Taking a photo that renders well

What it is

The render only changes the paint, so the photo is the room the customer will see. A good photo makes a good render.

How to

• Fill the frame with the surface you are painting. Cabinets: stand back so you see doors and drawers together. Exterior: the whole face of the house, straight on.
• Daylight beats lamps: color reads truer. Avoid a window blowing out behind the subject.
• Hold the phone level. Tilted shots render fine but look odd in the before/after.
• One surface at a time reads best. Three colors on three surfaces works; three colors on one wall does not.

The app shrinks the photo to 1600 pixels on the long edge before upload, so a full-size phone photo is fine.

When it goes wrong

Very dark photos, heavy filters, or photos where the surface is a sliver in the corner give a soft or partial repaint. Retake rather than correct.