So now I had started to build our range of products and our Momma Parker cupboard was busting full of beautiful hand made goodies. I was getting excited and wanted to get them all catalogued and onto the shop. After my previous frustrations and attempts I knew it wasn't going to be easy and I would feel defeated...but the voice in my head kept saying 'keep positive keep going, you only get out what you put in.
I knew my son was right and that the photos need to be well taken and all the same size for consistency as this would make the website look so much more professional.
So the following Monday I dropped the task at the door of my graphic designer friend and colleague and begged for s crash course in photoshop. I could see that grimace behind his smile and nod of agreement..I am not the easiest pupil as I always want to run before I can walk...but to be fair he is not the easiest of teachers either...this could end in tears!
My perfectionist friend had already taken some great photos of my mindfulness box that looked amazing and I wanted to be able to achieve the same look but I knew my eye was as yet not trained on this true perfectionism.
So the lesson began....he instructed me to open one of the pictures I had taken with my son, we had agreed for consistency that each product would have five images where practical and be on a white background for consistency.
I opened one my my heal yourself box images and he showed me how to create a layer and a mask and how to remove the background so it would be transparent. Just like my IT savvy son it all comes so easy to him and he whizzed through the lesson making it look so easy.
So now it was my turn..I opened an image, created the layer but couldn't remember how to turn the duplicate layer into a solid colour to hep with the masking process....and so the barrage of questions began and the roll of the eyes and huffing from my friend.
He showed me again and I was once more left to my own devices... I do get it most of the time but there are the occasions usually after cider that I work on the wrong layer and totally have to start again....
So once you have spent ages taking out the background you have to fart about with a couple of adjustments on your photos so says the pro...he has gone about this for years and actually now I do get it ....a crap photo will look crap and put people off...you have to make it look as good as you can. I am by no means a photo genius pro but by using the levels and curves you can get your images to look loads better.
Photoshop is really tricky to learn in my opinion but it is industry standard so it is worth feeling the pain and sticking with it. I can now mask and treat photos and I feel confident about it , although the dreamcatchers are something else all fearthey and so many gaps so I might have to think of something else lol xxx
So the product photos are looking so much better and I am becoming anal in how I present thinks to m potential customers....don't forget you have three seconds and the same clicks to make an impression so this stuff not matter how draining and time consuming it is it is really really important xxxxx
Make sure your images are the best they can be, all the same size, treated by the steps I have talked about and that you are consistent in your themes xxx
Go through the pain and realise you are learning a new skill set. Grow and expand always here for you all xx love Momma P xxx
