Short answer:
- Clear the counters and turn the lights on.
- Shoot in daylight, straight on and from a little above counter height, with the phone's main lens (not ultra-wide) held horizontally.
- Take two or three photos: the main run, the island, and one wider shot.
A clean, evenly lit, straight-on photo gives the visualizer the most countertop to work with. That makes the result more useful when the buyer is choosing a color.
This guide is for salespeople on in-home visits and for buyers sending photos to a showroom. It applies to any countertop visualizer, including ours.
Before you shoot: the 60-second checklist
- Clear the counters. Move the toaster, the knife block, the fruit bowl and the mail. Cambria's visualizer guidance: "Remove clutter, small appliances, and other distractions from countertops and surrounding areas in your photo" (Cambria, checked 2026-10-27).
- Turn on the lights. Overhead and under-cabinet lights both help. MSI: "Try to make sure the room is well-lit" (MSI, checked 2026-10-27).
- Shoot in daylight if you can. Cambria: "Natural, even lighting is best" (Cambria).
- Watch for glare. A window or pendant light reflected in a shiny counter hides the surface. Cambria: "Be mindful of bright lights or windows that might cause glare on surfaces in your photo." Move a step sideways until the hot spot is gone.
- Wipe the lens. Phones in pockets get smudged lenses, and a smudge makes the whole photo hazy.
The shot list
1. The main run
Stand back far enough to see the whole run of counter, from end to end if you can. Hold the phone horizontally (landscape) at about chest-to-eye height, a little above the counter. Point it straight at the run, not along it.
2. The island (if there is one)
Shoot the island from the side the buyer usually sees it from, often the living or dining side. Raise the phone a bit higher than for the main run so the top of the island shows, not just its edge. MSI suggests that for countertops "you may want to stand on a stepladder (or ask a tall person for help)" (MSI).
3. The wider context shot
Take one photo that shows the counters with the cabinets, the backsplash and some floor. This is the one the buyer will look at to judge whether the new stone works with everything else.
Angle and lens: the two most common mistakes
Shooting along the counter. A photo taken from one end, looking down the length of the counter, shows a thin sliver of surface. Cambria's advice: "Take your photo from a direct, straight-on angle. Avoid extreme wide angles or oblique shots" (Cambria). Face the counter instead.
Using the ultra-wide lens. In a small kitchen it's tempting to switch to 0.5×, but ultra-wide lenses bend straight lines near the edges of the frame, and counter edges stop looking straight. Use the main (1×) lens and step back, or take two photos instead of one.
Phone settings
- Landscape, not portrait, for the run and the island.
- No filters, no portrait mode. You want the room as it really looks.
- Tap to focus on the counter before you shoot, so the phone sets exposure for the surface, not a bright window.
- Keep HDR on if your phone does it automatically. It helps when there's a window in the shot.
When the buyer sends the photos
Sometimes the first photos come from the buyer. A short message gets you photos you can use:
To show you options on your own counters, could you send 2–3 photos of your kitchen?
- Clear the counters and turn the lights on (daytime is best)
- Stand back and face the counters straight on, phone held sideways, a little above counter height
- One of the main counter, one of the island, one wider shot
- Please use the normal camera, not the 0.5× wide lens
Common problems and quick fixes
| Problem in the photo | Fix |
|---|---|
| Bright white patch on the counter | Glare: step sideways, or close the blind on that window |
| Counter looks like a thin strip | Too low or along the counter: raise the phone and face the counter |
| Edges look curved | Ultra-wide lens: switch to 1× and step back |
| Counter hidden by clutter | Clear it and retake |
| Dark, grainy photo | Turn on all the lights, shoot in daytime |
| Only half the run shows | Take two photos rather than switching to ultra-wide |
What a good photo can't fix
A better photo gives a better visualization, but it's still an AI visualization of a color, not the stone itself. Color shifts with screens and light. Natural stone varies from slab to slab. And no photo is a measurement. The buyer should still see a sample and, for natural stone, the actual slab (why), and you should still template on site.
Using it with Countertop Visualizer
In Countertop Visualizer, the salesperson takes or loads the photo, taps a slab from your catalog, and sees it on the buyer's counters in about 20 seconds. Then they try another, and share the one the buyer likes with their name on it. 7 days free, then $250/month.