How to prepare swatches and product images for rendering

Why the source matters

A render can only be as true as what it starts from. The color, texture and scale of a finish come from the swatch and the measurements you give it, so a little care here saves re-rendering later.

Photographing a swatch

Aim for a picture of the material, not of the sample.

• Shoot it flat and straight on, filling the frame, with no fold or curl.
• Use even, soft light: daylight from a window or two lamps either side. Avoid glare and hard shadows.
• Show at least one full repeat of a patterned fabric, so the pattern can be continued.
• Keep the color honest: no filters, and white balance set to the light you are using.
• Crop off labels, pins and the edge of the sample card.

Fill in the measurements

Scale is where renders most often look wrong, and it is the easiest thing to fix.

• For fabrics, wallcoverings and rugs, enter the pattern repeat in inches. It is what keeps a stripe or a print the right size on a sofa or a floor.
• For furniture, enter width, height and depth in inches, so the piece sits in the room at its real size.
• If you don't know the repeat, Skip Shoot can suggest one from the swatch photo for you to check.

Product photos

For a piece of furniture, a clean studio photo on a plain background is the best starting point. A lifestyle photo is already a room, so it tells us what you want rather than giving us something to place.

Organize before you import

Skip Shoot imports from a CSV, a folder of images, or straight from Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or Adobe Scene7.

• Give every file a name that includes its SKU and finish, so images match the right product.
• Use one name per finish everywhere — the CSV, the file names and your site — so nothing is imported twice.
• Start with your best sellers and the finishes that have no images yet.