The Complete Guide to Packshot Photography, 4: Which Media to Choose

Welcome to the fourth article in our series The Complete Guide to Packshot Photography. Today, we’re going to be talking about media photography and more specifically which media to choose and why, a crucial issue to ensure you get the most impactful packshot possible. After all, some products need to be seen from every angle or in motion, while others don’t. In this article, we’re going to show you how.

In this article, we’ll introduce you to the three types of media most commonly used in packshot photography: still photography, 360-degree animation and video. For each medium, we’ll also present its advantages and disadvantages, as well as examples of products that can be showcased using it.

So, which medium will you choose for your products?

Sensorial marketing and choice of media: what’s the relationship between the two?

If you’re a company looking to sell products online, it’s vital that you understand the importance of sensorial marketing in reaching your potential customers. Choosing the right media to showcase your products – whether it’s still photography, 360-degree animation or video – is a major step towards successful sensory marketing.

 

 

Some products, such as clothing, lend themselves better to presentation in motion. By seeing a dress worn and in motion thanks to a video, customers can better imagine how it will move on their own bodies. This is not so easy with a still photograph.

 

 

For certain three-dimensional products, such as works of art or sculptures, it’s best to offer a 360-degree animation to enable customers to view the item from all angles and at their own pace (whereas a video takes this control away from customers). This will give them a better overview of the product and help them project it in their own space.

By providing a richer user experience with the right media, you can offer your customers a much better experience, avoiding unpleasant surprises while giving them the tools they need to make their purchasing decision.

So, to exploit the full potential of your online store, you need to adapt your product presentation by choosing the right media to engage your potential customers to the maximum. But be careful not to give in to the “gimmicky” appeal of these media: in some cases, a 360-degree view or a video won’t add any value to the product, so it’s better to make do with simple photographs.

Overview of possible media for packshot photography

Still photography

 

 

It all starts with still photography, the “simplest” of media, the one you’ll find on every e-commerce site without exception.

Here, you won’t need any specific equipment, apart from those that are usually found in packshot photography: lighting, lenses, camera, tripod, not forgetting a stand for your product.

To find out how to take an effective still photograph, we recommend you refer to our previous article: Complete guide to packshot photography, 3: how to make the most of your products.

Note that you’ll always need still photographs of your products, even if you decide to show them off using 360-degree animation or video. Still photography is therefore essential.

Advantages

• Fixed packshot photographs are simpler to produce than 360-degree animations or videos.
• The resulting .png or .jpg files are easy to import into your e-commerce site, and can easily be used in print too.
• These files are also lightweight and quick to load onto a web page, provided they are properly optimized.
• Images can also help you to move up in Google searches thanks to their alt tag, if you pay attention to the SEO of your site.
• You have total control over the composition and details of the product you want to show or not show in the photograph.
• Incredibly versatile, still photography can be used both to capture the product as a whole and to showcase certain product details and accessories: while it’s preferable to limit yourself to a single video or animation, on the contrary it’s encouraged to have several photographs of your product from different angles.
• Finally, some products don’t benefit from other media either: this is the case for a painting, cables or electronic components, for example.

Disadvantages

• Despite its great versatility, still photography is sometimes not enough, and other types of media need to be used in addition.
• For certain types of product, the customer may feel the need to walk around the product to see it from every angle. Imagine the sculpture of a bust, for example: the customer will naturally want to examine it from every angle before making a purchasing decision, which is only partially possible with still photographs. A 360-degree animation can therefore be appreciated by the customer.
• Another, more important, limitation is that still photography doesn’t allow you to see the product in motion, which can be a real strength for certain types of products. We’ve already used the example of a worn dress, which can twirl with movement, but this is also the case for a household appliance whose use can be staged in a video, for example.
• Once again, these disadvantages are by no means prohibitive, and you should always take still photographs of your products, whatever they may be. Instead, consider using still photography in conjunction with other media to further enhance your products, if some of their assets don’t stand out enough with simple still photography.

360-degree animation

360-degree animation gives your potential customers a complete overview of the product, turning around to explore every angle. This can be particularly useful for complex products or those that benefit from being viewed from multiple angles, such as works of art or jewelry.

 

 

The process for creating a 360-degree animation is more complex than for a simple photo. You can use either a manual rotating platform (you can even create your own!) or an automatic one to take shots at regular intervals. You’ll then need to assemble the various images using software.

As you can imagine, however, this can be difficult and time-consuming. Fortunately, there are specialized photo studios that can perform this task for you. Thanks to an automated rotating platform integrated into the photo studio, you can easily create 360-degree animations of your products in just a few minutes.

Advantages

• A 360-degree animation offers a complete view of your product, allowing your customers to better visualize it. They can observe every detail of texture, finish, color and material quality. This all-encompassing view is not possible with a simple photo or video, which don’t allow you to see products from every angle.
• It’s a fairly innovative technology, which allows you to stand out from the competition. Many online sales sites feature static photos or basic videos, without offering a complete, interactive view of their products. A 360-degree animation can energize your site and add real value.
• Offering a complete view of your products can also reduce your customers’ doubts and hesitations, making them more confident in their purchases.

Disadvantages

• Creating a 360-degree animation is a tedious process if you try to do it manually: you need to take numerous shots from all the necessary angles before assembling them using specialized software. This requires not only a great deal of time, but also great patience and absolute precision to ensure that each image aligns perfectly with the others.
• You’ll need a rotating platform capable of supporting the weight of the product you wish to capture: this can represent an expensive investment.

Video

If you’re looking to create striking, dynamic images of your products, video packshots are an excellent choice. Unlike conventional photos, which often show only one angle of the product, a packshot video offers a complete view of the product in motion, enabling customers to better understand and appreciate its features.

To shoot a good packshot video, start by checking your camera settings and making sure the focus is correct. Stability is also crucial, so use a tripod and avoid moving the camera while shooting. Finally, make sure you have a good light source for optimal rendering.

Advantages

• Video allows you to show your product in motion or in action, which can be indispensable for certain items.
• You’ll have good control over the information: you can highlight the positive points of your product while toning down the less positive aspects.
• A video can grab customers’ attention faster and more deeply than a photo, which can offer a more engaging buying experience for your customers (provided the video is relevant and offers additional information).
• Video can help reinforce your brand image, as it showcases your products in a more professional and appealing way.
• Videos also tend to increase your conversion rate, so you can boost your profits.
• Finally, the packshot video is an effective way of showing your product on a large scale: it can be shared on various social media platforms and viewed by a large number of potential customers in a short space of time.

Disadvantages

• A video requires greater bandwidth compared to a photo or animation: if your customers access your site using a slow internet connection or from their smartphone, they’ll have to wait a long time before they can view your video.
• The time and money needed to film and edit high-quality videos can quickly add up: this can be an obstacle for companies on a limited budget.
• Video offers very little interactivity, which can quickly bore your customers: so don’t overuse video, and only use this medium when it adds real value.

As you can see, video is a medium that should be reserved for products that benefit from being promoted in this way: otherwise, you run the risk of losing the customer’s attention. We recommend that you consider video for products that the customer needs to see in motion or in action, such as clothing, for example, or a household appliance whose use could be demonstrated.

The power of automated photo studios

 

 

An automated studio lets you produce photos easily and automatically, but also and above all 360-degree animations and videos, with no additional equipment required. These studios have revolutionized the world of packshot photography, saving considerable time and money in the long term.

Indeed, these automated photo studios are designed to be very easy to use, even for beginners. They require no advanced knowledge of photography, as they are equipped with intuitive software that enables you to take photos, animations or even videos quickly and easily.

 

 

Whether you’re a company or a product photographer, an automated photo studio enables you to offer packshot photography as well as 360-degree animations or videos, all in a single, professional-quality studio: so you’re free to choose the media that best showcases your product, with no limits on equipment or resources!

Now you’re better equipped to get started with packshot photography, to highlight your products according to their characteristics and to choose the right media to represent them… Our Complete Guide to Packshot Photography is coming to an end, but we’ve still got one important concept to introduce to you in the last article of our series: the notion of homogeneity!