How to prepare a photo for garden visualization
Simple framing and lighting rules that improve AI visualization quality by several notches.
AI visualization quality depends largely on the input photo. The model needs to “understand” the geometry of the house — windows, corners, roof, driveway. A poor photo doesn't mean visualization will fail, but a good photo gives a noticeably better, more believable result.
Framing: full garden, straight on
- Stand perpendicular to the main garden — avoid extreme side angles.
- Capture the full height of the building from roof to ground (don't cut off the eaves).
- Step back if needed — it's better to be slightly farther than to frame too close.
- Remove clutter from the foreground — trash, cart, cables — or move them aside before shooting.
Lighting matters
Soft light works best: an overcast day or hours just after sunrise / before sunset. Harsh afternoon sun casts deep shadows under eaves and in corners — the model sometimes interprets them as dark patches on the garden. Also avoid shooting into the sun (strong sky blowout).
You don't need a professional camera. A modern smartphone in portrait or landscape is enough, as long as the focus is on the house and the photo isn't blurry.
Resolution and format
2000 px on the long side is enough — most phones capture much more. Upload the original, not a heavily compressed screenshot from a messenger app. Both JPG and PNG work. If you have several shots, choose the one where the garden is clearest.
What to avoid
- Strong Instagram filters — they distort the colors of the current garden.
- Photos from very far away where the house occupies a small part of the frame.
- Shots through a car window or a very dirty lens.
- Framing only a fragment of the wall — unless you're testing a single panel only.
A good photo takes five minutes in the driveway. A better visualization means a more confident decision about color and material — before you pay the first deposit to the crew.
