Real estate photos that also work for video

A good real estate photo is taken in daylight with every light on, the camera held level at chest height so the walls stay upright, in landscape, in a tidy room with nobody in it. For Idealista, a JPEG under 8 MB clears the lower of the two limits its help centre publishes. To work as raw material for a film as well, a photo needs three more things: at least 1920 × 1080 pixels, a set that covers exteriors, interiors and views, and a clean image with no watermark or collage.

Before you shoot

Light

Every light on, even at midday, the cooker hood included: Idealista’s own photography tutorial, a 2013 PDF that is still online, asks for exactly that. Lamps reach the corners the windows don’t.

Keep bright windows to one side or behind you, never straight ahead. Face one and either the window burns out or the room goes dark; if there’s no other angle, draw the curtains.

Outside, orientation comes before the time of day. The same tutorial recommends the middle of the day so the façade isn’t in shadow. For film we prefer low sun, which brings out texture and lengthens shadows, on one condition: it has to fall on the façade in shot. A west-facing house is an evening shoot; an east-facing one, a morning shoot.

Height and verticals

Chest height, camera level. The tutorial puts it as shooting at a natural height, with vertical lines kept vertical. Tilt up to fit the ceiling in and the walls lean backwards; step back or go wider instead. If the verticals still converge, straighten them with your editor’s perspective tool before sending the photo.

Framing and room order

One or two photos per space: spend five on the living room and you’ll have none left for the bathrooms. That’s the rule in Idealista’s tutorial, which also keeps one image back for the floor plan. Shoot from a corner so the depth reads, with doors and windows in frame and furniture facing the camera: the back of a sofa tells a buyer nothing about the room.

Order the set the way you’d walk a buyer round: arrival and façade, living spaces, kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, terraces and views, and the floor plan last. The first photo usually becomes the listing’s cover; for a villa, it should rarely be the hallway.

Preparation

Clear worktops, made beds, toilet lid down, personal belongings out of shot. No people (the tutorial’s line is that you’re photographing spaces, not people) and no cars on the drive. Watch for anything that gives the address away, such as house numbers or street names.

Size limits if you list on Idealista

The two pages of Idealista’s help centre that give figures set no minimum resolution. They cap file size and photo count, and they don’t agree (checked 27 September 2026):

Until Idealista settles it, export JPEGs under 8 MB, which satisfies both, and check the limit before a large upload. That 2013 tutorial talks about 40 photos at 650 pixels wide and 2 MB: its framing advice holds up, its numbers don’t.

Photo count matters. Idealista scores listing quality on seven factors (photos, description, video, floor plan, 3D or virtual tour, visible address and energy certificate) and expects more photos the bigger the home; its example is that a five-bedroom house needs more than a studio. The score affects where a listing appears in results, although Idealista says it isn’t the only factor.

Since 2 August 2026, Idealista has also put a visible label on photos generated or substantially edited with AI, such as renders, virtual staging or AI-enhanced shots. You can flag them on upload, and even if you don’t, Idealista may detect them through the file’s C2PA content credentials or its own detection model. A sky replaced with an AI tool may be enough to trigger the label; if you think it doesn’t apply, you can ask for a review.

Photos that work as raw material for a film

A film made with AI from photos inherits everything from them. The AI moves the camera across each image, but it knows nothing about what wasn’t photographed: if you want the kitchen in the film, we need a photo of the kitchen. And our retouching is limited to light, colour and sky; it doesn’t sharpen, straighten or remove anything in the frame. Hence the photo requirements for the film:

• Resolution and orientation. At least 1920 × 1080 pixels, landscape. A vertical phone photo (3:4) loses almost 60% of its height when it’s fitted into a 16:9 shot.
• Quantity and variety. Between 5 and 15 recent photos covering exteriors, interiors and views. The more variety, the more distinct shots: five photos of the pool make a film about the pool. If you have an elevated view, from a high terrace or an earlier drone flight, include it; that’s where the aerial-style shots come from.
• Nothing to distract. No people or cars where possible: whatever is in the photo ends up in the film.
• A clean image. No watermarks, logos, text, collages or screenshots. If a photographer took the pictures, ask for unmarked files and check that the commission covers use in video.

The film comes in 16:9 and, depending on the package, in 9:16 as well. What each channel expects is in our guide to video formats for portals and social.

This photo works, this one doesn’t: examples from our demos

Our two demos start from 4 and 5 photos. Here is each one next to the version that wouldn’t have worked:

A note on the villa entrance. There’s a black 4×4 parked at the left edge of that photo. In the film it appears at the start of the shot and almost leaves the frame as the camera moves towards the door. We didn’t remove it, because our retouching doesn’t remove anything. That’s why we ask for photos without cars wherever possible.

The checklist

For the listing:

• Daylight, with every light on.
• Windows to the side or behind you, never straight ahead.
• Camera at chest height and level; verticals straight.
• Landscape.
• One or two photos per room, plus façade, outdoor spaces, views and floor plan, in the order of a viewing.
• Tidy rooms, no people, no cars and no house numbers in shot.
• JPEGs under 8 MB for Idealista.
• Photos generated or substantially edited with AI flagged on upload.

And for the film:

• Between 5 and 15 recent photos.
• 1920 × 1080 pixels or more.
• Exteriors, interiors and, if you have one, a view from a high point.
• No watermarks, logos, text or collages.
• Original files, not copies forwarded through a messaging app.

Will your photos work?

The quickest way to find out is to try one property. Send us your photos for a demo and you’ll have the film within 72 hours, free and with no commitment. If a photo doesn’t work, we’ll tell you why.