As leaders in the field of 360 product photography development Swiftspin are constantly coming up with new ways of displaying products online. To help this process they often take on work experience students as they find their enthusiasm and fresh approach extremely beneficial when it comes to new ideas. The student also benefits from learning the skills passed on by the team at Swiftspin.

During June this year they were able to help another pupil, Holly Moysey, with her work experience project. Holly is an A level student at a local school and is interested in making a career out of photography. Instead of letting her just stand back and watch the Swiftspin team in action, they 'threw her in at the deep end' by giving her a unique Swiftspin challenge all of her own.

The challenge was to come up with a unique way of displaying sunglasses online as a spinning image. Holly researched the current trends in product photography and found that most retailers showed sunglasses on a plain background or on a model. It was decided that the two could possibly be combined using Swiftspin technology in a 360 product view.

Holly styled and photographed a pair of sunglasses on both a 360 turntable and a live model. Then she helped process and animate her images before finally bringing them to life as a 360 degree spin.

Holly enjoyed her week at Swiftspin and picked up some valuable advice. We look forward to seeing her progress as a photographer over the coming years.

The result of Holly's hard work can be seen in her final 360 product spin click here

360 product photography is quickly becoming a must-have technology and is increasingly being recognised as one of the best ways to display products online. But the current world financial climate means that many retailers are unable to afford the services of a professional 360 studio.

In order to help retailers take advantage of this technology the team at Swiftspin near Bath in the UK have written a step-by-step guide to building a simple 360 product photography turntable which is ideal for products up to 400 kgs in weight and 1 metre in diameter.

Detailed instructions walk through the process of building an affordable turntable which will allow retailers to take their own 360 product shots. From the tools required, to finding the exact centre of the top disc, the guide clearly illustrates how to build an essential piece of 360 photography equipment.

"We realise that not all retailers are in a position to use our professional 360 facilities, but many have some photographic experience and want to give it a go themselves" says Swiftspin's head of photography Pete Gallop. "This do-it-yourself guide will help them construct a perfectly good turntable for far less money than the professional 360 equipment currently on the market".

Once constructed the Swiftspin team advise on the best way to shoot 360 spins using the turntable and offer an animation service which brings the images shot to life.

Retailers can request the guide by submitting the form at http://www.swiftspin360.com or emailing the Swiftspin team direct at info@swiftspin.co.uk

Swiftspin are pleased to announce that the word Swiftspin has been registered as a Trade Mark by the Intellectual Property Office.

This means that only photographers approved by Swiftspin can advertise the fact that their 360 product spins are created using our unique Swiftspin technology.

If you require the highest quality 360 product spins, make sure your photographer is using the highest quality software... from Swiftspin®

www.footweartoday.co.uk

Is technology leaving you in a spin?

Shoe retailers large and small are leading the way in a new technology, which is revolutionising the way products are displayed online. Terry Mapstone explains…

What is it about the shoe industry that has made it adopt a new technology faster than any other business? Could it be that shoe retailers are more forward thinking? Does the intense competition force shoe retailers to try new things in order to stay ahead of their peers? Or is it simply the fact that a shoe fits perfectly with this increasingly popular, interactive display medium? I’m talking, of course, about 360º product spins.

The benefits of 360 are clear. Firstly, it shows customers far more of a shoe than traditional photography - the more information customers have at point of purchase, the more likelihood there is of them buying. Secondly, it illustrates beautifully how light plays on the surface of a shoe’s form, giving life to textures such as leather, suede or sequins - these small details can be a big influence on a purchasing decision. But the main benefit which retailers are taking advantage of is the falling cost - improvements in 360 production processes mean that professionally produced 360-degree spins now compare favourably in price with that of still photography.

Mixed Messages

So why aren’t all shoe retailers displaying their products in 360 on their web sites? The answer could be a result of the mixed messages emanating from 360 suppliers. A quick Google search throws up results aplenty, but it all seems rather confusing. Some suppliers offer software, with no mention of photography. Some advertise turntables, but leave you to source software. Others offer 360 kits, but fail to explain fully the costs involved in DIY. Others offer a full service, but the choice is vast and the products markedly different.

Even though some of the large shoe retailers have increased its credibility by adopting 360 on their web sites, questions still remain. Will it work on my web site? Will it increase my sales? Is it a passing fad? Well, let’s find out.

Firstly, what exactly is it? 360 degree product photography is a process whereby multiple photos are taken of a product as it rotates, usually on a turntable. These photos are animated using specially written software, and uploaded onto a web site. The user can simply use their mouse to control the animation and recreate a view of the original product spinning in 360 degrees.

There are two areas which shoe retailers should have some knowledge of before thinking about investing in 360 spins - Software and Hardware. Let’s talk about software first.

Offering Complete Control

360 software offers two ways of spinning a shoe, Rollover (which completes one full spin left or right depending on which way you move your mouse over the shoe), and Click and Drag (offering complete control, including continuous spinning in either direction). Click and Drag seems to have the edge over the more basic Rollover but it’s a personal choice as to which to go for.

Within the spin there are a host of features available to allow potential customers further interaction, such as zoom and magnify. The main benefit of these features is the ability to show enhanced detail within a single file. The trade off is that the files themselves are slightly larger and can take a few seconds to download. Having said that, Broadband speeds are increasing so this is becoming less of a problem.

The most common worry shoe retailers have about 360 software is whether it will work on their web sites. The majority of spins are created from scripts written in a program called Adobe Flash (the Footwear Today ezine is created in Flash). Most web browsers accept Flash files and there are two types of spin file to choose from. Hosted or Self-contained.

Hosted files, as the name suggests, are usually hosted (or held) on a separate computer or web site. The benefit is that it only loads the images it needs and is therefore slightly quicker. The drawback is the risk of not being able to show the spins should the external file become damaged, lost or accidentally deleted. Although slightly slower to load, self-contained files offer greater control. They are single files, which are loaded in a similar way to a .jpeg and do not need to be stored anywhere else in order to work. They can be backed up easily, displayed in Powerpoint presentations and are small enough to be distributed via email.

There are a number of software programs that can create 360 product spins. Some produce simple rollover files with little interaction, others are integrated into complex e-commerce solutions that can offer other rich media such as video and podcasts. However, there are also companies who offer an animation service. For retailers who want to take their own photos but don’t want to get involved with the software side this is worth investigating.

In-Depth Knowledge of Photoshop

‘Where can I buy the kit?’ is the most frequently asked question 360 suppliers get asked. It’s actually quite simple to build a turntable on which to rotate a shoe. You certainly don’t need to spend a fortune buying one. But what you will need, is a professional camera kit, complete with colour-balanced lights, otherwise your shoes will be the wrong colour, blurred and out of focus. If you want to produce your own spins then retailers with existing photographic facilities and staff capable of retouching will probably find the transition to 360 quite straightforward. Having said that they might find it a good idea to make or hire a turntable first and outsource the animation until they can decide whether to take the production completely in-house.

Overall, 360 product photography can seem a little daunting, but hopefully this has given you enough information to grasp the basics. After all, it should be your shoes that do the spinning, not your head.