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FlyingAl
29-10-2011, 10:43 PM
Hi all,

Just throwing something out here to guage interest.

I've been following a recent thread related to photographing mugs

http://www.dyesubforum.co.uk/vbforum/showthread.php?3313-photographing-mugs

I know how difficult it is to get the perfect photograph of a mug that does your product service and the work involved.

I can offer a service of supplying high quality photographic 3D model 'renders' of mugs for use in marketing/websites/leaflets etc using your OWN artwork on the mug.

Would this service be of interest to anyone here? like I say, I'm just throwing this out there to guage interest or if it's a waste of time.

Below is an example of one of my own designs applied to the 3D model to show what I mean.

627

Any comments appreciated.

Cheers
Al

AdamB
29-10-2011, 10:50 PM
Al,

questions that I'm sure others will ask are:

a. Can you offer 3 angles of the design (front, centre and rear of the mug) to see the design in all areas of the mug.

b. The price!

Looks good though :-)

Justin
29-10-2011, 11:36 PM
Does look good :-) Is that photo a graphic mug representation or a polymer mug?

sarahjayne
30-10-2011, 12:02 AM
I love the idea but it would depend on how the finished item looked, as Adam said - views, contours etc. I tried doing an upload your custom vinyl onto a car website with my brother (he writes code for a living) and the results were spectacularly unappealing - even with the uploaded image recognising contours on the template.

FlyingAl
30-10-2011, 12:42 AM
Al,

questions that I'm sure others will ask are:

a. Can you offer 3 angles of the design (front, centre and rear of the mug) to see the design in all areas of the mug.

b. The price!

Looks good though :-)

Hi Adam,

Yep, as it's a 3D model I can render it from any angle whatsoever, I'll post a sample 3 mug image shortly to give you an idea what it would look like.

Unsure of cost yet, just gauging interest, just a few quid I imagine, as I've already modelled the mug, applying other artwork and re-rendering is easy, not looking to make a living out of it :)

cheers
al

FlyingAl
30-10-2011, 12:47 AM
Does look good :-) Is that photo a graphic mug representation or a polymer mug?

Hey Justin,

I based that model on a regular ceramic 'wycombe' mug, a fairly generic mug.

Al

FlyingAl
30-10-2011, 12:57 AM
I love the idea but it would depend on how the finished item looked, as Adam said - views, contours etc. I tried doing an upload your custom vinyl onto a car website with my brother (he writes code for a living) and the results were spectacularly unappealing - even with the uploaded image recognising contours on the template.

Hi Sarahjayne,

I haven't used any car vinyl sites myself so I'm unsure of the quality of their output, the sample image I posted is a 'final' quality image just using my own artwork on the model. I'll post up more renders with other artwork applied to the same mug model shortly.

Al

FlyingAl
30-10-2011, 01:39 AM
As requested by Adam, a 3D render of the mug from 3 angles to show off a full wrap design.

Cheers
Al

http://www.buggybear.eclipse.co.uk/mugrender_burns.jpg

AdamB
30-10-2011, 09:21 AM
Al,

this does certainly looks the business and I for one will be interested if the price is right. I already do something similar but not as clear, I would call this the premier version of what I do with my current ones being basic (but acceptable).

My main question though is, and please Al do not take offence to this - I am just throwing the question out to you as I am sure others have the thought.

I have created quite a few unique mug templates in photoshop that I am extremely proud of and these sell as they are unique to me. If I want to get this image onto a mug graphic as shown above I will need to pass over the graphics to you in high quality ...................... what guarantees have I got that these won't be passed onto a third party or even used by yourself?

And again (I repeat), Al - I do not distrust you or imagine you would do something like this but I am in a business so I need to protect my assets.

FlyingAl
30-10-2011, 02:55 PM
Al,

this does certainly looks the business and I for one will be interested if the price is right. I already do something similar but not as clear, I would call this the premier version of what I do with my current ones being basic (but acceptable).

My main question though is, and please Al do not take offence to this - I am just throwing the question out to you as I am sure others have the thought.

I have created quite a few unique mug templates in photoshop that I am extremely proud of and these sell as they are unique to me. If I want to get this image onto a mug graphic as shown above I will need to pass over the graphics to you in high quality ...................... what guarantees have I got that these won't be passed onto a third party or even used by yourself?

And again (I repeat), Al - I do not distrust you or imagine you would do something like this but I am in a business so I need to protect my assets.



Absolutely no offence taken Adam, completely understandable concern and will probably hinder the uptake of the service.

I understand it's incredibly difficult to be taken on trust, I can only absolutely guarantee any images images supplied will be used only to produce the render and nothing else and certainly not passing onto any third party. I'm a one man band business/graphic designer myself and completely understand the need for asset protection. I realise I'm not a large recognised/known company like cafepress or zazzle who also produce items requiring the upload of hi-res images and that it is very much a trust thing.

Depending on the resolution of the final image required I won't even need a full hi-res image, and I certainly don't need actual layered photoshop files, flattened images only. for example the burns design I posted would only require a design approx 250 pixels high which is approximately a third to a quarter the size of the full resolution image (my own full resolution designs are 2480x976 pixels) basically you would only need to send your design in the resolution you required the final render to be.

You could also mark your design in some way before sending too (watermarks, url's etc), obviously any visible mark will also appear in the mug render but may help provide peace of mind. Maybe other members of the forum have other ideas that would give user's of the service peace of mind. Maybe something along the lines of an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) would suffice.

Hope this helps in some way Adam.

Kindest regards
Al

Justin
30-10-2011, 02:57 PM
Brilliant work :-) I just know that my customers would question the mug handle though! Very different to the 10oz mugs I use.

FlyingAl
30-10-2011, 03:02 PM
Brilliant work :-) I just know that my customers would question the mug handle though! Very different to the 10oz mugs I use.

Thanks Justin, it's not an issue to model other handle types to better reflect your own stock.

Cheers
Al

Paul
30-10-2011, 03:13 PM
I trust you alan ;)
as you dont even need high res photos there is no much use of somone else graphic for you.

how much??

AdamB
30-10-2011, 08:42 PM
Hi Al,

thanks for your reply and the thought you put into it. To be totally honest I had the question in my head and I was going to leave it to someone else to ask but thought I would throw it out in the open first - I'm glad I did!

Whichever way you do business I am sure that everyone will be happy and as I said before Al, it's not a case of distrusting anyone - it's protection of assets and I know that you would feel the same way.

I think all we need now is confirmation of prices, if there is an extra charge for the image shown in 3 angles (like your examples) and if there is any discounts for bulk buyers?

Oh - and like Justin said, it would be nice to change the handle to match the generic mug (maybe based on the european mug below?), after all it would be a shame to put all this effort into something and then have someone say "the handle on my mug's different".

Well done Al - waiting on you now mate :-)

628

FlyingAl
31-10-2011, 02:30 AM
Hi all,

Thanks to everyone who commented and enquired on the rendering idea, all very positive. I'm struggling with costs though so what I'd like to do is propose a cost and get some feedback on it, over-priced, under-priced, reasonable, lemme know.

For a set of 3 images using one design (shown below) with your own artwork, what does everyone think of £6 (£5 if your a full member of the forum), embarrassing admission - I'm not a full member myself yet, but I will be soon :) and happy to discount further for bulk buyers.

Justin - I've revised the handle, the old one was a bit on the large side, oops :)

http://www.buggybear.eclipse.co.uk/mugrender1.jpg

http://www.buggybear.eclipse.co.uk/mugrender2.jpg

http://www.buggybear.eclipse.co.uk/mugrender3.jpg

Like I said, I'm just throwing it out there for feedback. What I would also like to offer is a free set of renders to everyone who commented on the thread (Justin, AdamB, Paul and Sarahjayne) just PM me with your email address and we'll sort out getting your own set of renders showing your own artwork.

Cheers
Al

smitch6
31-10-2011, 06:58 AM
is that a made up image :eek: ???????
i would never of known the difference
wow well done

i love the idea of it all but on my shop the images are all square
anything else and it would throw it out and not look right i think
altho i haven't checked lol
*note for today check with an oblong image

Paul
31-10-2011, 09:01 AM
Very fair price alan! I dont know if you looked on my mug on my site. I payed muh more for similar thing but my is flash animated an is rotating...

AdamB
31-10-2011, 09:16 AM
On the other side of the fence on this one Al (thanks for the FREE render by the way appreciated).

To be honest (hey, it's always the best way) this would be out of my budget if I was going to get all my templates done onto renders.

I don't have a problem taking a photo of a mug so this would have been an alternative to that but at the price you suggested it would be cheaper to make every mug and taken a photo of it - then I'd have a digital example plus an actual product to look and feel.

This was a mug that I made last week and took some images of it to show someone else that was asking about the same theme:

629

Paul
31-10-2011, 09:27 AM
This is what i was thinking adam. Great idea if you need nice mokeup for catalogue or email sample etc...


Alan. How many pwople will order more then 3 you recon??? Many? i dont know. I have about 400 designs and if i would like to render them all i would have to get the morgage lol. How about sell your template for about £15-£20 and everyone would create they own graphics whenever they want :-)
just an idea ;-)

AdamB
31-10-2011, 10:28 AM
Paul, I don't think it's a case of having the template - but more being able to use the 3D render software and the maniplulation of the image onto the 3D image, unless you have the program I'm sure the template will be useless (i.e this isn't done in corel draw or photoshop).

I may be wrong though? (over to you Al)

JackB
31-10-2011, 10:36 AM
This is what i was thinking adam. Great idea if you need nice mokeup for catalogue or email sample etc...


Alan. How many pwople will order more then 3 you recon??? Many? i dont know. I have about 400 designs and if i would like to render them all i would have to get the morgage lol. How about sell your template for about £15-£20 and everyone would create they own graphics whenever they want :-)
just an idea ;-)

Paul I think the graphics might be put on the template with a program such as Boxshot 3d so if that is the case then the template would be of no use without the program.

Al, just one thing customers who don't kow anything about Dye Sub might look at the images and think that the wrapped completely around to the handle, could the image be adjusted to show the gap?
I also am of the mindset that the price is prohibative if more than the ocassional mug needs doing.

Jack

JackB
31-10-2011, 10:38 AM
Oops! Adam popped in with his reply wilst I was typing mine. lol

Jack.

FlyingAl
31-10-2011, 11:10 AM
Hi all,

Thanks for feedback, very much appreciated. I think the cost I tentatively proposed for feedback is way off, I had no idea of the number of designs people were offering, a complete re-think is in order, I'd appreciate help too to help find the best solution and cost. I think something more realistic would be in the region of a pound per render and not to offer a fixed 'bundle' of 3 which keeps things flexible and let's people state exactly what they want regarding image sizes and mug model positioning, does this seem fair?

Please, please, please propose other solutions.

Smitch6 - Can supply render square or oblong in whichever size required, flexibility is the key here, everyone has their own way of selling and no two sites are the same, the service won't work if people have to alter their existing site, offering fixed image ratios was just silly, sorry about that guys, oops :\

Paul - Good idea and I wish I could but as Jack mentioned the template model is in 3D, people would need the 3D program and know how to use it to apply their own designs to the model.

Just to clarify, I'm proposing £1 per render instead of £2 per render in a 3 view 'bundle' so that people wouldn't be ordering images they won't use and can order renders that match their needs.

Thoughts appreciated
Al

Paul
31-10-2011, 12:03 PM
sorry guys :)
I know this is not in corel or ps. is in 3d studio or similar and i am VERY quick learner :)
so in my case i woul preffer to pay few quid and do the rest by my self. but I am sure this solution is not best for Al.

AdamB
31-10-2011, 12:18 PM
................ so in my case i woul preffer to pay few quid and do the rest by my self. but I am sure this solution is not best for Al.

Is this an option Al?

As Paul said - most of us are quick learners and it would be more cost effective to do them ourselves - not sure your views on it though?

John G
31-10-2011, 02:05 PM
You could have a sliding scale with qty discount.

1 @ £5.00 each
2 off @ £4.00 each
3 off @ £3.00 each
4 off @ £2.00 each
5+ off @ £1.00 each

you can change the above prices to what you think but this could work

Just like to say though - even as good as it looks, i'm afraid i'll stick to my camera.

FlyingAl
31-10-2011, 02:36 PM
You could have a sliding scale with qty discount.

1 @ £5.00 each
2 off @ £4.00 each
3 off @ £3.00 each
4 off @ £2.00 each
5+ off @ £1.00 each

you can change the above prices to what you think but this could work

Just like to say though - even as good as it looks, i'm afraid i'll stick to my camera.

Hi John,

Thanks for that, you want me to put prices UP???? :) lol, I proposed new prices in my last post, just £1 each (even if ordering one) with a further discount for bulk.

I haven't had any feedback on the new prices yet so we'll see what happens.

All the best
Al

John G
31-10-2011, 05:38 PM
Please, please, please propose other solutions

Bloody hell, sorry for giving you a suggestion - which you asked for :confused:


you can change the above prices to what you think but this could work

FlyingAl
31-10-2011, 05:49 PM
Bloody hell, sorry for giving you a suggestion - which you asked for :confused:

Hey John,

Sorry if my last post didn't come across as humorous, it was meant to be :(

Al

John G
31-10-2011, 06:17 PM
Hi FlyingAl,
Sorry mate, not been the best of days - I should have read your post twice. :wink: The images look very good and I can see you getting quite a few orders at the price you're suggesting.

Cheers John

AdamB
31-10-2011, 08:04 PM
Hey John - I've been thinking of what to have done for my FREE render (oh, yeah - don't you start jumping on the post now someone mentions free stuff!) lol

Anyway, I 'stole' your image when I first joined the forum (the one you used as an avatar) and I was going to get it onto a mug, get a render done and then stick it on ebay to make a few quid for bonfire night ......................... I mean, come on - stick that image on a mug and place it near a lit firework and no one's going to get burnt!

sorry, I was just trying to brighten up your day mate :-)

John G
31-10-2011, 08:27 PM
I could do with a good rendering :biggrin:, cheaper than botox I suppose. :wink:

AdamB
01-11-2011, 08:10 AM
Al,

did you see the question above posed by Paul?

Just wondering what your thoughts are on this?

Adam

Paul
04-11-2011, 12:30 AM
here is my mug! Thank you Alan!!! I love it!


http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/5759/paul2h.jpg

AdamB
04-11-2011, 08:28 AM
Nice Paul - well done Al :-)

Andrew
04-11-2011, 09:47 AM
That does look like a good job. Nice bit of software. How long does it take per mug?

FlyingAl
04-11-2011, 12:18 PM
That does look like a good job. Nice bit of software. How long does it take per mug?

Hi Andrew,

Glad you like them, each render is just a few minutes. The hard work is already done with the model and scene setup.

Cheers
Al

Paul
04-11-2011, 12:33 PM
out of couriosity... is this done in Blender??

FlyingAl
04-11-2011, 12:58 PM
out of couriosity... is this done in Blender??

Hey Paul, it's a 3d studio max scene.

cheers
al

cardman
16-01-2012, 09:37 PM
really nice - but if u wanted a single mug then an actionscript in photoshop would do the same job (obviously not as good as the images in this thread as the 3 images look spot on)
Im currently browsing net looking for one and im sure to find one soon

Look here for an example : Just incase u wanna join to download it : http://networkedblogs.com/nODgU

logobear
17-01-2012, 12:02 AM
I am surprised at how low the prices are.
I fully accept that if you have a host of images to populate a selling website then cost could add up, but they look fantastic.
There is mention of actually making the mug, and photographing it .........
SO - what is the very lowest price you will make a mug?
THEN - just how much hassle is it to setup a ministudio and get the lighting right, photograph, then crop and levels to get a finished result.
I am too busy to DIY........
I was delighted with the 'FREE' valentines templates, thank-you, but I spent an age trying to find a suitable picture of a pretty girl, then making up a mug, photoing it, and trying to get an image ready for a valentine promo flier. I would be VERY happy to buy templates BUNDLED with a visual of an actual mug complete with mugs (people) filling the spaces, so I can just upload an image and immediately start the offering.
The templates are great, but are only half way to a sale, this rendering combined with a human image populating the template makes an easy sell solution. Gimmi Gimmi Gimmi!

Justin
17-01-2012, 12:06 AM
I'm just looking at populating my website with sample images, mugs etc. I did wonder about being able to get a 'stock' package of relevant images. FlyingAl? ;-)

JSR
17-01-2012, 12:14 AM
but I spent an age trying to find a suitable picture of a pretty girl, then making up a mug, photoing it, and trying to get an image ready for a valentine promo flier. I would be VERY happy to buy templates BUNDLED with a visual of an actual mug complete with mugs (people) filling the spaces, so I can just upload an image and immediately start the offering.
I do this all the time. Where once I looked for family or pet photos for dummying-up promo items, now I just browse microstock sites. As the item in question is quite small and doesn't need to be ultra-high resolution, I look for cheap images that only cost pennies. I did this when using Paul's recent valentine freebie templates.

I invariably have plenty of reject items (particularly mugs) lying around that it's no trouble to bung one in when doing someone's order. The mug would only have been scrapped anyway, so there's no cost issue related to the actual item.

The trouble with someone supplying you with a template that includes model photos is the rights issue. Selling a template with a photo in it would be considered "distribution", and that may not be within allowed usage.

If you do it yourself, then you're not distributing anything - you're just using it for advertising purposes (which may or may not be allowed depending on the microstock site you use). I'm currently browsing for Easter photos.

Renniwano
04-03-2012, 06:32 PM
Huge thanks again to Alan for my new images.. perfect :)

Nikki x

harlequeen
05-03-2012, 11:47 PM
I had a couple of these renders done, and I was extremely pleased with them.

Photomouse
14-11-2013, 02:02 PM
Hi Al,

I'm looking for some marketing images of mugs, i phone 4 & 5 cases, i pad mini cases and i pad cases. Is that something you could help with?

Regards
Angie

Justin
14-11-2013, 07:19 PM
You'd be better off starting a new thread, this is an old old one :-)

NikGrey
15-11-2013, 01:28 AM
I was using the free Photoshop Action Script for Mug's when I started (Still upstairs in my original office - how time flies) - they, to me were outstanding but took WAYYY too long to make.

I already have 300 products in my shop, I will not make available a lot of them though as I am not happy with the designs (Just populating to test the shop software) but to pay £1 an image for me is far too much. Although I must say these images are far better than I have seen anywhere else. Al - you will get work by doing this but I suspect not enough for a viable business on it's own.

I will be taking photo's of the mugs I produce as I make them, and updating each product as I go on but at the moment I am happy.

As Paul suggested I too would be more than happy to buy something which allowed me to make these myself.

Great to see something appear on the forum relating to product images though, as you see there is obviously appetite for this.

FlyingAl
15-11-2013, 02:30 AM
Hi Al,

I'm looking for some marketing images of mugs, i phone 4 & 5 cases, i pad mini cases and i pad cases. Is that something you could help with?

Regards
Angie

Hi Angie,

Thanks for asking about the renders, I can definitely help re the mugs, if you can send me photos of the other items I can certainly see what i can do. I've PM'd you.

kindest regards

alan

FlyingAl
15-11-2013, 02:52 AM
I was using the free Photoshop Action Script for Mug's when I started (Still upstairs in my original office - how time flies) - they, to me were outstanding but took WAYYY too long to make.

I already have 300 products in my shop, I will not make available a lot of them though as I am not happy with the designs (Just populating to test the shop software) but to pay £1 an image for me is far too much. Although I must say these images are far better than I have seen anywhere else. Al - you will get work by doing this but I suspect not enough for a viable business on it's own.

I will be taking photo's of the mugs I produce as I make them, and updating each product as I go on but at the moment I am happy.

As Paul suggested I too would be more than happy to buy something which allowed me to make these myself.

Great to see something appear on the forum relating to product images though, as you see there is obviously appetite for this.

Hi Nik,

Yeah, the action scripts can be a bit of a faff but the results are pretty decent and there are some nice tools out there to do the job.

The service I offer is really for people who may need a custom setup i.e. 2 mugs one in front of the other or 3 mugs in a row to show full wraps or if someone wanted to add custom artwork 'behind' the mugs, or even just people that don't want to do it themselves.

Not looking for the renders to be any kind of viable business on their own, it's just a side thing because I can. If someone wanted a substantial number of renders the costs would come down dramatically, need to charge 'something', not looking to be a busy fool.

Glad you liked the images you've seen anyway Nik, your kind comments on them are very much appreciated. Thank you.

Kindest regards

Alan

gorgall2
15-11-2013, 10:30 AM
I've started using one of the mug actions from here http://www.psdcovers.com/ really easy to use and only takes a couple of minutes. Not the best I have seen, but they are free.
2117

harlequeen
15-11-2013, 07:43 PM
Hey Al, If you are doing renders of other items, can you post here as I might like to use one or 2. I've really loved the mug renders you've done for me in the past.

Angloman
16-11-2013, 01:04 AM
why noy use this one for free, i upload image myself and then download the pictures in three positions

http://eprint.techcurl.com/mugDesigner/

soulclaimed
19-11-2013, 10:18 PM
if i'd have known that link was available earlier i might not have wasted so much time making mine in blender lol but to be fair atleast mine is animated ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u7jXB4PKUU&feature=youtu.be

NikGrey
20-11-2013, 12:51 AM
To be fair this was only posted on the forum 1 week ago (at the time of my post now) and you probably wouldn't have found it in a search (depending on your search term of course).

It's Here (http://eprint.techcurl.com/mugDesigner/).

Angloman may not post too often but he has helped me so much recently - Top Man.

..And, Claimed Soul - I can't see your animation HERE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u7jXB4PKUU&feature=youtu.be).
edit - I can now, it went so quick..

I can't get that close to the handle !

soulclaimed
20-11-2013, 08:12 AM
it does go quick, it was more of a test to see how easily it can be done, blender takes ages to render the animation so i used 36 frames only to keep the render time down so i could see how it outputs. Your right about the handle closeness too but that will be pretty easy to change now that i know how to do it.

kevinjplee
24-05-2016, 01:35 PM
I have had some Renders back from "Flyingal", and must say how I impressed with the quality of his work.
Not just mugs, but also Photo Slates and bags.
Prices are reasonable and turnaround time excellent.
Would definitely recommend

Angloman
24-05-2016, 02:14 PM
aALL THESE RENDERS CAN BE DONE UNDER PHOTOSHOP WITH TEMPLATES FROM PSD.COM SO DONT PAY ANYBODY TO DO THEM FOR YOU