Why a Car Turntable is Necessary for Dealership Photography
If you own an online car dealership, you already understand how important images are. You require creative, high-quality graphics and videos to draw in online shoppers. According to Google research, 56% of automobile buyers said they would buy a car after viewing a 360-degree video without having to go for a test drive! Do you want to learn how to make these videos? You’ll need a car turntable, then.
Building or renting an automobile studio with a turntable built into the floor is the conventional method for filming a 360-degree spin video. Additionally, you would need to spend a lot of money on costly photography equipment (camera, lens, lights), and then engage a team of experts to take the photos and movies. Additionally, you can totally contract out the work to a photography agency, but you’ll still need to keep an eye on the standard.
You might also decide to simply film your car photos and movies on the lot, eliminating the turntable and studio from the picture. The outcomes won’t be as striking though.
The SimpSocial method is another option for completing this. Without the extra expenditures, effort, or resources, you can easily take 360-degree photos and videos of an automobile. How? including a turntable and virtual studio!
Will you use a ring-around-the-roses strategy when taking a 360-degree automobile shot or video? Or do you prefer to give up the advantages of a turntable? Even if you choose the first one, you’ll ultimately choose the second one for the reasons we’ll explain in this blog.
A car turntable is what?
A car turntable, also known as a vehicle turntable, is a platform capable of rotating with a car on top of it. Depending on the situation, it can be either powered or turned manually. The main users of it are auto dealerships for vehicle displays, 360-degree photography studios, and car owners for convenient parking in their garages at home. These rotating platforms are typically built into the floor, making them difficult to install and requiring expert assistance.
Describe the automobile turntable
Today, everyone agrees that a turntable works well as a sales tool for auto dealerships. The turntable’s movement thrill spectators in a way similar to a motor display. Purchasing a 360-degree car turntable is a wise investment for your physical display. When it comes to your virtual vehicle dealership, a turntable is ideal for taking powerful photos and movies.
In-ground and above-ground turntables are the two main categories. An in-ground turntable lays flat on the floor, and it may require extensive remodeling of the garage for installation. On the other hand, an above-ground turntable sticks out from the ground. It can be constructed without altering the floor of the dealership or garage.
Turntables are crucial for online car dealers.
Imagine driving your car back and forth repeatedly to get the perfect shots against the same background. The photo shoot would take hours, and if you’re unhappy with a few pictures, reshoots will take ages!
The value of turntables for online auto dealers
In such situations, a turntable would make things significantly easier and more efficient. This is a boon for online car sellers who strive to create attractive Vehicle Display Pages for the cars in their inventory.
Also, a car photo booth turntable would add a studio backdrop for all your car images and videos. It will help make your photographs look uniform, giving them a professional look. It helps automotive retailers take their online presence to a higher level and distinguish themselves from their competitors.
So, vehicle turntables ensure faster and more efficient Car Photography, and they are also great for in-store car displays. Their correct use will help garner more leads for your automobile sales business.
How Does a Car Turntable Work?
As stated prior, a turntable can be motorized or it can be manually rotated. Electro-mechanical turntables use a floor raceway and a single inner ring bearing for rotating. The central pivot drive assembly of a turntable is activated by the hydraulic motor drive unit of the system, causing the platform of the turntable to rotate with the vehicle above it.
How does a car turntable work
A car rotating platform comes equipped with basic controls, including a control panel with buttons to start, stop, and rotate left or right and speed control. It can also be set to spin continuously at a specific speed, which comes in handy when shooting 360-degree videos.
A standard vehicle turntable measures 177 inches across (diameter of around 4.5 meters) and has a weight-bearing capacity of 6600 lb (nearly 3000 kg). For heavier vehicles, like pickup trucks or large SUVs, you’d need larger ones. A bigger disc may also be added for dealership presentations.
You may also want to check out car turntable prices before running off to buy one. While you may come across plenty of budget-friendly options – costing around $3000 to $5000 – not all of those options would be good. For commercial needs, you may have to spend upwards of $10,000 for just one car turner. DIY car turntables cost a lot less, but the installation may be a hassle.
Factors for Selecting a Vehicle Turntable
With a wide range of car rotating platforms in the market, there needs to be more clarity as to which is the most suitable for your purpose.
Vehicle turntable selecting factors
Given below are some important factors to consider when selecting a vehicle turntable:
1. Diameter of the turntable
The size of the car or vehicle predominantly decides the size of the turntable. You will need a sufficient diameter for your car to rotate efficiently, or else it will be a flop show. While most cars would work fine with spin car turntables measuring 4.5 meters in diameter, you can consider your car size and space when deciding the diameter of the turntable.
For a Car Photography Studio, you might need a one-size-fits-all approach, so choosing a larger one (5 meters or 5.5 meters) would be the better choice.
2. The space availability
Your turntable-buying decision should also factor in the space you have available in your studio (or garage, dealership). Here’s what you should consider:
a. Clearance Zone
The clearance zone is an additional space or meter on the radius of the turntable that facilitates rotation without collision. The clearance zone ensures that the car rotates efficiently. Hence, it would be best to consider a rotation zone of at least 6.5 meters (or more, depending on your requirements) for easy turning.
b. Anti-collision sensors
If the proper rotation zone is absent, anti-collision sensors would also work. If the turntables are equipped with these sensors, they will prevent the car from colliding with surrounding elements if anything (or anyone) is in the way.
3. Power requirements
A car photo booth turntable requires adequate power to keep working efficiently and smoothly. In most cases, the power supply needed for a turntable to operate is 240 V/10 amp. Manually rotating turners do exist, and if you’re fine with a little manual labor, go for it!
4. Price
Lastly, you should consider the car turntable cost when investing in one. Set a budget and look for plenty of options, both in stores and online. You can also find a nice used turntable for sale at a fair price.
If you don’t like your options or if your budget doesn’t stretch too high, you can choose a DIY turntable option instead – just build your own!
Virtual Turntable – Next-Gen Solution for Automotive Photography
While there are several advantages of turntables, like making 360-degree videos and car photography easier for online car sellers, finding and installing the perfect car rotating platform can be difficult and extremely expensive. Maintenance and user control expertise is an addition to the effort that goes into buying or renting one.
Virtual Turntable automotive photography
Additionally, most cars require a turntable with at least 4.5 diameter, which requires a clearance zone for the car being at least 6.5 meters in the radius. Moreover, automobile turntables also require constructing an elevated floor around the turntable for aesthetic appeal. As an online car dealership, would you invest your time, energy, and resources into sourcing a turntable that matches the diameter and space requirements? If it is for multiple car photo shoots, chances are it might empty your pockets and test your patience.
What if there was a way to avail all the benefits of a 360-car turntable but without the disadvantages? Yes, there is! Virtual turntables are significantly easier and more effective for car photography and videography.
A virtual vehicle turntable, as the name suggests, is a virtual platform that can be added to car images and 360-degree videos for a professional look. The shoot can be done in a dealership lot or any other location. The virtual turntable can be added later digitally, along with a Virtual Car Studio background, life-like shadows and reflections on the floor, etc.
How to use SimpSocial’s Virtual Car Turntable
SimpSocial’s AI-powered photoshoot and image editing platform makes shooting 360-degree car images a hassle-free experience. It gives you two rotating car view options – an outdoor shoot or an indoor shoot. The indoor 360 spin option consists of a car placed in a virtual studio on a rotating virtual turntable. The outdoor shoot option, on the other hand, comprises a fully digital, immersive, VR environment that rotates alongside the vehicle.
With SimpSocial, you don’t need an actual turntable or set up a real photoshoot studio. All you need is a smartphone with our AI-powered app!
SimpSocial assists you in creating interactive 360 videos that are fully controllable by the viewer. This gives the viewer a feeling like they are physically inspecting the car in a digital setting.
Here’s how you can shoot 360-degree car images with SimpSocial:
Download the SimpSocial AI app
SimpSocial AI self-serve photography app is available for Android and Apple smartphones.
Choose the relevant category and sub-category
Open the SimpSocial app and select ‘Automobile’ in the category label.
Choose the correct body style of the car, such as; SUV, sedan, hatchback, etc.
Photoshoot using guided overlays
As per the car’s body style selected, SimpSocial offers overlay sketches on the screen for reference.
Just line up the car as directed in the overlay and click the picture.
SimpSocial is your best friend for car photoshoots; if there are any inconsistencies with what you’ve clicked, the app will suggest a reshoot.
Wait for SimpSocial’s AI to edit the images:
The images of the car clicked are edited by SimpSocial’s sophisticated AI.
This includes background removal and replacement and stitching together images for an interactive 360-degree view.
The editing section is automated, so you have one less thing to worry about!
Note: You can choose against background removal and replacement in SimpSocial 360 spin car photography, if you so desire or if you’re limited by budget.
Conclusion
The traditional photoshoot methods of using a car turntable are effective, but they increase your dependency on external factors and also comprise a hefty investment. But with a virtual turntable, you get the same benefits and results, while saving a lot of time, money, and effort.
With SimpSocial, you can create a 360-degree showroom experience with the benefit of automated editing. With innovative, high-impact visuals, you can make your inventory listing all the more captivating for prospective car buyers!
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