1. Even, diffused lighting
Natural daylight is best. Avoid overhead bulbs that create glare on holos. A soft lamp at 30–45° angle works for indoor photography.
Better photos in = better grade out. Here are the four lighting, framing and focus rules that determine the accuracy of your SnapGrade prediction.
Use natural daylight near a window or a softbox. Avoid direct overhead bulbs and flash — both create glare on holos that obscures surface analysis.
Plain dark background for holo cards (helps detect edge silvering). Plain white or light background for matte cards (helps detect surface flaws). Avoid patterned backgrounds.
Tilting the camera distorts centering measurement. Hold the phone or DSLR directly above the card, with the card flat on the surface.
The closer the better. Card edges should reach the viewfinder edges. Avoid cropping any part of the card; avoid leaving large background margins.
Both sides are analyzed. Take the front photo, then flip the card and take the back. Re-check lighting after flipping — the back may need a different angle.
Natural daylight is best. Avoid overhead bulbs that create glare on holos. A soft lamp at 30–45° angle works for indoor photography.
The card should fill ~80% of the photo, edge-to-edge. Too much background = wasted resolution on the analysis.
Use macro mode on phones, or tap-to-focus on the center of the card. Surface scratches are invisible on blurry photos.
For holo cards, plain dark background helps silver edges show up. For matte cards, plain white background gives best contrast.
Open SnapGrade in your phone browser. The camera viewfinder launches with live framing and lighting guidance — green border means you're good to shoot. Snap the front. Flip the card. Snap the back. Done.
Live image-quality checks tell you before you submit if either photo isn't suitable — no credits charged for bad photos.
Sign up, 1 free credit — and the in-app guidance walks you through the photo flow. Done in 30 seconds.