HomeSteps PhotoSite
Tips for Taking and Uploading Photos

What are we looking for?

1. One good exterior photo of each of your listings.

2. Please take the photo after any outside cleanup or repairs have been made.

Basic Tips for Better Photos:

1. Include the whole home or condo building or town home.  Preferably, the shot should be the full frontal exterior view of the home, or building, from edge-to-edge.

2. Don’t allow too much “dead space” in the photo.  Get a little closer to the home.  Try not to include too much sky or grass – let the focus of the photo be on the home.

3. Use your flash outdoors.  A flash helps even out the lighting, alleviating harsh shadows.  Details of the home can be hidden in shadows, plus they make a home look dark and uninviting.  A flash also improves the color saturation, a great benefit to your photos.

4. Notice the details.  Take time to really see what’s in front of you.  Is there trash or children’s toys or other items in the yard?  Does the grass need to be mowed or bushes trimmed?  Wait for these items to be removed or taken care of before submitting a photo.  Just do what you normally do to improve the curb appeal of the home then take the photo.

5. An overcast but bright day is the best time for taking a photo outdoors. 

6. If you have a wide-angle lens, use it.  Just be careful to make sure that it doesn’t distort the lines of the home, making the home appear as if it’s leaning.

File Size and Type:

1. All photos should be saved as a .jpg (JPEG File Interchange Format) or .gif (Graphic Interchange Format).  These are the standard file format for photos on the web. 

2. If you are scanning in photographs, please scan them at 72DPI. 

3. The image size should be approximately 400 pixels wide by 300 pixels high, or approximately six inches wide by four inches high.

4. The file size is very important.  Your files should be under 250K.   With higher resolution on the newer digital cameras, file sizes are growing larger.  A larger file size means that it will take a longer time for a photo to load when it is viewed on the website.  People typically will not wait very long for an image to load.

5. Many digital cameras allow you to choose different settings to reflect the size and quality of a photo.  Choose a lower setting. Consult your instruction manual, as every digital camera has different options.

6. If your computer has a Microsoft Windows operating system, look for Microsoft Paint or Microsoft Photo Editor under the Start/Programs/Accessory links.  These programs allow you to edit and resize the photo and lower the file size.

7. If your camera does not have different setting choices and you do not have a photo editing software, there are several inexpensive or even free shareware software programs that will provide similar results.  Just go to Google.com and search for “free photo imaging software” to see the many choices available.

Saving Your Images:

1. When you save your photos, it is typically best to create a folder on your computer that is easy to find, such as “HomeSteps Photos”.  Then when you browse for your files to upload, they will be easy to find.

2. Be sure that each photo is visually upright. 

File Naming:

1. Please name the file with the 9-digit Freddie Mac loan number, followed by a lowercase “e”.  All files should be saved as a “.jpg” (JPEG File Interchange Format).  For example:  123456789e.jpg

2. Save your photos individually, by house, not in groups.