Taking Photos and dimensions for Mockups

You're looking to have a design laid out for your vehicle, or trailer, but don't have time to bring it to us first? Or maybe you just want to speed up the process by doing it yourself. Great! Trailer, get ready for your closeup!

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NOTE

Your goal is a decent photo, and a measurement of something in that photo, so we can properly scale your graphics.

Your photos don't need to be professional or perfect. They'll be used as guides for proper sizing and positioning of your graphics. You can do it!

You WILL need a tape measure, or other reliable means of measurement.

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Get it camera ready

Clean it off - Give the surface a quick wipe down. Remove any major dirt / mud clumps, as well as anything that will impede visibility of your intended graphics.

Lighting - Ensure that the vehicle is well lit. Some cameras have problems in low light or shaded areas, which can cause certain obstacles on your vehicle to be unseen. Those obstacles could interfere with the design (bolts, hinges, body trim, etc.).

Positioning - Make sure there aren't other vehicles or large objects too close to your subject. You'll want a clear view of your vehicle.

Other Vehicle Too Close

Take the Shots

Distance - Stand back! Make sure you can see the entire vehicle in your shot. You don't need your measuring tape in the photo!

Angle - Point your camera perpendicular to your vehicle. Your goal is to avoid having any visible perspective in your photo. You also may need to kneel or squat to achieve the perfect angle.

Extreme Perspective

Perfect Picture

Get all sides - You'll want both sides of your vehicle, as well as front and back, if you intend to have those areas decaled. Occasionally, both sides of a vehicle are NOT identical.

Take measurements

Find a major feature to measure - On vehicles we like to use the front driver or passenger doors. For the backs of trucks, use the tailgate. Anything that is clearly defined, and the larger the better.

Measure it - Run your tape measure or ruler across the area, and take the measurement. Be as precise as you can. If you can't read a tape measure, that's OK. Round UP to the nearest increment that you can!

Front Driver door is 48” Long

Tailgate is 63” Long

Mark it up - Record your measurements, along with the feature you've measured (Driver door, length at widest point: 48"). If you can't easily describe the feature you are measuring, you can markup a COPY of the photo using your phone's photo editor. Draw some colorful lines with arrows. And then write the dimension directly on the image. We'll want the marked up version AND the original photo.

Markup your image but send us the original TOO

Send them to us - Send us your unedited photos and your measurements, or marked up photos if you made any. We prefer original quality images, not screenshots.

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Wow... new career maybe?!

Your photos and measurements turned out great! At Coupland Signs we do a lot of fleet graphics, and personal vehicles. We can't wait to lay out your new design!