How to Edit Photos for Reverb

Gear Photos That Sell on Reverb

Reverb buyers are musicians who know exactly what they're looking for. They zoom in on fret wear, check finish condition, and inspect every knob and switch before making an offer. Your photos are doing the work of an in-person inspection. Listings with clear, well-lit photos showing accurate condition sell faster and get fewer lowball offers. The difference between a $20 offer and a fair-price sale is often just photo quality.

What Reverb Buyers Expect from Photos

• Clean background that doesn't distract from the gear
• Accurate colors showing the true finish and patina
• Sharp detail shots of fret wear, scratches, dents, and cosmetic issues
• Serial number clearly legible for authentication
• Multiple angles: front, back, headstock, body, electronics cavity
• No heavy filters or color grading that misrepresents condition

Fixing the Lighting Problem

Most gear photos are shot indoors under warm overhead lights or in dim rooms. This creates yellow color casts that make a sunburst finish look muddy and a white pickguard look cream. The fix is simple: upload your photo and say 'fix the yellow color cast and make the lighting neutral.' This corrects the white balance so the gear's true colors come through. For dark photos, 'brighten the photo while keeping the colors accurate' lifts the exposure without washing out the finish.

Clean Backgrounds for Gear Photos

Guitars leaning against a couch, pedals on a carpet, amps in a cluttered garage. These backgrounds distract from the gear and make listings look amateur. Swap to a clean white or neutral background with one prompt: 'replace the background with white.' The gear stays exactly as it is while the surroundings become studio-clean. For guitars specifically, a slight shadow underneath adds depth and prevents the instrument from looking like a floating cutout.

Documenting Condition Accurately

Reverb has condition grades from Mint to Fair, and buyers expect photos that match your description. If there's fret wear, photograph it close-up and sharpen the image so the wear pattern is visible. Same for finish checking, buckle rash, ding marks, or replaced parts. Say 'sharpen the detail in this close-up' to make wear patterns clearly visible. Never edit out damage. Show it clearly so there are no surprises and no return requests.

Tips by Gear Category

Guitars benefit most from accurate color and multiple angles. Electric guitar finishes can look completely different under warm versus neutral light. Pedals are small and need tight crops with the controls visible. Amps should show the front panel controls, the speaker, and any tolex wear. Keyboards and synths need the key bed visible along with any panel scratches. Drums should show shell finish and hardware condition. For all categories, the serial number photo should be the sharpest image in the listing.