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The 3 most common photo problems
How to shoot the best pictures to sell your homeThe best photos of home interiors are with window treatments open, when the photo captures the room as well as the view outside the window. The biggest problem with shooting a room with a window is that the camera will automatically adjust for the lighting based on the brightest spot in the photo, which is normally the light coming in the window. The room is normally not as bright as the window, so the camera compensates by adjusting for the brightest spot in the photo, making the inside too dark. To overcome this, the light between the outside and the inside needs to be more equal. Take the photo when the outside is not so bright, at either sundown/sunrise, or when it's overcast. In fact, the best time is daytime in a thunderstorm, because the outside light is dim and diffused. Nobody will notice the rain outside in the final photo, especially since it will be small when viewed on the internet. Normally, you will get the best photos with the flash on the camera set to OFF, and all the inside lights on. Most cameras give you the option to have the flash on, off, or set to automatic. Experiment and try some shots with and without flash. Sometimes a flash can overcome bright light coming in the windows, because the flash will brighten up the inside without affecting the outside. Cameras, rooms, lighting, and other factors vary, so it's best to experiment to see what gets you the best result. As for photos of the outside, a sunny day with a blue sky usually gives you the best photo, providing there are no undesirable dark spots due to shaded areas. You generally want the sun behind you. If the front of the house faces North, it may be best to take that photo on a cloudy day, especially if it's a brick house or has dark siding. The bright areas of the sky versus the unlit dark front give you the same problem as inside photos with overly bright windows. Which rooms to photographConcentrate on the main living areas. Bedroom photos don't mean much if they don't show much more than a bed. Unless there is something interesting like a pair of French doors with a view of a pool or something green, or a fireplace, or a nice sitting area, skip the bedrooms. Bathrooms very difficult to photograph because they're too small and you can't stand back far enough. Even a beautiful bath is tough to capture because of mirrors and limited space, so it's usually best to skip the bathrooms. Most important areas to photograph: 1. The front view If any of the above either don't exist, or can easily be captured in the same photo (i.e., often a breakfast area can clearly be seen in the kitchen photo), then consider: 7. Backyard/garden/patio area About picture sizes and "Pixels"Think of every digital photo as being a mosaic of little tiny squares of varying colors. These little tiny squares are called "pixels". The more pixels, the clearer the photo. Digital photo size is measured by how many pixels wide by how many pixels high. 640x480 is the absolute largest that is will ever be displayed on any MLS related website. In fact, most photos on the internet are no bigger than 320x240. The problem is that high pixel cameras (5 megapixels and more) are getting more common, and most people think they will get better photos on the internet if they send us photos with the high megapixels. High pixel photos are good for enlarging to 8x10 prints, or even to poster size, with high clarity, but are pointless for the internet. All they do is create emailing problems For example, someone may try to send several photos in one email that are over 3000 pixels wide by over 2000 pixels high, and wonder why it doesn't go through. One photo of that size is same size as over 20 photos that are 640x480, or 80 photos that are 320x240. If your photos are a little larger than 640x480, it may be ok. Large photos (i.e. over 1280x960) are not likely to come through in your email, and definitely won't with a dial up connection or AOL. Most email services have size limits on what is allowed to pass through in an email. There are 3 quick ways to find out what size your photo is: 1) If you're using Windows XP, you can simply move the little mouse arrow over the photo icon, and it should tell you the size (photo needs to be on your desktop or in a folder on your desktop, and not a "shortcut"); or 2) Right click on the photo icon and choose "Properties", then select the "Summary" tab; or 3) Double click on a photo to open it, then right click on the photo, and left click on properties. It should tell you how many pixels wide and high the photo is. How to resize photosIf you don't have a photo editing program, or you have one and don't know how to use it, here's the easiest way to resize photos. It's a Microsoft program you can download for free that works with Windows XP (Vista users see below). Simply follow these steps: Click here to download program Click "Run", and follow the instructions Once it is loaded on your computer, all you will have to do to resize a photo is right-click on the icon of the photo (you don't even have to open it), select "Resize Pictures", and choose "Small 640x480". The program will make a copy of the photo for you that is the smaller size, and your original photo will remain unchanged. Your new photo will be in the same folder, and it's label will be the same as the original, with the added word "(small)". (Note: Don't look for a program to click on to resize a photo; there isn't one. You access the program by right-clicking on the photo icon and selecting "Resize Pictures".) For Windows Vista users, there is a free program that should work just as well by VSO Software Click Here to download For more information about this Vista program, visit VSO Software Misc:
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