
newspapers, cans of Kitchen:
soda, etc. are all
hidden from view. In Make sure dishes aren’ in the sink, keys aren’ on the counters, and newspapers aren’
t t t
bathrooms, be sure to
have the toilet seat left on the tables. Also, try to use natural lighting. However, make sure the sunlight
down. In bedrooms, doesn’ wash out the picture by either taking photos of your home with your back to the
t
make sure beds are window, or if the window has to be in the picture, expose the photo to the room.
made, etc.
• Use natural light as Living rooms, Family rooms, & Bedrooms:
much as possible.
Regular lighting can Make sure children’ toys are not left out or shown in the view, pets aren’ in the scene,
s t
make white walls look and, again, try to use natural lighting. IMPORTANT: Make sure the TV is off and
yellow and cause does not reflect into the camera or bounce light back.
glare in a picture.
• Make sure your Bathrooms:
camera lens is
CLEAN.
Sometimes getting a good shot of the bathroom is difficult. Try to capture as much as
you can of the full room. Make sure the toilet seat is down, the shower curtain is closed,
and the mirror is not reflecting you (if possible). Remove toothbrushes, combs, and re-
lated items from the shot.
Outside Shots:
The best time to take outside pictures is when the sun is behind you, preferably within a
couple hours of sunrise or sunset, so it won’ glare in the picture. This gives a nice glow
t
to the home and yard. Fit the whole house in the shot if you can, and be careful not to
cut off the roof. Take multiple shots from each angle.
Phone: (760) 603-0100 / Fax: (760) 603-0106 / Email: FastHomeSystem@gmail.com

3. Photo Tips & Advice for
Your Website
Key Points: Mac Users: The best way to export from iPhoto:
• Always keep in mind Import Photos from Digital Camera:
buyers are more
interested in the over-
all architecture of
each room. When Plug your camera into your computer, and click the
taking a picture of a bottom tab that says IMPORT. If your amera is
room, fit as much as
you can into the shot connected, it will show up in the lower grey box.
so buyers can see
how it is built and
imagine their own
furniture in it. Do not
focus on the furniture Default Photo Titles
already in the room.
By clicking on a photo, you will see by default, it is
• It is very easy for named an un-descriptive title, such as PICT0890.
personal items to slip
into a picture. Make
All digital cameras do this by default, but it makes
sure dirty dishes, the photos hard to organize when they are sent to
newspapers, cans of your website designer to be posted on your site.
soda, etc. are all
hidden from view. In
bathrooms, be sure to
have the toilet seat Rename Your Photo Titles:
down. In bedrooms,
make sure beds are It is very important that you rename the titles in
made, etc.
lowercase, with no spaces or capital letters. The
• Use natural light as photo gallery on your site is set to organize photos
much as possible. in alphabetical order, and group similar names. If
Regular lighting can your photos are titled “kitchen1,”“ kitchen2,”then
make white walls look
yellow and cause the gallery will group all kitchen photos together.
glare in a picture. So, be sure to rename the pictures. You can also
name the photos “ 01front,”“ 02kitchen”if you are
• Make sure your
picky about the order the pictures are viewed in.
camera lens is
CLEAN.
Important Step: Exporting Photos
When you are ready to save your re-named photos,
highlight the photos you want to send, then click on
FILE > EXPORT. A box will offer export options.
Size: 450 x 338 (min) or 800 x 600 (max)
Name: Use title
Export them to a folder on your desktop, then email
the exported pictures to your website designer.
Phone: (760) 603-0100 / Fax: (760) 603-0106 / Email: FastHomeSystem@gmail.com