Too Many Pictures in Reviews

Contributor: Cherrylane Cherrylane
Quote:
Originally posted by Silverdrop
That link to Curiouscat's review is great. She's obviously a talented photographer. I'm not a talented photographer AT ALL. My camera is cheap, and my software skills are limited to 'crop and resize'. I understand some people ... more
Aw don't feel called out!

If it makes you feel any better, I just went and checked out a few of your reviews, and I honestly loved the pictures and didn't feel like they took anything from the reviews. I'm in the process of packing up my apartment, but I'm gonna go back and read and rate later

I don't really get the seemingly super strong preferences some people have for whether pictures should be entirely at the end or not or whatever. I LIKE when pictures are scattered through a review when they're relevant. When you're talking about packaging, a picture of the packaging is a perfect fit. If you're talking about size, a picture of measurement and whatever is great. When you're talking about how it feels in your hand and whatever, a picture demonstrating that is great. I don't want them stuck on the end so I have to think back to what I read when I see it.

Ever seen an instruction manuel and stuff? Textbooks? They don't stick all the descriptive photos at the end of the book or chapter. They scatter them through where they're relevant and useful. That, I think, is the best model for how someone should try and incorporate photos into their reviews (you seemed to do that very well imo).

I didn't include pictures in my first three reviews, but I've been seriously considering going back and adding them. Will definitely be taking some for my reviews of the three new products I received this week. And don't worry about the bad camera thing. I dont even have an actual camera. Pictures taken on my Iphone will have to suffice haha
01/05/2012
Contributor: gone77 gone77
For my personal taste, yes, I think there are reviews with too many pictures. If it doesn't add a new or needed element to a review, I don't see the point. I don't vote on reviews based on the number of pictures it contains as I don't think that's fair. I vote primarily on the text review, but I will rate a review with pictures higher if I felt they added to the review.
01/05/2012
Contributor: Coralbell Coralbell
Quote:
Originally posted by Hot 'N Sexy TexasMama
Now you guys have me wondering if I should be putting my pictures in my linger reviews.

I try to do a front shot, a side shot, a rear shot, a closeup of the boob support (because its plus size lingerie).

Sometimes I will add photos of ... more
I definitely don't think you should stop including pictures in your lingerie reviews. In my opinion, lingerie reviews are where pictures are most helpful. And showing the outfit from the front, side and back doesn't seem repetitive or excessive to me at all.
01/05/2012
Contributor: karay123 karay123
I'm a visual person so I like to see them in reviews and I like to include them in mine. I'd hate to think someone out there is giving me a bad rating just because they don't want to scroll through a few images.
01/05/2012
Contributor: Research Research
I prefer videos to pictures when I need to see something. I get a better sense of scale that way and you can't show things like flexibility or sound volume as well with photos.
01/05/2012
Contributor: Breas Breas
Quote:
Originally posted by Shellz31
Personally, if I'm interested in an item I want to see all the pictures I can so I know exactly what I'm going to purchase. Not everyone has the luxury to just send it back if it's not what they thought it would be.
I also like to ... more
same here. I always post pictures, and I love seeing other pictures too when I read reviews.
01/05/2012
Contributor: El-Jaro El-Jaro
Nine times out of ten, a review without pictures tops out at a "Useful" for me. Not all reviews need pictures, true; but sometimes a pictures IS worth a thousand words.

Like everything else, moderation is the key.

I'm kinda tempted to do a review ENTIRELY of pictures...
01/05/2012
Contributor: Cookie Monster Mike Cookie Monster Mike
Quote:
Originally posted by El-Jaro
Nine times out of ten, a review without pictures tops out at a "Useful" for me. Not all reviews need pictures, true; but sometimes a pictures IS worth a thousand words.

Like everything else, moderation is the key.

I'm ... more
DO IT DO IT!

I agree with you on this with moderation and not every product/review needs pictures.
01/05/2012
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by El-Jaro
Nine times out of ten, a review without pictures tops out at a "Useful" for me. Not all reviews need pictures, true; but sometimes a pictures IS worth a thousand words.

Like everything else, moderation is the key.

I'm ... more
Show a toy next to a ruler, a bottle of bleach, ... a stroker cowering in fright?
01/05/2012
Contributor: Carrie Ann Carrie Ann
Quote:
Originally posted by Kindred
I've seen a few reviews that I would consider to have an excess amount of pictures. Personally, I try to be sure each picture serves a specific function in my review. Too many pictures breaks up the flow of a review and to me impacts it just as ... more
EXACTLY! I couldn't have said it better myself.

And, in response to those who have said a review shouldn't be rated lower because of pictures, I disagree. If they interrupt the flow of the actual review or are really crappy photos, they absolutely make the review less useful to me.

A suggestion for those of you partial to photos...

Why not make a video collage out of them, rather than having them spread out the review so hugely?
01/05/2012
Contributor: Carrie Ann Carrie Ann
Quote:
Originally posted by El-Jaro
Nine times out of ten, a review without pictures tops out at a "Useful" for me. Not all reviews need pictures, true; but sometimes a pictures IS worth a thousand words.

Like everything else, moderation is the key.

I'm ... more
Behave, JR. That would not meet the review guidelines.

01/05/2012
Contributor: Carrie Ann Carrie Ann
I think many of those who complain about the images being distracting would complain less if the images were sized to a reasonable size that didn't break up the review and make it so hard to read.

Some of the pictures folks are using are absolutely huge, taking up 10 times more space than the meat (text) of the review.
01/05/2012
Contributor: Cookie Monster Mike Cookie Monster Mike
Quote:
Originally posted by Carrie Ann
I think many of those who complain about the images being distracting would complain less if the images were sized to a reasonable size that didn't break up the review and make it so hard to read.

Some of the pictures folks are using are ... more
I agree, generally my pictures are at first around 4288x3218 in dimension. I don't have any fancy editing programs for photos so I open the picture up in Microsoft Office Picture Manager and resize the picture usually to a percentage of 14% the original size. This brings the picture down to 600x450, I make any more edits in MS Paint by adding text or cutting out the picture so it shows mostly the product itself and not much of the background. These end up being fairly HQ pictures that are small but easy to see, and very low in storage space so they load very fast.
01/05/2012
Contributor: Beck Beck
Quote:
Originally posted by Silverdrop
That link to Curiouscat's review is great. She's obviously a talented photographer. I'm not a talented photographer AT ALL. My camera is cheap, and my software skills are limited to 'crop and resize'. I understand some people ... more
I just wanted to comment that you can do collages in Photobucket, you just edit the photo and EZ collage tab is there.
01/05/2012
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by Cookie Monster Mike
I agree, generally my pictures are at first around 4288x3218 in dimension. I don't have any fancy editing programs for photos so I open the picture up in Microsoft Office Picture Manager and resize the picture usually to a percentage of 14% the ... more
Yup, I do the same, and I resize them down to 4" across if I am featuring only one picture, or 3" back when I would put two images side-by-side instead of making a collage.
01/05/2012
Contributor: Owl Identified Owl Identified
I love pictures in reviews, but I hate seeing multiple pictures of the exact same thing. I don't want to scroll through 4 pictures of the same angle, same view, etc. Otherwise, I don't really care, unless it prevents me from reading the text.
01/05/2012
Contributor: BuckeyeGal04 BuckeyeGal04
I appreciate the photos. Since we are all different and may be looking for different things, one picture may have meaning to one person when it doesn't another. I have seen some reviews with some pictures that didn't seem to add value, but that's just me. I certainly would not rate someone's review low because they added "too many".
01/05/2012
Contributor: PeaceToTheMiddleEast PeaceToTheMiddleEast
So far I have not seen many reviews with ton's of pics in it.
01/05/2012
Contributor: Owl Identified Owl Identified
Quote:
Originally posted by K101
Well my advice is... don't read them and PLEASE don't give low ratings ONLY because the reviewer added photos. If your personal preference is that you don't like em' then you can always move on. Wait for another review. Personally, I ... more
I think the original poster posed her question pretty tactfully. I didn't find it petty, and I didn't find she was bitching or singling anyone out. She just expressed her preference and asked if others shared her sentiment. As it turns out, many of us do.
01/05/2012
Contributor: Hot 'N Sexy TexasMama Hot 'N Sexy TexasMama
I thought it was funny that someone contacted me about my photos and gave me tips on how to improve them - and I was gracious and said "thanks" (cause I like to learn from constructive criticism).

The conversation went on for a few more notes and so I decided to go check out their reviews and see how they did photos - especially if they did lingerie photos.

Hmm...no lingerie photos (which is what they were critiquing for me).

I don't know - I did learn from what they shared but I feel frustrated. Like "you're gonna tell me how to do it when you don't do it yourself.." know what I mean?

I don't know- as a plus size woman doing lingerie reviews - I hate showing my body - but the fact is - it does help others see how it will look on them. So maybe I'll save them a purchase (or help them make a good purchase).

But I have gone back and forth on the idea of doing pictures in my lingerie reviews of me in it because I am not happy with the way my body looks.
01/05/2012
Contributor: Owl Identified Owl Identified
Quote:
Originally posted by Hot 'N Sexy TexasMama
I thought it was funny that someone contacted me about my photos and gave me tips on how to improve them - and I was gracious and said "thanks" (cause I like to learn from constructive criticism).

The conversation went on for a few ... more
I hope you know that I have actually showed your reviews to my plus sized friends because they're VERY helpful. Your pictures are not redundant. They're well shot, and they show what needs to be shown. You show the kinds of things that many women are looking for, especially for plus sized lingerie: breast support, good coverage, etc. Furthermore, I have always thought you were extremely courageous for showing your curves when bigger bodies typically do not get the love and support they deserve. Maybe I should have said that sooner instead of thinking it - which I have often. In either case, I do think it's really brave, and I also know for a fact that it lends confidence and courage to women with similar bodies. Please don't take the pictures out, unless you are personally uncomfortable with them.

Finally? Your picture aren't redundant. You have a formula, and you always show the front, back, side and bust. It's a great template, and I think it works really well.
01/05/2012
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by Owl Identified
I hope you know that I have actually showed your reviews to my plus sized friends because they're VERY helpful. Your pictures are not redundant. They're well shot, and they show what needs to be shown. You show the kinds of things that many ... more
Wholeheartedly agree!
01/05/2012
Contributor: WhoopieDoo WhoopieDoo
I know I put a lot of pictures into my reviews, but it never occurred to me that people wouldn't want to see lots of pictures of something they were considering to buy. Do my reviews (all lingerie reviews) have unnecessary pictures? I'd be thrilled to get some constructive criticism for my reviews, since I didn't have a mentor or anything, and the people who rate my reviews less than EU never give me any feedback to tell me what I was missing.
01/05/2012
Contributor: - Kira - - Kira -
So I have debated responding to this thread pretty much all day. I decided to put my two cents in, but I may regret it later. We shall see.

I put many pictures in my reviews. I put as many pictures as I feel are needed for the item in question. Sometimes this means four pictures and sometimes this means double digit numbers. If it's lingerie and there are lots of details to show, I like to show them. The product page does not show these details and I feel it is something important to see that words would not do as well as a photo. If it's a toy, I take photos for size, texture, flexibility, and packaging. I place these photos within the review along with the text that goes with it.

I do this for a few reasons. My selfish reason is that pictures are my personal preference for reviews. I am ADD and a visual learner. I cannot read large blocks of text without getting very bored. The pictures hold my interest and allow me to get through the review. I also will not grasp a concept fully if it is just in written word, so the picture is more useful to me than 1000 words describing what is in the photo. So I include any photo that I would personally want to see as well as any photo I think may be useful to someone else.

My other reason has to do with my professional background. I am in sales. In sales, you learn that in public forums you must cater to a variety of learning styles. Some people learn better from the written form, some from hearing, some from seeing. When doing a presentation for a large audience, you must cater to as many learning styles as possible. I have trouble doing video reviews since I have a small child and a hectic work schedule, so audio is out for me. As such, I play up visual and textual aspects of my reviews. I include as much of a visual description as possible as well as a written one. This way the review reaches a larger audience of people.

The only time I find lots of photos will make a review less useful is if they are included IN LIEU of a text review. Photos do not exempt you from writing a review that should stand on its own merit. The review should be able to be read if, say, the pictures don't load for someone or if you pretend they aren't there. If the photos are there to mask the fact that the text review sucks, the review is less useful by default. Also, if the photos are very blurry where the product cannot be made out, that will make it less useful to me. Otherwise, I say the more pictures that are included the better.

I find it incredibly distasteful to vote less useful on a review that includes a full text review with all the information SIMPLY because it included more pictures than you would prefer. I understand if the review itself is lacking, but if not, the inclusion of photos should not bring down the vote. If the photos themselves are poorly shot, I can also understand that - as in blurry, etc.

I tend to learn who posts reviews with the most pictures and I will read those reviews before others. They are simply more useful to me personally. In fact, when I open a new review, the first thing I do is scroll through and look for pictures. If they aren't there and I am feeling very ADD that day, I won't read the review at all.

My suggestion is simply the opposite of that. There are many "regular" reviewers that post reviews with lots of pictures. This thread is a good way to spot them! The people that have said they post pictures or find them very useful will have the reviews with the most pictures. If you don't like pictures, don't read reviews by that person rather reading their reviews and letting yourself get annoyed with the known inclusion of photos. There are reviewers that I like and those I'm not as fond of their style. It's not too difficult to pay a bit of attention to the screen name attached to a review before clicking on it to save yourself some frustration.

To those who post photos - please don't stop! I will be so upset if I start to see less pictures.

If you don't like pictures in reviews, my fair warning is not to read mine.
01/05/2012
Contributor: jedent jedent
how ELSE do you propose i review a deck of hot dude platying cards? "there's this one guy in a shirt, and he's kinda hot. also there's another card that features a man with quite a bit of muscle! just wait till you see the jack of diamonds!"

not that i posted all 52 cards, but i think i did about 7 or so. i don't see that as a problem.
01/05/2012
Contributor: Jul!a Jul!a
Quote:
Originally posted by Hot 'N Sexy TexasMama
I thought it was funny that someone contacted me about my photos and gave me tips on how to improve them - and I was gracious and said "thanks" (cause I like to learn from constructive criticism).

The conversation went on for a few ... more
I definitely think your lingerie photos are helpful, and to me, a front/back/side picture isn't overwhelming. The only thing I would change about your pictures is to space them so that they're next to each other rather than in a line down the page.

Your pictures are invaluable, and I would hate to see one sour apple ruin that.
01/05/2012
Contributor: Silverdrop Silverdrop
Quote:
Originally posted by Carrie Ann
EXACTLY! I couldn't have said it better myself.

And, in response to those who have said a review shouldn't be rated lower because of pictures, I disagree. If they interrupt the flow of the actual review or are really crappy photos, ... more
Because I don't have the software or skills to make a collage, and because I put the picture where I think it fits in with the review. The photos should be in the relevant section, not all squeezed together into one image.
01/05/2012
Contributor: indiglo indiglo
For those who are interested in being able to edit their photos more, there is free software you can download that does almost everything Photoshop does. I've used it for years and can't speak highly enough of it, it's fantastic software. It's called Photofiltre. Just google it, it's a quick download and gives you a TON of photo editing options.

For me personally, I like most of the pictures I see in reviews. I've seen some who (as someone up thread mentioned) consistently post blurry / too close up / too dark / too bright / etc. pictures - and I don't find those helpful at all. I wouldn't down vote due to that though. I'd only down vote the review if the review itself was lacking.

I personally don't feel that pictures of someone else wearing a piece of lingerie is very helpful to me. It's only helpful to me if they have the exact same body as me. I am in the minority though, as I know those pictures are extremely helpful to most people browsing the site. Since I know those photos are useful to others (just not me) I certainly would NOT down vote a review based on that.

In conclusion, good pictures in a review are a HUGE help. Bad pictures in a review... well I just skip over them.
01/05/2012
Contributor: - Kira - - Kira -
Quote:
Originally posted by indiglo
For those who are interested in being able to edit their photos more, there is free software you can download that does almost everything Photoshop does. I've used it for years and can't speak highly enough of it, it's fantastic ... more
Is that software compatible with Mac? I really need good photo editing software! All I have is iResize which just sizes things down. It can't do anything fancy at all.
01/05/2012
Contributor: indiglo indiglo
Quote:
Originally posted by - Kira -
Is that software compatible with Mac? I really need good photo editing software! All I have is iResize which just sizes things down. It can't do anything fancy at all.
I don't think it is compatible with Mac, sadly.

I did some searching though, and found a couple of Mac options. Sounds like they aren't as powerful as Photofiltre, but still have good editing options. (I haven't tried them or anything.)


Image Tricks

link


Livequartz Image Editor

link


I believe that the GIMP software is also Mac compatible. I tried using it before on my PC, but I preferred Photofiltre just because GIMP felt a little clunkier to me. I think it's supposed to be on about the same level as Photofiltre though.
01/05/2012