Quality - our existence

In general, our belief at Stepfo is that quality is a matter of a thorough understanding of what our customers need. Furthermore, quality at Stepfo means that there is a certain attitude toward doing our job well. As a result of this, all 3D photos are checked by at least to persons before they are delivered to a customer – simply because we can’t stand looking at 3D photos we aren’t proud of.

It can be difficult to identify the constituent elements of quality in a new product on the market. We have therefore created this page that explains the various parameters that overall results in a good 3D photo.

Centering

When products are photographed at Stepfos photo studio, they are placed on a rotating surface. If the products aren't exactly in the middle when they are photographed, rotation will be asymmetrical and the viewer will not get the feeling that the product can rotate freely.
Below left is a 3D photo of a product that is not centered properly and to the right is a product that meets Stepfos quality standards for centering.

Therefore the products are centered at Stepfo with the use of a precision laser.

Color Precision

Consumer computer monitors vary roughly +/- 10% i color tones. It varies by the brand and between different qualities of screens. Since the screens color display are so different it's very important that the product pictures have their colors spot on. Imagine a situation, where a picture is 10% too green and the screen it's being displayed on also shows an additional 10% too much green, you have a color difference of 20%! In the example to the right, there's two picture sof the same product, and the picture to the right is 20% more green than the left.
Would you like to order based on that? It's reality in many e-commerce websites anno 2011. In order to secure that your colors are right, pictures are evaulated on a color calibrated screen as a part of the production flow, whether it's a standard 2d packshot or a 3d photo you order.

Exposure

Like the colors vary on consumer monitors, lighting and contrast levels also fluctuate. Therefore it is important that products have the correct illumination when they are photographed. An over-or underexposed product does not sell . Before images are delivered to the customer, they are therefore reviewed with the level of exposure taken into account.

Reflections

A classic mistake that is often seen on websites with amateur photos is that the “photographer” forgets that the camera or the photographer himself can be seen in the reflection of the product. Some years ago a product was viewed exceptionally many times on eBay, because the product was a shiny coffee pot, and the photographer could be seen in the reflection. He was just wearing his underwear, while shooting the pictures. Sure, the product got viewed a lot of times, but didn't sell much. It is possible to cover both camera and photographer at Stepfo, should such problems occur.

Clipping Paths

When images are to be displayed with a different background than they were originally photographed with, the background is removed digitally. This service is offered at Stepfo, so the products on a 3D pictures can be displayed in different light environments. To ensure that the clipping path will never be delivered to the customer with errors the curves around the the products drawn digitally by hand and checked by a subcontractor before the 3D photos can be delivered.

correctly clipped image

an image which has been poorly clipped

Optimal resolution

For the 3D photos to have a minimal loading time when they are loaded into the browser, it is important that the images are scaled to the resolution they are viewed in. This is how the 3D photos from Stepfo are delivered by default.

Well thought interaction

Stepfo have user tested different navigation panels for 3D photos and found that the panels should have a clickable zoom bar and an arrow pointing to the right and left which can rotate in either direction. This is why the following panel is provided as standard for the 3D photos. In addition, you could drag the image to rotate it and scroll with the mouse to zoom. Just like the navigation on the most used online world map. If the customer still wants a second interaction such as a play / pause button, to remove the zoom bar or something else entirely this can be programmed on request.

Well thought programming

In order to experience Stepfos 3D photos optimally, they are programmed so that only the portion of the image which the user is currently viewing will be loaded in the browser.

Adaptation options

Stepfo has over time acquired a large number of queries for different features, and we have therefore a large range of features available. There is 50 different possibilities for adjustments. Features like: rotationspeed, zoom depth, panning, number of pictures in animation, rotation at start, and so forth are all available to you.
It is also possible to choose from over ten different standard designs for buttons in navigation panel, which can be color adjusted to fit into our clients' websites.
If none of the standard designs Stepfo provide suit your desires, a unique design can be developed.