# Write up in Studio - What do you prefer? Poll



## Leemack (Mar 6, 2009)

Answers please


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## ant_s (Jan 29, 2009)

I prefer pics, but I can guess how long it takes to do a write-up, so any done by member's are all good by me.

I think when it's a write-up with pics, you get more info.


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

I voted not bothered. By this i mean that its more to do with weather its been well constructed than weather its a video or not. i like lots of information to extract and perhaps try myself out myself, and clear finished shots


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## Serious (Mar 19, 2008)

Pics for me too.
Can't view vids on my archos 7 tablet.


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

You need to consider how many people use tablets, iPads and iPhones to browse, and not sure if embedded vids will play on all of these?

I personally prefer pics, with detailed process, but noticed most Pro's don't give their 'secrets' anyway anymore... 

I like vids, but the standard set by Marc and James B is very high, so unless I could at least match their level of video editing, music choice and slickness, I'd personally be put off using video. That said, a 'walkaround' of a finished car will show a lot that pics may lose.


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## Leemack (Mar 6, 2009)

RussZS said:


> You need to consider how many people use tablets, iPads and iPhones to browse, and not sure if embedded vids will play on all of these?
> 
> I personally prefer pics, with detailed process, but noticed most Pro's don't give their 'secrets' anyway anymore...
> 
> I like vids, but the standard set by Marc and James B is very high, so unless I could at least match their level of video editing, music choice and slickness, I'd personally be put off using video. That said, a 'walkaround' of a finished car will show a lot that pics may lose.


Doesn't put me off TBH. They are good at their video's but putting a standard one out is as good for me and is a bit of fun.
I'll always do a write up the old fashioned way as I think a lot of people will like that but I was just interested in how many :thumb:


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## DrDax (Apr 16, 2009)

Pics and video good as well. 

As a Gtab user I can view videos flash etc no problem 



Sent from my GT-P1000 using Tapatalk


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## RandomlySet (Jul 10, 2007)

TBH, I find "videos" that are 100% made up of photos a bit, sorry, a lot boring! A video should contact actual video footage, the odd still photo is ok..

I prefer to read the old fashioned way TBH, and if there's a nice video to go with it, then all the better


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## steview (Sep 23, 2010)

i like writes 2bh and really miss when the wash stages are left out


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## alxg (May 3, 2009)

I voted for pics and writeup as I think the process can be absorbed at a pace that suits the reader. I noticed, as Russ has, that the pro's are giving less information about process/product than previous times which is a shame, but I see the reasoning behind it.

Videos for me can be spoilt by something as trivial as the choice of music, and they have to be shot in a way that captures what the viewer can relate to which is tough.


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## gally (May 25, 2008)

Totally agree with Russ. Pictures should get 95% of the focus and a walk round video at the end ala [email protected] 

The studio is a lot quiter than it used to be when write ups were a novelty to begin with now these days they are heavily time consuming. 

We really really appreciate the effort that goes in. I've done 2/3 large write ups and I try to get as close to a studio write up as possible. 

Even if 1 person can take something from my write ups i'd be happy. My ones are very text/pic heavy with a lot of opinions on products used. 

There are a lot less text in the write ups than there used to be sadly.

Hopefully the pros are reading this and taking things on board. Although i'd say the pros get very little out of the write ups for the time put in bar praise. So I understand if they don't do as many as they used to.


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## ClioToby (Oct 22, 2009)

Pics, i hate videos because you dont get the time or size to look at them. Sure you can pause a video but its great to flick through photos and admire at will.


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## stealthwolf (Sep 24, 2008)

If you use video, ideally make sure there's a version on youtube - makes it a PITA to load on the iPhone otherwise! 

I do like pics rather than video and side-by-side before and after shots are awesome. A lot of people concentrate on showing pics of paintwork but I also like the little thigs like rubber trim around windows etc - gives a sensation of a conplete detail. 

As above, the wash process is usually glanced over. I've snowfoamed my car about a billion times but I still enjoy see pics of cars snowfoamed and shampooed.


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

Why would you call a detailed write-up with pics "old fashioned"?

Regards,
Steve


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

I voted pics and write up . I use my I pad a lot and have flash issues so not all video clips are suitable.


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Pictures and a good explanation of the processes used rather than just an advert of dirty car becomes shiny car... Is my preference anyway, though I appreciate many choose to just show befores and afters without discussing the processes which is fair enough but just not to my personal taste as I don't feel it adds any value to the forum beyond advertising of the individual (which arguably is what the Studio is for, but it is horses for courses).

By pictures though, I mean good pictures - light sources well used to show defects and give an honest appraisal of what has been achieved. No clever use of angles or lighting to enhance the appearance beyond what is actually achieved. And where paint correction is claimed, a good set of befores and afters taken with various light sources to demonstrate the results that have been achieved. 

Fussy? Yup, but that's what I look for in a post - dirty car becoming shiny car tells me nothing and gives me no way of actually appreciating the level of finish achieved.


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Lowiepete said:


> Why would you call a detailed write-up with pics "old fashioned"?
> 
> Regards,
> Steve


I was wondering that myself... Perhaps because it was the traditional way? And videos are becoming fashionable now...?


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## T.D.K (Mar 16, 2011)

Personally I browse D.W when at work, the signal for internet (3g?) is a bit poor there on my HTC, so good old fashioned pics and words work for me best.:thumb:

Doesn't take too much data either :thumb::thumb:


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## Leemack (Mar 6, 2009)

Lowiepete said:


> Why would you call a detailed write-up with pics "old fashioned"?
> 
> Regards,
> Steve


Because we are moving at light speeds towards media when it comes to promotional material including write ups.

Write ups have been done on here since 2005 and before that on other sites so 6 years and the way we are moving to me is old fashioned. Everything is Youtube this and video that so this is what I see to be the modern alternative to write ups.

When I actually get good at making videos I would like that to be the main source of write ups but not if i only get 3 comments and not many views. Whats the point in that?

Thats why I opened this poll up to see what the majority wanted. If I am going to spend 3 days detailing a car and taking loads of pictures then I would at least like the people on here to be entertained


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## Leemack (Mar 6, 2009)

Dave KG said:


> Pictures and a good explanation of the processes used rather than just an advert of dirty car becomes shiny car... Is my preference anyway, though I appreciate many choose to just show befores and afters without discussing the processes which is fair enough but just not to my personal taste as I don't feel it adds any value to the forum beyond advertising of the individual (which arguably is what the Studio is for, but it is horses for courses).
> 
> By pictures though, I mean good pictures - light sources well used to show defects and give an honest appraisal of what has been achieved. No clever use of angles or lighting to enhance the appearance beyond what is actually achieved. And where paint correction is claimed, a good set of befores and afters taken with various light sources to demonstrate the results that have been achieved.
> 
> Fussy? Yup, but that's what I look for in a post - dirty car becoming shiny car tells me nothing and gives me no way of actually appreciating the level of finish achieved.


Have you seen my picture taking ability? I had to ditch a whole Bentley Flying spur detail folder because I could hardly use 10 of the 200 i took and therefore lost out on a good write up purely because I'm crap with a camera :wall:

I'm off out now to do another Bentley so I will have to take 300 photo's to use 20


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## 500tie (Oct 15, 2009)

For me its the old fashioned write up with pics i love looking through all the posts in the evening admiring other peoples work


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## Dingo2002 (Apr 4, 2007)

I love the write ups. I'm still trying to find the best way for me to do mine:


Long initial write-up followed by chronological pics?
shorter write up then chronological pics with annotations
Short write up with comparison images throughout and annotations

Or a mixture of all the above? So many different choices


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## Auto Detox (Dec 22, 2007)

Showshine said:


> Have you seen my picture taking ability? I had to ditch a whole Bentley Flying spur detail folder because I could hardly use 10 of the 200 i took and therefore lost out on a good write up purely because *I'm crap with a camera* :wall:
> 
> I'm off out now to do another Bentley so I will have to take 300 photo's to use 20


Lee everyone started the same with a camera = pants pics, it's just practise practise practise even in full auto new dslr's can take great shots get a cheapo tripod (although a good one will be much better & cost around a £100ish) this will help no end

Baz

p.s for me I still prefer a screen full of well taken pics  with maybe a short well shot walk around vid to finish not a 12 minute video of a finished car


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

I voted pics, but I'm quite suprised that everyone else wants pics too!


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Showshine said:


> Have you seen my picture taking ability? I had to ditch a whole Bentley Flying spur detail folder because I could hardly use 10 of the 200 i took and therefore lost out on a good write up purely because I'm crap with a camera :wall:
> 
> I'm off out now to do another Bentley so I will have to take 300 photo's to use 20


That is the case for most of the details I was doing - to really highlight the defects took practice with a camera, and I found my SLR set to manual focus was the best for me as I could really get the camera to focus on what I wanted it to - the swirls (easy for all camera to get), and more importantly the deeper RDS which are harder to photograph. A lot of effort goes into this. But for me it is worth it because it really shows what was achieved - showing the finish under bright lights and dim lights, focussing on marks that are left and explaining why, using Sun Gun to show the quality and clarity of the machine finish but strip lights to show correction of deeper marks - it all takes time, but for me, it shows much better what is actually being achieved.

Perhaps I will do a small writeup on how I used my camera to photograph defects etc, but it is only what worked for me with my camera - I am not a photogrpahy expert, it is just what worked for me, and it took time to find that.

Videos are fine, they don't appeal to me for a lot of things, but they caan be used to great advantage - holograms really show up in videos, as when you move the light source the holograms jump about and become really apparent and only a video can show this... but typically, videos seem lacking in actually showing the true results of a finish as they are not generally of high enough quality (the ones I have been looking at) to really show as much as a good photograph will. Many are coming closer, but they are not there yet.

If pure entertainment is the desire, then vidoes have a much bigger role to play - if it is more of an educational, demonstrative post that is aimed for then photographs and written descriptions for me demonstrate more and add more value.


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## alan_mcc (Oct 28, 2008)

I like normal write-ups with pictures and text, I don't tend to watch videos I'm not a fan.


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

I think the statistics here say it all, personally!


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

Dave KG said:


> I think the statistics here say it all, personally!


Absolutely, if I want to look at moving pictures, I turn on the telly 

Regards,
Steve


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Lowiepete said:


> Absolutely, if I want to look at moving pictures, I turn on the telly
> 
> Regards,
> Steve


We'll be drawing our pensions soon, being this old fashioned  :lol::lol:


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

Dave KG said:


> We'll be drawing our pensions soon, being this old fashioned  :lol::lol:


Old Fashioned? In the modern jargon it's known as: "Qualiteeeeeeeeeeee"

I know, an overdose of Lee Nelson... 

Regards,
Steve


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## gally (May 25, 2008)

Terrible these old boys! Did you get my empty bottle Dave?


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

gally said:


> Terrible these old boys! Did you get my empty bottle Dave?


Arrived in the post this morning, filled at lunchtime, and will be fired back off to you tonight


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## gally (May 25, 2008)

Aww gentleman and a scholar! 

I seen Gordon dodging your phone call the other night! Don't tell him I told you though!


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