MAKING THE BEST OF WHAT YOUR HAVE

Having original artwork is always the most desirable situation for every website. However, many times we have to rely on purchasing/sourcing stock art – until we can replace those images with our own. Other times it is possible to enhance an existing image and "give it the nudge" that makes it work for us.

Example I do work for a venue over in Hudson Valley, New York. Often we have the concept image, but the original images leaves a little to be desired. The work involved is nothing major – but it makes sense to give images a session in Photoshop to add a little more appeal and clarity. In this case, the original was a photo of one of their "Signature Drinks." There is a chance that the image would have been viewed just fine in mobile renderings. The original may have sufficed. But, taking the time to run a "freshen-up" simply lends to a better presentation regardless of the situation.

I ask that clients do not try manipulating images on their own. Even if we are intending to use only a small portion of a photo or artwork, always send the full high-resolution image to me. If you need to send many images, contact me in advance and I can give you a link to either do a simple download to my server or will create a easy Photo Album for you to store your images online.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE

(Above) In this example, we started with an image taken with an iPhone. The original is/was usable. In fact, the original was used by the client on their website, Facebook and other social media for a few months. Maybe I am just a stickler for details, but the idea of getting rid of the telephone wires, the post (or whatever it is) on the side of the driveway, and bringing out some of the real colors of early Spring appealed to me. View

MACDONALD'S QUARTER POUNDER

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I came across a video from ©McDonald's-Canada some time ago. Through the years I have seen the footage (and it's transcript) used on various platforms. I appreciate the straight-forward simplicity, explanations and concepts presented in the video.

The takeaway I would like to share from the video is two-fold.

McDonald's is using their own product on both sides of the presentation. The Restaurant version and the Photoshoot version are still their product. The second point is the fact that creating a public presentation of a product or service takes work and time. 

You can watch the original Go Behind the Scenes at a McDonald's Photo Shoot  on Youtube.