Cut out images (also called deep etched) are photos where the object has been cut out from it’s original background onto a clean, white background, as below.
Why are they important?
– If you look at majority of the products featured in magazines and blogs, you’ll notice they’re usually part of a “Get the Look” or shopping type page. To secure spots in these types of spreads, it’s important that brands have professional, individual product shots readily available for journalists. Cut out images on a crisp white background like above are very easy for the journalist to incorporate into their features so are highly favorable.
– While a great lifestyle shot is important to have as well (which we’ll talk about next time) a high percentage of the downloads from journalists on Press Loft are of cut out images and quite often journalist call-outs request this style of image. Even product images with grey backgrounds or dark shadows – as professional as they are – tend to not get quite as many downloads as they don’t work with as many features.
– Cut out images also make your product image clean and look much more professional. They’re more appealing to the eye and by having this type of image on your own websites, you are putting your products in the best light and will absolutely help with sales.
– Obviously not all products will suit cut-out images. Wallpaper and flooring for example often are displayed best in lifestyle shots, but in most cases, we highly recommend having cut out images.
See the way Adore Home magazine have used cut out images here.
How do I deep etch my image?
-You can either do it yourself in a photo editing program like Photoshop or Gimp. There are plenty of tutorials online.
– Ask your photographer to supply images deep etched onto a white background when you do your next product shoot and they can just incorporate this into their editing process for you.
-There are also some websites who do it for a small cost of about $1 per image, such as deepetch (see their clipping path service). Just upload your current images with any type of background and they’ll send them back to you cut out professionally.
Happy deep etching, and next time, we’ll talk lifestyle shots!
