How to film your product

The short version

• Put the product on a clear table you can walk all the way round.
• Film in bright, even light. Soft daylight is best.
• Use your phone’s main camera (1x). No zoom.
• Lock focus and exposure before you start.
• Circle 1: walk one slow circle with your phone at about the product’s height, looking slightly down.
• Circle 2: walk a second circle from higher up, looking down.
• Take 30–60 seconds for each circle, and keep the whole product in view.
• Don’t touch the product between circles.

It takes about a minute. When you start filming from the Showpiece app, scan the code with your phone and it walks you through the same steps.

Set up

• Clear table. Put the product somewhere you can walk all the way round it, like a kitchen table pulled away from the wall.
• Plain, matte surface. A plain table, a sheet of card or a cloth without a shiny finish works well.
• Uncluttered surroundings. Move other objects away from the product so it stands out clearly.
• Keep it still. Don’t move or turn the product between the two circles.
• No turntable. The product and the background must stay still while you move around them.

Light

• Bright, even and soft. Window light on an overcast day, or open shade outdoors, is ideal.
• Avoid harsh sun and strong shadows. Hard light hides detail on one side and burns it out on the other.
• Avoid mixed coloured lights. For example, a warm lamp on one side and daylight on the other.
• Dark products need extra light. Add a lamp or move closer to the window.

Phone settings

• Main camera, 1x. Don’t zoom, and don’t use the ultra-wide (0.5x) lens.
• 1080p or 4K video. Either is fine.
• Lock focus and exposure. On iPhone, press and hold on the product until you see “AE/AF LOCK”. On Android, tap and hold on the product, or tap the lock icon. This varies by phone.
• Wipe the lens. A fingerprint makes everything soft.
• Turn off special modes. No portrait, cinematic or beauty modes. Use plain video.

How to move

1. Circle 1. Hold your phone at about the product’s height, looking slightly down at it. Walk one slow, full circle around it.
2. Circle 2. Hold your phone higher up, looking down at the product at about 45–60°. Walk a second full circle.

For both circles:

• Take 30–60 seconds per circle. Walk at a slow, steady pace.
• Stay about the same distance from the product all the way round.
• Keep the whole product in view. It should fill about half to two-thirds of the screen.
• Finish where you started.

Short videos give rougher 3D models. About 30–60 seconds per circle works best.

Size

When you upload, you can add your product’s real size: the length of its longest side, in centimetres. It’s optional, but it means shoppers see your product at its true size when they place it in their room.

If we ask for a re-shoot

We check every 3D model before you see it. If a video doesn’t work out, we tell you why, and filming again is free. The most common reasons:

What went wrong	What to do
The video is blurry	Walk more slowly, lock focus, and add light.
Part of the product is cut off	Step back so the whole product stays in view all the way round.
It’s too dark	Film near a window in daylight, or add a lamp. Dark products need extra light.
The product is shiny or glass	These don’t work well yet. Try a matte product instead.
The product moved	Keep it still for both circles. No turntable.
The background is cluttered	Clear the table and move other objects away.

Still stuck? Email hello@showpiece.dev and we’ll take a look.