Industry Trends

December 8 2020
Kathy Anderson

Is 360 product photography a hot fad, the must-have new standard, or a helpful adjunct?

In a previous blog for manufacturers and vendor partners, we discussed how important good product photography is in this age of online shopping. We highlighted two universal ecommerce image requirements—product shots against a seamless white background and lifestyle shots that show the product in use.

And we mentioned, in passing, 360 degree photos.

But now it’s time to give 360 spin photography its due. This will help you decide if these kinds of images are right for you—increasing sales enough to offset added production and posting costs.

Just what is 360 product photography?

A 360 degree photo is a product image shown in two dimensions that can be rotated or spun around a single axis by the viewer. The object sits atop a turntable that is rotated in precise increments while a series of still images is taken from a fixed spot. This can be done manually or with a special computer interface. Other software stitches the individual shots together to create a single file that can be manipulated by the viewer. The result is 360 degree photography, 360 spin photography, or spin photography.

In contrast, 3D product photography shows multiple planes. All possible angles are visible—up, down, and all around. As with 360 photos, 3D images are shot with a traditional digital camera. However, there’s no turntable. A computer-controlled arm holds the camera. The arm travels around the entire object. Software triggers the shots.

Do not confuse 3D product photography with 3D cameras or 360 degree cameras. As filmora.wondershare.com explains:

3D cameras are devoted to bringing depth in the images seen by the human eyes, whereas 360 degrees cameras are devoted to creating a sense of immersion for the view when viewing the images…3D images are unidirectional, in the sense that they can be captured at just a single angle. Though there is the presence of depth, there are no multiple angles hence less perspective in the images. 360 degrees cameras on the other hand capture images from every angle, thus allowing the viewers to explore the image more deeply.

360 spin images may look cool, but are they a good sales tool?

One of the problems with selling online is that customers can’t physically hold a product to closely examine it. A 360 degree photo is an excellent alternative. Seeing a product all the way around reassures a potential customer that it is exactly the item they want.

Snap 36 has put together some client case studies in terms of 360 photo effectiveness. The numbers speak for themselves.

True Value found that their social media posts with 360 degree imagery:

Had a conversion rate of 4.5% (True Value states the industry standard is 2.4%)

And on their website, products with 360 degree photos had:

27% fewer bounce rates
35% more add-to-cart rates
Conversion rates from product views to orders increased 22%

Grainger found that 360 images on their website:

Conversion rates increased 47% over those that had only standard images

Klein Tools only lists their products on other companies’ websites. Adding 360 images:

Their listings on homedepot.com had an 18% decrease in returns
Their listings on grainger.com had a 23% sales increase

It’s hard to argue with those kinds of numbers.

So, it’s reasonable to assume that as long as online sales form a significant portion of sales, 360 photos will certainly continue to grow in popularity.

Can every product benefit from the 360 spin photography? Fully dimensional objects would certainly benefit. Flatter objects, not so much.

How to take 360 degree product photos

360 degree product photography uses much of the same equipment found in standard product photography setups. There is just one more thing you’ll absolutely need—a smoothly rotating, non-wobbly, sturdy turntable that’s large enough to handle most of your products. Sure, there are a lot of specialized rigs out there you can purchase, and costly equipment upgrades you can make, but why rush? Start with the basics. After trying it out, you may decide you’d rather outsource the whole process.

The Petra approach

Here at Petra, we used a high-quality turntable and a Bosch laser level to ensure everything remains centered, level, and flat. Special camera-turntable synchronization software is available. However, the media team prefers the manual approach for now. The camera resolution is 2000 x 2000, 300 dpi. This provides very clean imagery even when zoomed in.

Laser use in 360 photographey — *A Bosch laser is hung above the turntable. Note how the laser lines are used to help product placement. As the object was bigger than the turntable, it was placed on foam core.*

Our team decided to create each spin image with 36 photos (the minimum is 24). Consequently, 36 equidistant tick marks ring the edge of the turntable. This allows them to rotate the turntable to the precise spot required for each photo.

360 spin photography turntable marked for 36 images — This 24 in. diameter turntable has been marked, using a tailor’s tape measure, with 36 tick marks along its curved edge–one for each shot required. You can easily find the circumference of a circle here, then divide by the number of marks you need. In our case, tick marks were placed a little over 2 inches apart.

Soft light flatters the object and reduces troublesome flares or hot spots that might require time-consuming touchup later.

*The gridlines have been turned on in the viewfinder. Giving the turntable several test spins allows fine-tuning of product placement and ensures it remains centered and stable for the entire rotation.*

Unexpected challenge

However, the trickiest part of the process is figuring out the best way to artfully stage each product. Unlike in still photography, ALL angles of a 360 photo must look good.

The team tackles these engineering challenges a number of ways. Different adhesives like super glue, metal epoxy, and putty, as well as old-school fishing line hold or suspend products in a certain way. Molding long cables or hoses can be tricky. However, placement over wide tubing for several days can create a neatly coiled appearance.

*Using glue can help hold a stiff hose together; fishing line around a power cable or hose suspends it, plus gives it an appealing, more uniform look.*

Once the photographer is satisfied with the 36-image shoot, and any retouching done, they then upload the images into special software that converts the individual files into a 360 photo file. It removes much of the background to reduce clutter, crunches everything together, and spits out an html file that’s viewable in a web browser. It also adds viewer controls.

Here’s a link to a sample 360 photo file that our media team put together for Certified Appliance Accessories. Note there are directional controls, a play button, zoom functionality, and the ability to view it full screen.

Is there a downside to 360 spin photography?

Yes, at least three.

A spin photo is a larger-than-typical file that a server must host and then load. Plus, computers must unpack the file in order to view the file in motion. If it takes too long, a potential customer will give up and move on. So, if you are interested in having these on your own website, consult with your web gurus first.
There’s no industry-standard software yet. That means what you create for your own website may not work on one or more third-party sites.
Not every website has the capacity to host these kinds of images. If they do, they may charge an extra “rich media hosting fee.” Or they may offer it only to customers with a high volume of sales or to those within certain select categories.

So, for now, usage is not widespread—though more and more shopping sites are adopting it.

What’s the next step?

At the very beginning, we posed the question: Is 360 product photography a hot fad, the must-have new standard, or a helpful adjunct?The answer, at the moment, is that it is a helpful adjunct. Over time, it might even join the ranks of the two other standards—product shot with a white background and lifestyle—although for some products it may be overkill.

We’ve given you an idea of the benefits and downsides of 360 photos. You also have a better understanding of what it takes to produce them. And hopefully, you now have enough information to judge their potential usefulness to your own products.

If you decide to pursue 360 spin photography, you have several decisions to make:

Where 360 photos will be used so you can determine what software is required
Which product to use as a guinea pig before jumping into things with both feet
Whether to do it in-house or use a service provider like Petra

So, as you can see, careful research is required, and options weighed.

In the meantime, know that Petra Industries stands ready to support manufacturers with a wide array of services. These include 3PL, logistics, marketing services, brand protection, integrations, and pick/pack/ship as well as product photography—both standard and 360 spin photography. If you are interested in finding more information about any of these services, be sure to contact us.

360 Spin Photography