Introduction

Taking photos of products is the same as taking commercial shots (when advertising products). Paying attention to the products packaging or choosing a more suitable angle when taking the picture can guarantee a more successful appearance in the eyes of the potential customer. Products must have an attractive presentation in order to ease up the observation of their features, like the form, the dimensions or the technical characteristics. Product photos are destined to be used in developing promotional materials (flyers, brochures, catalogs, outdoor advertising) or even for creating their packaging. There can be used a special method in which, by taking photos on a Plexiglas table, a reflection of the product appears on the background, thus ensuring the downside illumination of your object and subsequently thus eliminating any possible shadows. The editing process usually follows afterward. The products are being integrated in a 100% white background (if this is the case) and all the specific elements (like brightness, contrast, and any imperfections that were not observed at the time of shooting) are being corrected. Depending on its final destination, the product is being placed on the suitable background, as decided by the photographer.
The purpose (final destination) of the photos what kind of images you are trying to obtain: for a website / for outdoor advertising / for online or printed catalogues The type of products you have the dimensions: if products are very small, they need special macro objectives the reflection (how shiny they are): bottles, globes and / or aluminum products require some special shooting techniques (Plexiglas table or special photo tent) The photo shoot the products should be prepared and stored near the site of shooting the products must be clean, undamaged and with no major flaws the products with major flaws will not be photographed, but replaced instead the products which are wrapped in transparent packaging will have it removed in order to avoid flare.

Some essential aspects which cannot be omitted when taking product photos are the following:

xyxle ag product photography guide

The photos have to meet the following standards All products should be placed straight against the camera (for further examples please see the Standardization section). The background should always be 100% white The background dimension: the crop should be max. 10px from the products margins
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Renaming photos for XYXLE To upload photos into Xyxle these have to be renamed as follows (this is not compulsory, it is the system used by our program in order to assign the appropriate photo to its product). EAN_0_1 EAN_1_1 EAN_2_1 EAN_3_1 EAN_4_1 EAN_5_1 EAN_6_1 back picture front picture left picture right picture detailed picture others 360 picture

The final size of a photo is 1500/xy px The used resolution is 72dpi

The following picture is an example of the 10 px crop margin which is represented by the blue dotted line.

If there are more than one photos for DETAILED or OTHERS categories these must be renamed as: EAN_4_2, EAN_4_3, , EAN_4_n (or EAN_5_2, EAN_5_3, , EAN_5_n).

10 px edge

xyxle ag product photography guide

Upload photo into your XYXLE account To upload photos into your XYXLE account first you have to log on. Afterwards you go to My Products. A list with all your existing products will be displayed. From this list you choose the product for which you want to upload photos and click the EDIT button from the right side Actions column.

This will get you inside the panel from where you can upload the photos for that specific product.

From the left menu choose Pics/Logo/Print.

xyxle ag product photography guide

Click BROWSE to find the picture you want to upload (from your PC) and then click Save.

You can delete a photo by simply clicking the X button from the left side of the photo.

You can upload photos from all categories: front picture, back, left, right, detail, 360 and others. You can upload more than one photo using the same operation as above. The photos will be listed under each other category.

In case you have a large number of photo to upload into Xyxle, you have to use a FTP client (we work with Filezilla). You will be given at that specific point a FTP server address were to connect to.

xyxle ag product photography guide

Standardization

1. Square or rectangular box products Photo shooting angle: 10-15

xyxle ag product photography guide

2. Products packed in cellophane (chocolate boxes, tea packs, packs of cigarettes, parfums etc.) Slim boxes have a 0 photo shooting angle and the cellophane will be removed to avoid reflections. Example of a good photo

Example of a bad photo

xyxle ag product photography guide

3. Envelope products (Knorr, Dr. Otker... etc) Photo shooting angle: 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label. The packaging must be straightened and arranged so that the writing is visible; the rest of the packaging cant be bent or wrinkled.

xyxle ag product photography guide

4. Products in bags (coffee from 250g, flour, cereals, pasta, rice, sugar, chips etc.) Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label. The packaging must be straightened and arranged so that the writing is visible; the rest of the packaging cant be bent, wrinkling.

xyxle ag product photography guide

5. Unsliced cheese Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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6. Sliced cheese, sliced salami/sausages etc Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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7. Yogurt a. if there are 2 yogurts on the setting Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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b. if there are 4 yogurts on the setting Photo shooting angle : 10- 15

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8. Plastic box ice cream a. with the label on its top lid Photo shooting angle : 0

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b. with the label on its side part Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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9. Cans a. with the label on the top lid Photo shooting angle : 0

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b. with the label on the side Photo shooting angle : 10- 15

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10. Wet-wipes in package Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label. The packaging must be directed and arranged so that the writing on the remaining items is visible and the product is not bent or wrinkled.

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11. Spreadable cheese cups Photo shooting angle : 10- 15

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12. Food sauces and toothpaste in tubes Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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13. Ice cream boxes or large cups of yogurt Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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14. Chocolate a. if there is only 1 item per box Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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b. if there is more than one piece in the box Photo shooting angle : 10 -15

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15. Container packed food Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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16. Food with promotional packaging or box wrapping (juice, beer/soda cans, canned juice, tetra pak) Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label. If possible, the plastic packaging should be removed and bottles arranged in proper original position according to the boxing, with their label on the front.

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17. Spices in containers /special mills Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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18. Appliances and electronics Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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19. Decorations and accessories Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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20. Sanitary objects Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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21. Cleaning products packed in plastic containers Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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22. Glass or plastic jar Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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23. Egg crates with lid Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or its main label.

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24. Buckets, baskets, plastic vessel and plastic boxes with covering lids Photo shooting angle : 15- 20

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25. Disposable products (plates, glasses, sets of cutlery) Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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26. Cooking ustensils Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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27. Toys Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label. The product must be removed from the packaging/box.

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28. Cloths, towels, tablecloths and other textile products Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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29. Room freshner and body spray Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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30. Body Care (shampoo, body cream, etc.) Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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31. Dressing/ spices boxes Photo shooting angle : 10 -15

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32. Sausages/salami etc. unpacked/ packed Photo shooting angle: 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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33. Kitchen ustensiles Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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34. Sanitary products packed in box wrapping (pampers, toilet paper, napkins etc.) Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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35. Gift bags Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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36. Bakery Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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37. Liquor bottles and products in glass/plastic containers ( oil, vinegar, sauce bottles, beverages etc.) Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label.

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38. Specially created boxes for alcoholic beverage bottles Photo shooting angle : 0 The camera must be perpendicular on the product or on its main label. The bottle must be removed from its box and positioned as below.

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38. Umbrellas Photo shooting angle: 0 The celophane packaging must be removed for this kind of producs. The product will be positioned as shown in the picture below.

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