Preparing Photos for MLS Before uploading your photographs to MLS there are several things you can do to help them look better.
For starters always set your camera to shoot at the largest size and highest quality settings possible. For more shooting tips please see the Taking Real Estate Photos tutorial.
Software After transferring your photos to your computer you will need some photo editing software to enhance your digital photographs. This tutorial focuses on resizing photos and you should be able to perform the editing procedures discussed in this article with most photo editing software. Please refer to the documentation included with the software you are using for more information and specific steps.
Photoshop is the standard and most used professional image editing software but it is probably overkill for most REALTORS. Plus it has a steep learning curve. Check the software that came with your camera, or preinstalled on your computer, to see if you already have the photo editing software you need. If you don't have any photo editing software or want to try something new here are some free and inexpensive options to try. - Adobe Photoshop Elements 6
- Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2
- GIMP - Windows, Linux, MAC, and more - Free
- IrFanView - Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista - Free
- Picasa - Windows, Linux - Free
Crop vs. Letterbox Unfortunately most MLS systems use photo dimensions and aspect ratios that do not match the photos created by most modern digital cameras. This leaves you with two choices when uploading photos - you can crop your photos to match the MLS dimensions or let MLS add a border creating a "letterbox" effect around your original photo.
Full Image With Letterbox Effect
Cropped Image
Portrait Orientation These photos are displayed at the smaller size most consumers will view them at by default.
The full image letterbox method will do a better job of maintaining the sense of larger space created by wide angle shots but will have a smaller actual image size and lose some detail.
When taking photos in portrait orientation you will almost always have to use the full image letterbox method. Think of small bathrooms or tight staircases. It seems most MLS systems were designed assuming landscape orientation of photos so your portrait orientated photos will have a maximum height that matches the other "landscape" photos resulting in a much smaller image.
If you want to crop your photos to match the dimensions used by MLS it can easily be done by using the Crop Tool found in most photo editing software.
Each option has it's own set of benefits and tradeoffs so you'll need to decide which method you prefer. You may decide to crop some photos and let MLS add a border for others, but personally I think the online listing presentation looks better when all photos are using the same consistent style.
Page 1 of 2 :: First | Last ::  Prev | 1 2 | Next 
|
