Introduction
Struggling to supply your creative agency with the right images? You’re not alone. Many small businesses face the same challenge. This post will help you ensure your images are high quality, sent correctly, and perfectly suited for your projects. Get ready to elevate your brand!
Why Image Quality Matters
High-quality images make a big difference, not only to the finished work but also to the process as a whole and ensuring you are sending your designer the best possible content will give real impact to your projects.
High-quality images attract attention, build credibility, and enhance your brand’s visual appeal, while also giving your designer more creative freedom with the design.
Poor-quality images will have a negative impact on your brand, services and products. It’s crucial to get the best possible quality and avoid simple mistakes that may be limiting your success.
Visual Appeal
High-quality images catch the eye. They make your marketing materials stand out, whether on your website, social media, or print. Sharp, vibrant images hold attention and encourage engagement, making your brand more memorable.
Professionalism
Quality images convey professionalism. They show that you care about your business and pay attention to detail. This builds trust with your audience, making them more likely to choose your products or services over those of competitors.
Versatility
High-quality images are versatile. They can be used across different platforms and formats without losing impact. This means you can reuse images in various marketing campaigns, saving time and resources. They also open up more creative avenues for your designer to explore, leading to more engaging and effective multi-platform designs.
Tips for Providing High-Quality Images
Now that you understand the importance of high-quality images, let’s explore how you can ensure your creative agency receives them.
Use a Good Camera
Invest in a good camera. While smartphones have improved and can be passible for many uses, a DSLR or mirrorless camera still provides superior image quality. If purchasing a camera isn’t feasible, consider hiring a professional photographer to get the key images for your project.
Pay Attention to Resolution and Dimensions
Ensure your images have a high enough resolution (at least 300 DPI) for print purposes and are sized correctly for digital use. This will prevent distortion and pixelation, which can drastically reduce image quality. If in doubt, send over a handful of images in the largest size you have them and ask your designer to review them for suitability.
Proper Lighting
Lighting is critical. Natural light is often best, but if shooting indoors, use soft, diffused lighting to avoid harsh shadows. Experiment with different lighting setups to find what works best for your subjects.
Resolution and File Format
Ensure your images are high-resolution, at least 300 DPI for print and 72 DPI for web, but more often than not the best plan is to send over the original high-quality images. This will allow us to make the most of the images, as well as tweak colour profiles and composition. Find out more about the correct file formats for images and graphics
Sending Images Correctly
Sending images the right way is crucial to maintaining their quality. Here are some tips on how to do this effectively.
Use File Sharing Services
Avoid sending images via email, as this can compress files. Use file-sharing services like Dropbox, Google Drive, or WeTransfer. These platforms allow you to send large files without losing quality.
If you do email files, particularly from a mobile, please ensure you are selecting the option to send the original images and not a smaller-sized version! Your phone will offer to reduce the size of the image to make them smaller and faster to email over, the issue is this will greatly reduce the quality of the image. Check the settings on your phone for how to send full-size images.
Label and Organise Your Files
Organise your images into folders and label them clearly. This makes it easier for your creative agency to find and use the images. Information to include could be product names or SKUs, so you can refer to these in descriptions. Location or date information for folder names can also speed up finding the right images for everyone.
Provide Original Files
Always send the original, unedited files. Your creative agency may need to make adjustments, and working with the original files ensures they have the highest-quality images to start with. If you have had an image edited, provide both versions so the edits can be seen but the original is also on hand should it be needed.
If an image needs heavy editing, it will also mean we can work with the original image while it is at the best possible quality. There is nothing worse than having to try and repeat the edits made to an image because the first one sent over was not high enough quality.
Offering Options
Providing a variety of images gives your creative agency options to choose from, gone are the days of having to pay to develop film, in the digital age it’s easier than ever to go trigger happy. Here’s why sending more images than you think you need is beneficial.
Flexibility
Different images work better for different purposes. By providing a range of options, your agency can choose the best images for each specific use case, whether it’s for a website banner, social media post, or print ad.
Creative Freedom
More images provide greater creative freedom. Your agency can experiment with different compositions and layouts, ensuring the final product is visually appealing and effective.
Backup Options
Having backup options is always a good idea. If one image doesn’t work as expected, your agency has others to fall back on, preventing delays in your project.
Thinking About Composition
Composition plays a significant role in the effectiveness of your images. Consider these tips to improve the composition of your photos.
Rule of Thirds
Use the rule of thirds to create balanced and visually pleasing images. Imagine your image divided into a grid of nine equal parts by two horizontal and two vertical lines. Position your subject along these lines or at their intersections. Your phone or camera will likely have an overlay setting to show you these lines on the screen when taking images to make this process easier.
Background and Foreground
Pay attention to the background and foreground. Ensure they don’t distract from the main subject. A clean, uncluttered background often works best, but sometimes a bit of context can add to the story.
Focus and Depth
Maintain focus on your main subject while keeping an eye on depth of field. A shallow depth of field can help isolate your subject, while a deeper depth of field can keep more elements in focus, depending on your needs.
Zoom Out and Cropping
One of the big tips when taking photos is to take several versions with a lot more space around the subject than you think, this is because the image can then be cropped to fill a wide range of shapes that may be needed for different projects. For example, a website header section may be an unusual shape and with some of the space taken up by a headline it’s even more tricky to find an image that fits the space. However, if when taking the images you have some versions that are zoomed-out and give the subject plenty of space, they can be cropped in around the required size to give the best possible results.
Hiring a Professional
Sometimes getting professional help with images is a game changer, the investment can pay back in the quality of the images which in turn can be used throughout a wide range of marketing material. Your designer may be able to help with this and instruct a photographer for you, for a more seamless experience.
Communicating with Your Photographer
Clear communication is key to getting the best results. Here’s how to effectively convey your needs and expectations.
Provide a Brief
A detailed brief helps your photographer understand your vision. Include information about the project’s goals, target audience, and any specific requirements or preferences. Details on the products or services will also help, for example, by letting your photographer know what features of the product are key so they can ensure they are covered.
Share Examples
Share examples of images you like. This gives your photographer a visual reference and helps them understand your style and preferences.
Be Open to Feedback
Be open to feedback and suggestions from your creative agency or photographer. They have the expertise to enhance your ideas and ensure the final product is as effective as possible.
Conclusion
Providing high-quality images to your creative agency is essential for creating effective marketing materials. By following the tips outlined in this blog post, you can ensure your images are high quality, sent correctly, and perfectly suited for your projects. Remember to communicate clearly with your agency and be open to their feedback. Doing so will help you elevate your brand and achieve your business goals.
Ready to take your visuals to the next level? Start implementing these tips today and watch your brand shine! Remember, the more options and flexibility you provide, the easier it will be for your creative agency to create stunning visuals that truly represent your brand. Happy snapping!