Industrial product photography without a photoshoot

Who this industrial photography is for

Catalogs for tools, machinery and equipment are often built from whatever photos exist: a supplier picture, a phone shot in a warehouse, a photo taken outdoors in a yard. Mixed backgrounds and uneven lighting make a store look inconsistent, even when the products are good.

Catalog Ready is a service, not software. You send photos you already have of each product. We return new images of the same product in a consistent look, so the catalog reads as one store. Nothing is shipped to us and no photoshoot is organised. That makes the service practical for distributors with many SKUs, for dealers who list new and used stock, and for stores that sell hardware and tool kits alongside machinery.

What you get for tools, machinery and parts

Each SKU comes with 4 images. Depending on the product and what you agree with us, that can be studio shots, in-use images, lifestyle scenes or styled compositions.

Any physical product with a clear photo works, including tools, machinery and equipment, as well as apparel, home and kitchen items and electronics. Files are delivered in the sizes your store and marketplaces need, named by SKU, so they are ready to upload.

• Studio-style images on a clean, consistent setting
• In-use images, such as a tool held in a gloved hand on a real task
• Styled scenes, such as a tool on a workbench with bolts
• Files named by SKU in the sizes your store and marketplaces need

Example: a wrench shown in use, with the marking kept

In our wrench test, the input was a photo of a chrome adjustable wrench with a DROP FORGED marking. We made an in-use image with a gloved hand working on a pipe fitting in a workshop, and a styled image on an oak workbench with bolts.

The marking stays readable, and the shape of the wrench is checked against the original. This is the kind of detail we compare on every tool: markings and labels, handles and adjusting parts, and the finish of the metal.

Example: a used milling machine, from a yard to a machine shop

Used equipment dealers often photograph machines outdoors in a yard. In our mill test, the input was a photo of a used vertical knee milling machine taken in a yard. The result shows the same machine in a bright, modern machine shop.

The product itself is shown as it is. We do not repair, restore or change the condition of used equipment, and we do not change how it is described. The setting changes, and every image is checked against the original and redone if a detail differs. The customer decides whether a clean-setting image fits their listing, and only the images the customer approves count.

How we check equipment images

Every image is compared with the original product. If the print, color, shape, markings or details changed, the image is redone. For machinery and equipment we look at four things in particular.

These checks matter most for spare parts, hardware and equipment, where small details such as a part number, a thread, a lever or a stamped mark are what a buyer looks for. If a detail in a new image differs from the original photo, we redo that image instead of sending it to you.

You approve the final selection. Before the full order we make a test set on a few of your products, so you can see the result on your own catalog first.

• Shape and proportions of the machine or tool
• Controls, handles, levers and dials
• Markings, labels and plates
• Colors of paint and finish

Price and how an order works

Pricing starts from $10 per SKU, with 4 images per SKU. Catalogs start from 100 SKU, so orders start at $1,000. For comparison, studios commonly charge around $35 to $75 per packshot and more for on-model work.

The number of products, the image types and the price are agreed in writing. There is no subscription. To start, write to hello@getcatalogready.com or use the form at https://getcatalogready.com/#start.

Photo studio compared with Catalog Ready for industrial products