📷 Photo Guidelines

Accurate grading depends on clear, well-lit photos. Follow these guidelines to ensure your card photo is accepted and produces the most accurate result.

Why photo quality matters: Our AI analyzes the card's front surface for scratches, creases, edge fraying, discoloration, and centering. A dark, blurry, or crooked photo hides these details and produces an unreliable grade — or is rejected outright. We only grade the card's front face. The back is not evaluated and does not contribute to the score.

💡 Setup Before You Shoot

  1. Choose a plain, contrasting background. A solid light or mid-grey surface works best. Avoid busy patterns, textured fabric, or backgrounds that are the same color as the card border — these confuse edge detection.
  2. Position yourself directly above the card. Hold the camera (or phone) parallel to the card surface, looking straight down. Even a 20–30° tilt is fine; extreme side angles will be rejected.
  3. Orient the card portrait (upright). Place the card with its long edge running top-to-bottom. Landscape orientation can work but may reduce detection accuracy.
  4. Let the card fill most of the frame. Leave a small border of background visible on all sides — around 10–20% of the photo width. This gives the edge-detection algorithm room to find the card.
  5. Tap to focus on the card center before shooting. On a phone, tap the center of the card on your screen to lock focus before pressing the shutter.
  6. Stay still — avoid motion blur. Rest your elbows or use a flat surface. Motion blur is one of the most common reasons photos fail the sharpness check.

☀️ Lighting

✓ Do
  • Use bright, even, diffused light (overcast daylight, softbox, ring light)
  • Natural window light on an overcast day is ideal
  • Light from two sides to reduce shadows
  • Ensure the entire card surface is evenly lit
✗ Don't
  • Shoot in dim rooms or low-light conditions
  • Use a single harsh overhead bulb (creates one-sided shadows)
  • Use direct flash pointed straight at the card — this creates glare
  • Leave part of the card in shadow

✨ Glare & Foil / Holographic Cards

✓ Do
  • Angle the light slightly to one side to avoid specular reflections
  • Use a polarizing filter over the lens if available
  • Shoot at a 5–10° angle for foil cards to distribute the reflection away from the card center
  • Make sure the card art is fully visible despite any shimmer
✗ Don't
  • Shoot foil cards under a direct bright point light (creates a white hotspot)
  • Let a reflection cover the card number or artwork — it will affect identification
  • Leave cards in plastic sleeves or toploaders during grading photos — the plastic adds glare and softens edges

Our system automatically detects holographic and foil finishes and adjusts its scratch & discoloration analysis accordingly — but extreme hotspot glare can still interfere with damage detection.

📌 Card Angle & Alignment

✓ Do
  • Camera directly above, parallel to the card — top-down shot
  • Slight in-plane rotation (card tilted like a diamond in the frame) is fine; the system deskews it automatically
  • Keep the card flat — place it on a hard surface, not held in hand
✗ Don't
  • Photograph the card at a steep side angle (the card will appear very narrow and will be rejected)
  • Hold the card bent or curved — this distorts edge detection
  • Prop the card upright against a wall and shoot from the front at an angle

✂️ Cropping & Framing

You don't need to crop your photo before uploading — the system crops the card automatically. However, good framing makes automatic cropping more reliable.

✓ Do
  • Leave a visible border of background around all four card edges
  • Ensure all four corners of the card are visible in the photo
  • If cropping manually before upload, keep a small margin around the card (don't crop flush to the edges)
✗ Don't
  • Crop so tightly that any edge of the card is cut off
  • Submit a photo of multiple cards at once — one card per submission
  • Submit a screenshot of another photo — always use the original camera image

🚫 Automatic Rejection Reasons

Photos that fail these checks are rejected before any tokens are deducted. You will receive a specific reason so you can retake the photo and resubmit.

Too Dark
Overall image brightness is too low to detect surface defects. Improve your lighting and reshoot.
Too Blurry
The image lacks sharpness. Tap to focus on the card and keep the camera still while shooting.
Dark & Grainy
The photo is dark and has high noise (grain). This is common in low-light shots with high ISO. Use more light.
Card Too Skewed
The card appears to be photographed at too steep a side angle. Shoot from directly above the card.

📄 What Is (and Isn't) Graded

✅ Quick Checklist

○ Bright, even lighting
○ Plain background visible
○ Camera directly above (top-down)
○ All four corners visible
○ Card in focus (tapped to focus)
○ No glare or hotspot over the card art
○ Card removed from sleeve / toploader
○ One card per photo
○ Original camera photo (not a screenshot)
○ Card lying flat on hard surface

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