Make Brilliant Photos for Selling Your Cars

A picture speaks louder than a thousand words. Photos are the first thing buyers pay attention to while visiting your dealer website. So it’s vital to make each photo “speak” about the car, its advantages, current state, etc. How can you make your ad photos more attractive and eye-catching for buyers?

The best way to go is to find professional photo and video services. But you can take great photos by yourself as well if you keep in mind some tips and hints.

Here are some photo hacks to attract as many potential buyers as possible:

1. Prepare your car for the photoshoot. Of course, your primary concerns involve your camera, skills, angles, etc., but the car’s look is the main factor for successful pictures. Before you start, thoroughly wash the car outside, clean the interior, align the steering wheel. The side mirrors should be clean, the wheels – straight or slightly rotated. Do not leave the windows open. Do not forget to align the seats, headrests, and other interior elements.
2. Choose the right place and time. The best time to capture pictures of your vehicles is on a sunny and fair day. Pictures are more impressive in the morning and in the early evening. The sun should be behind your back while shooting them. It will allow you to spread the light equally and show the color of your cars correctly. Select the most neutral background for the photos. Cars, people or other objects will take attention away from the vehicle. Do not take any pictures immediately after the rain or snow. There should not be any water on the car’s surface.
3. Take enough photos of your car’s exterior. When you shoot the exterior, try to capture every detail of the vehicle. Take pictures from different angles:
   • Front view, back view, left, and right views
   • Front and back views at an angle of 45 degrees
   • Underhood view
   • Trunk view
   • Headlight and wheel close-up views

   If the car hasn’t been sold for a long time try to change the car’s photos in the ad. However, do not overload your ad with a large number of images. Select only the best shots. Avoid repetitions and duplicates.

4. Take pictures of the car’s interior. For a potential buyer it is essential to see the current state of your vehicles “from the inside out”. So good photos of the interior are an integral part of any successful ad. The interior views can be very different, e.g.:
   • Interior view from the outside when the doors are open
   • Center panel close-up
   • The steering wheel close-up
   • Car’s upholstery close-up
   • Passenger’s view
5. Don’t forget about technical requirements. Before you take pictures of your vehicles, take into account the following requirements:
   • Use a digital camera with 2 MP resolution as a minimum.
   • Take photos in horizontal (landscape) format.
   • Save images in JPG, PNG, GIF formats.
   • The file size should not exceed 5 MB.

Follow these simple tips and make sure that your cars’ photos are of high quality and attractive for potential buyers. Autoxloo will help you create effective ads. Our smart Image Tour in the VIR™ application will give you hints on proper angles and camera positions. It’s very convenient and time saving. Contact us now!