One Campaign, Every Format

List every format before the shoot

Write down each placement with its shape, size and where text will sit. A wide outdoor poster and a vertical story need very different framing, and it's far cheaper to shoot for both than to invent the missing picture later.

Shoot for the extremes

• Leave room around the subject, more than feels necessary.
• Shoot a clean frame of the empty set for extending backgrounds.
• Shoot wider and vertical versions of the hero frames if you can.
• Think about clear areas for logos and legal text.

Build one master

Finish the retouching once, on the largest and most complete version: a layered file with the background extended beyond any single crop. Every format then comes from that master, so a change to the product or skin only has to happen once. Getting the hero image approved before making versions saves repeat work.

Make each version properly

Each crop needs its own attention. A subject that's right in a wide frame may need moving in a tall one, and a background extension that looks fine in a small image may not hold up on a poster.

• Print: the printer's CMYK profile, bleed and about 300 pixels per inch at size. See how to prepare retouched images for print.
• Outdoor: ask the printer about size and resolution, since viewing distance changes what's needed.
• Web and social: sRGB, sharpened for the exact size, with file weight kept under control.

Keep color and versions under control

Product and skin color should match across all formats, as far as print and screen allow. How to keep product color consistent covers that. Agree on a clear naming system too, with format, version and date in each file name, so that nobody publishes an old round.

For how this fits with a brand's approval process, see retouching for brands and agencies or our commercial retouching page.