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Someone needs to tell the truth... PHOTOS LIE!

In my previous post today I showed Before & After Photos of a property that we just completed staging. What I did NOT show was how I got those After Photos to look so good.

Realtors and stagers need to understand a very important point about digital cameras... THEY DISTORT THE TRUTH.

Below is the raw Before (left) and edited After (right) photo of the Living room we just staged. PhotoShop is the tool I used to make the After look so good.

But what did I do to transform the image? Well, first I applied BASIC principles of photographic perspective.

Let's break it down by looking at the 2 photos shown below....

RED MARKER LINES: Above are the same Before and After photo that has been "marked up". Notice the slanted/angeled red lines in the photo on the left. Next note how in the right photo these same lines now run straight up and down. THAT is because I applied a BASIC LAWS of perspective (A LAW IS A HARD RULE THAT DOES NOT CHANGE... EVER!) VERTICAL lines are to be vertical. They should NEVER flair OUT!

Unfortunetly many digital cameras now FLAIR the image in order to get the whole picture. So this must be corrected.

Moving on...

YELLOW MARKER LINES: While vertical lines MUST always run staight up and down... horizontial lines are flexible. By flexible I mean that the do not always need to run "flat" from left to right across the page. Notice how the lines about the framed artwork have been corrected to run "flat" while the line above the window (formerly yellow now sky blue) is still at an angle.

Finally...

GREEN ENHANCMENTS: PhotoShop allows one to edit and enhance a photo so that it makes a difference and convey the TRUTH of a property. Circled in green (left photo) is the ceiling light I removed from the After photo on the right. Why did I remove it? Because, in reality it can easily be removed/replace/updated... it really is not a permanent part of the room. I also improved the photograph... by adusting the brightness and contrast. This adjustment is closer to reality than what the orignal photo is conveying.

As Realtors if you are not able to see and make these sorts of edits on your own using a software such as PhotoShop... then hire a professional.

Stagers... I believe it is our responsibilty to make sure every visual expirence of a property is a PERFECT expression of that space. THIS is one of the distinctions of a TRUE PROFESSIONAL STAGER!

Dawn Shaffer constantly talks about the inportance of this in her blog... and she also knows and shows how principals like these are NOT only improtant in still photoraphy but also in videography... HER speciality. Thanks Dawn for the inspiration.

To drive home the point here are 2 random shots of a building I found just doing a random search on Realtor.com. All I know is it is a current listing in Boston. Anyway, SEE the difference? The building on the left looks like it is about to fall over, but on the right a... SOLID SALE!

Posted by Craig Schiller on 10/03/2006 07:29 PM

Comments (76)

staging advice, chicago staged homes, real estate staging, staging tips, illinois, first impressions, good staging, savvy agents, photography

Originally posted at: Real Estate Staging / Home Staging Blog: Someone needs to tell the truth... PHOTOS LIE!

76 Comments on Someone needs to tell the truth... PHOTOS LIE!

OCT

2006

Excellent examples. I adjust my photos for tint, contrast, brightness, etc. but don't have Photoshop. What is the general price of that program? What is the learning curve like? How long would you have spent making the corrections above?

Craig: I am begining to think that stagers should be doing our listing photography. Hats off to you!

I guess I haven't gotten this far in my PhotoShop tutorial yet! But I completely see what you mean, the before photos look concave & not flat. I always touch up the lighting on my photos, but I guess I should read the PhotoShop book & take advantage of all of its uses.

Where would we be without Active Rain's Staging Guru, Craig Schiller? : )

1-800-CALL-CRAIG. He'll take care of it. Nice job.

Pictures usually need a little fixing. I can't believe some of the bad photos I come across.

I have never heard of a stager before I joined active rain. You work and tips look and sound great. You must be an interior decorator and decided to incorp. this into your line of work. I have a condo in Gulf Shores that needs some help. You can stay there if you help me. Its a great place. Sound like a trade?

With all the truly "interesting" photos out there - it's refreshing to see someone taking the time to make a house look good in a photograph. We've seen all sorts of pictures here - anything from a framed picture the seller is sure to take with, to how the doors opened in the bathroom, or my favorite - the underside of the stairs. (I actually ended up showing that home and even seeing the stairs close up - it made no sense to have a picture from underneath.)

Does that mean I always have pictures I like? No. Thanks to Sellers who are adamant that their pictures be used. Oh well...one can only try.

PhotoShop is pretty expensive sitting at $649, but you can download a trial version.

I used to get paid for my photographs, and it almost makes me sick at times what people are posting in an attept to sell a home.

Gimpshop is a free version of photoshop for both Windows and Mac - Also try using the "curves" adjustment for color correction to tweek the brightness and contrast. Adjusting the image is crucial to make it look good on the internet and extremely important in the marketing. Great Post!

wonderful work on the touch up, I wish somebody could do that for me in real life.

Nice work--my pet peeve is when agents put pictures on the Multiple Listing Service that have that "fish eye" look. They look terrible and do not help to sell the home.

Great pics Craig. Excellent visual.

I tweak my pictures, but probably not enough. You are right about Dawn... she gave me lots of tips a couple of weeks ago removing the perspective problems that come with a wide angle lens.

What floors me, is not the agents with the mediocre pictures, but the Professional's that take the bad ones....

I use Ulead Photo Impact, it's got a bit of a learning curve but has all the tools of Adobe for under $100. a free trial is available on their site... it does soooo much. I've been taking cars out of driveways for 10+ years.

My husband always thinks I am so picky about photos but you beat me!!!

Okay, this will probably get me kicked out, but I don't have Photoshop. I do have a version of Photoshop Express and use several others that aren't as expensive as photoshop.

Early on, the agents (and for awhile me) were cropping the living daylights out of a picture to get it small enough for the mls. Then, one of us (not me) figured out how to save in a smaller size without losing anything or having those magic waterfalls. We used MS ExpressIt that came on the disks from having film develped at WalMart.

I blamed agent bifocals when a kitchen ran downhill more than was reasonable for the Ozarks and have done some leveling. Not to the extent that you did because I was really concerned about compromising the truth of a photo.

Clarify, yes, lighten, yes, brighten, yes, straighten, yes and sometimes crop a little, yes.

Your work is inspiring, though and I will be trying to apply your points.

One cool trick I do on all my photos - to get rid of blown out windows.... Take a photo using Camera Raw. Then, in Photoshop, expose the interior correctly, which will make the windows look blown out (which is the way 99% of real estate photos look). Then, set the exposure to make the WINDOWS exposed correctly. Cut out the properly exposed windows and paste them on top of the blown out windows and voila! A perfectly exposed photo as if you were standing in the room!

Wow!! It's all I can say Rudy.

Ines

www.YourPropertyPros.com

Great enhancements! I use Microsoft Digital Image Pro - certainly can't do everything Photoshop does but its a good tool. I use the line straightening thingie quite often.

I have to say that the biggest difference appears to be the lighting. The after picture is much more well lit than the before. I don't think the other enhancements are as noticeable. Overall it the enhanced version looks great.

Craig,

Very cool. I just posted something tonight. In the post I have a photo of my dad & I. Can you photoshop the undereye bags away?? I need that or a good night of sleep.

Can you help?? :) j/k

Craig,

As a long time photographer, early convert to a digital photographer, and a photoshop/desktop publishing expert I hve to agree with you. Photos do lie. It is easy to make a dark room look light and cheeful, make the exterior look great by expertly cropping out the junk next door, etc. At the same time a poor photo can turn off the intended viewer and distort the appearance of a nice looking house - for example the use of an ultrawide lens creates extreme distortion even though it shows most of the room.

I am a long time Photoshop user although much of what can be done in Photoshop can also be done in Photoshop Elements also by Adobe. It is very reasonable and has a friendly interface.

No matter what your software the real key is to learn it well, and use it to make your photos look better with out giving a false impression of the subject - in our case a house.

We should all pay attention to your comments on perspective.

Good blog

EdB

OCT

2006

Good blog Craig!

I see some of the pictures that people are putting up on the internet and MLS to sell a mult-million dollar property in California and I just laugh :)

Scott

I agree with Ed... PhotoShop Elements is a very good alternative for the novice. As a long time user of Photoshop - I can honestly say that I'll never master it. Plus the cost of Photoshop Elements is so much more reasonable than Photoshop. Have a elementary to college aged student at home? Check out the prices on AcademicSuperstore.com before paying full price for some of the photo editing software out there.

Interesting blog Craig-

I am a big fan of good listing photos. I have seen some that were obviously snapped with a camera-phone. Very weak.

Yours tell the story.

Amazing difference.. I actually already own Photo Shop.. Guess I really should learn to use it!

Wonderful post. Thanks for much for all the tips!

I just got a lecture from the dude at our local mls who monitors compliance. No photo shopping! I can lighten and brighten and enhance but he doesn't want me trimming hedges, adding flowers or removing garbage cans. :(

Craig this post is truly awesome! I am going to start practicing on my photos immediately. How about a sideline to your business, photo staging? That could be a nationwide business.

Excellent material. Even though I am a mortgage broker, I look at the professionalism in real estate agents as a way of sorting who I want to work with.

Great post, Craig, and great before and after examples. I appreciate how you took us step by step through what you did to enhance these photos and why. Thanks for sharing!

Ann Cummings
www.AnnCummings.com

I recently picked up VisualTour - a product that allows you to take as many photos of a room as you want - then you select them and let their stitching tool do it's job. The results are amazing - certainly good enough for prime time - even if not the ultimate photo editing offered by PhotoShop.

Absolutely WONDERFUL post- full of excellent information. I have been teetering on the edge of getting Photoshop... and may have to now. I have just been using MS Photo Manager or Digital Image Pro to adjust tint/color/ vertical/horiz placement...

My complaint from buyers is that the photo looks better than the actual house, then they are disappointed! I wonder if enhanced photography skills are a good thing? :-)

I would add to Craig's list of "fixes" that photoshopping blue skies and green grass go a long way with photos taken in winter or on dready days. (The grass is a pain, but worth it).

Lynda

Craig,

A picture is worth a thousand words. Sometimes my pictures look so good the buyers are disapointed because they look better than the property.

I showed an apartment a couple of months ago that had a terrible view facing another building. The agent must have air brushed or used photo shop to make it look like it had a nice view.

Thanx for the pointers!

Fraud is not a good thing; this is what I meant by the cropped pictures featuring the waterfalls, streams, etc.

<snip> Carol Williams wrote: My complaint from buyers is that the photo looks better than the actual house, then they are disappointed! I wonder if enhanced photography skills are a good thing? :-) <snip> Maybe the sellers should see the enhanced photos and be told -- "See what you can do to make this reality."

Having people's garbage cans or poor yard maintenance be a focal point of all of the pictures isn't good marketing IMO. Move the darn cans, trim the bushes or use another view for the photo shoot if the mls guy is going to go all green about compliance.

When working with photo enhancements

save the original for reference (and in case you really do wreck something
Always look objectively at all changes. Some color enhancements and lightening are not complimentary.
remember the usefulnes of the UNDO button. Even use it to go back and forth on something you question.
remember, if you do save one that stinks, you have the original to get yourself another chance.

Good job on those pictures is it time consuming to do this?

Great info! Many people do not know how to use PhotoShop or a digital camera. These two instruments if used together and correctly can make a world of difference!

There's a huge difference between enhancing and deception. Changing the view of a condo is deception, trimming the bushes is enhancing. We had a listing that was in construction and wanted a photo from the dining room overlooking the beautiful pool area but the drywall was still not up. I finished the walls with Photoshop and included the pictures in the MLS. I don't think it was deceipt because the walls were erected 2 weeks later.

Bryant, I think you just created a new business - PHOTO STAGING! .....not bad.....not bad at all.

ines, www.YourPropertyPros.com

Great examples. I also liked the "what I did" and "why I did it" of your blog

Isn't technology amazing.

You did a great job Craig. I have seen some truly horrible listing photos including several with grass drawn in with MS Paint.

Art World

It is amazing how you can change the way a picture is and how it should look in your mind. The mind is amazing on how the image is seen. wow

Wow.. you mentione me in this? I am tickled! Your example is AWESOME...I love it when other people GET IT.

Now I just have to go blog about something related .. here you go, for those of you still "listening" :)

I was wondering if there are agents out there, that use a service to cleanup/digitally enhance photo's, or do they do it themselves?

Okay, I have seen terrible listing photos and I can't stand it when there is a million dollar property with NO photo.....but all you have to do to know that photos lie is go show one of theses home with great photos....and then wonder if you are in the wrong house....I do adjust for contrast and color but I am loath to Photoshop anything because I know how I feel when the real thing does not match the photo.

Nice job.... can you stage a vacant house and place furniture in it?

Thanks

OCT

2006

interesting

hey craig

I have seen different pictures on listings, can you believe it ?
when you see the property it is totally different the kitchen or outside LOL :) what a waste of time

Ray Saenz

THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL INPUT AND IDEAS! Well now that is has been 2 days since I posted this and most if not all the comments have been logged... here are my comments on the comments.

ELAINE: If you read on in the comments you will see there are a number of other programs that do this that cost much less then PhotoShop. As for the time to correct distortions... LESS than 5 minutes. Usually about 3 once you get good.

ROBERTA: We do photograph every project and offer them to our agents. From sharing this here on AR I see more how important it is that we do this for our clients... and how to communicate it to them so they understand the benefit.

ERIC: THANKS for the offer but believe me I have plenty here to do. As for staging and interior design... while I happen to BE a designer, STAGING IS NOT the same. Staging makes the house the star appearing to a mass market. Interior designers design to appeal to the emotions and whims of the individual owner. I have found it hard for interior designers to disconnect and not always not try to make a design statement. How do I know THIS important distinction? Well, I do also own a design firm www.craiginteriordesign.com

ANGUS: You are so right about bad shots. If the realtor is the markets the property you would think they would want to do all that the can our could to make sure every experience of the property is PERFECT! Especially on high end properties. But as you pointed out…

RUDY: All I can say is WOW too. But I know what you are talking about for sure!

LINDA: NOT enhancements… I think they are CORRECTIONS!

MELISSA: The whole point is that making the corrections (NOT ENHANCMENTS) puts the photo back to the way the human eye really sees it. A camera is a tool with limitations. Wide angle cameras distort and alter reality. Don't you want to show what you are selling?

SARA: Yes I can do facial touch-ups! But that WOULD be an enhancement NOT a correction!

KRISTY: This really is not the difficult to learn or do. BUT it is the type of thing a savvy realtor can point out and show you understand EVERY element of marketing the property. Details are what differentiate one realtor from another.

BRYANT: I can only start so many business at one time. Besides staging, interior desing and the new Moo-Moos R US empire I am building I am really keeping busy.

ANN: I explained it step by step so that you all could/can SEE the difference. Taking the time to do this WILL make you stand out from the rest. Just as I will explain this to my clients this is something realtors can show and teach to their clients that the do when they are going for a listing.

CAROL: I agree… again CORRECTIONS NOT embellishments! Look at any interior design magazine… none as all those wicky-wacky angles going on... professionals KNOW the principals of perspective.

Lower Level Photo Craig, I just reviewed my photos of current listings and noticed how many have "leaning" walls and pillars. Since I'm very particular about photos, I may have to invest in PhotoShop.

I think it may just be a matter of time until this pillar gives way and lets the first floor collapse into this basement. Gee, thanks for pointing out this flaw and giving me yet something else to spend my money on! ;-)

FIXED! It took me 1 minute and 30 Seconds to fix that PIX.

FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a difference that makes - even the gaming table looks better. You need to see if you can get some royalties from PhotoShop. I'm certainly a believer.

PICTURE PERFECT BLOG!!! Now I have to add PHOTO Master as an aka to BLOG Master! Is there truly anything you can't do, MASTER?

Thanks for the education....keep on bloging!

Photo Staging....so many great ideas...so little time!

OCT

2006

Elaine,

You took the photographer class that HER offered didn't you? You were one of the people that emailed Paul a "problem" photo aren't you? The one with all the windows and the big screen TV. Did Paul talk about this issue in the class?

Tami is a super photographer...I wonder if she uses PhotoShop?

Wonderful info Craig...

Point well taken. Again going back the basics...people who cannot pay attention to the little details, often miss the BIG picture too. Great blog.

Maureen, that guy talked more about fixing the window view by taking 2 photos, one focused on the inside, one with the exterior view in focus, then the two images were overlayed. He adjusted the window to see the pond.

OCT

2006

this is pretty incredible! i wonder how long did this take you?

OCT

2006

I have been using photoshop for years doing my own personal editing on family photos, website photo's etc. I have never once thought to edit a photo I have taken for a listing. Thank you for posting this. I never would have used this, but I will on every listing from here on out.

NOV

2006

Hi Craig,

I'm glad you brought this over as it was posted long before I arrived at AR.

Thanks for the pointers. I have phototshop elements 2.0 which is a starter kit for photoshop. I think I have an older computer lying around that has photoshop 6.0 on it. I'll have to check.

Thanks again, Jay

Great post Craig.

I have Photoshop CS2 and Photoshop Elements. I'll agree with the others who suggest that Elements is an excellent program to start with. All of the improvements in Craig's demonstartion can be done with it. It's about a fifth of the price of the full Photoshop and it will keep you learning for quite some time.

If I start practicing with Photoshop when will I have time to BLOG?

Oh my...

I just started to build a new blogsite too.

http://Jaymcgillicuddy.com/wordpress

Thanks Jay

MAR

2007

How true Craig.

Luckily my husband is in the business of printing pre press and knows how to operate photoshop. He adjusted all my after photos to reflect how they actually look in the rooms. Unfortunatly digital photos are not really great unless you have an amazing camera and the skill to operate it. Even then photos can always use some enhancement. That's how the professionals do it in magazines. After all we all know those models don't have flawless skin and perfect bodies, they are photoshopped.

Thanks for clueing everyone in.

Craig: What's the feature on PS that you use? I trypically just rotate it until I get my lines to be straight.

APR

2007

I use Paint Shop Pro, which is fairly inexpensive but comparable to Photoshop. I really think that basic photography lessons should be required! While some of these issues are definitely related to the digital camera, there are several problems that can be avoided by something as simple as proper camera positioning or stepping back or ahead a step or two.

APR

2007

Someone asked what Photoshop costs. The professional version is $649. However you can do what Craig did with Photoshop Elements which lists at $99.00, however is usually availavle at $69.00 to $79.00.

It is definitely better than the other inexpensive photo software or the software that comes with some digital cameras. To get more out of it check with your local adult education department at your school. Ours in Huntington Beach, California offers three Photoshop Elements classes from Beginning to Advanced,

I have completed the Beginning and Intermediate and will soon be taking the Advanced class.

AUG

2007

Wow! What a difference Photoshop makes. You can turn a very dull picture into a masterpiece. Also interesting info regarding vertical and horizontal lines.

AUG

2007

Great info, Craig! Thanks....now can you give me the PATIENCE to work with photoshop? :)

Julia

SEP

2007

I hae Photoshop Elements - can someone tell me how to straighten out a picture? Some of mine look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa!

Thank you

P.S. Is there anywhere I can post to the blogs to have somone critique a room I staged?

Thanks again...

Dawn, With your image open go Ctrl A to select the edges of the images. Then go Image>Transform>Skew. Pull the corners of the image until your building appears straight.

Craig, your information was right on target. Thank you for sharing. Good photos are nice but great photos show potential clients that you are a professional and attention to the details is part of what our businesses should consist of.

Heather Klein

Emmy & Me Interiors

SEP

2007

Thank you for sharing. What comes around goes around Craig and by helping others you are sure to receive the same back.

Craig, Your tutorial is fantastic!! Since my business is just now beginning to roll along, I'm becoming more aware of how poorly my photographs represent the actual work I've done. I have Photoshop and have taken a course in it a while back...clearly, it's time for me to open it back up and reacquaint myself with what it can do for me.

Thanks again,

Nancy

DEC

2007

Nice post. I like the illustration of the vertical/horizontal lines. I think more attention should be paid to this sort of thing to square up photographs.

Hi Craig!

Isn't it funny how some of these posts we've written months ago get rejuvinated. Shows what great information you had in this one. Loved it the second time around as well :)

FEB

2008

Thanks for the tips- what a difference a little Photoshop makes! I'll defintely use your suggestions next time I'm photographing a staged home.

Thanks for the tips Craig, another aspect of my company for my husband to get involved with.(LOL) He is a graphic designer so I'll take advantage when I am too busy.

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