How to Make Your Room Look Good in Pictures

5 min read · RoomMaxx

To make your room look good in pictures, do three things: tidy only what the camera can see, turn off the overhead light and use daylight or lamps, and shoot from a corner at about chest height with your phone held straight. That's how to make your room look good in pictures in five minutes. You don't need a new room, you need better light and a better angle.

If you want to know how your room actually reads in a photo, RoomMaxx scores that exact photo out of 100 for tidy, light and vibe and tells you the one fix that'll help most. Scan my room

Tidy only what the camera sees

You don't have to clean the whole room to get a great photo. You have to clean the frame.

The 5-minute frame tidy

1. Hold up your phone where you'll shoot from and look at the screen.
2. Anything visible on the floor goes out of frame: into the closet, under the bed, behind you.
3. Make the bed. It's the biggest thing in almost every bedroom photo.
4. Clear the nearest surface (desk or nightstand) down to two or three things.
5. Hide cables, chargers and bottles. They read as mess in a photo even when they aren't.
6. Straighten what stays: pillows square, blanket folded, chair pushed in.

Photos exaggerate clutter. Something you barely notice in real life becomes the first thing people see in a picture, because the photo is small and busy.

Kill the overhead light

This is the biggest single change for bedroom photography.

Is overhead lighting bad for photos?

Usually, yes. One light in the middle of the ceiling casts flat light from above, makes shadows under everything, and often gives the photo a yellow or grey cast. Phones struggle with it.

The fix is almost always the same: overhead off, curtains open, lamps on.

Room lighting for photography without buying anything

• Open all the curtains and blinds.
• Turn on every lamp you own and point them at walls, not the camera.
• Don't mix a cold white bulb with warm lamps in the same shot if you can help it.

Shoot from the corner

How to take a picture of the whole room

Stand in the corner farthest from the window, or in the doorway, and point your phone diagonally across the room. A corner shot shows two walls and the floor, which makes the room look deeper.

How to make a room look bigger on camera

• Back into the corner as far as you can.
• Use the 0.5x wide lens if your phone has one, but keep it level so walls don't lean.
• Show some floor. A clear floor in the frame makes the room feel bigger.
• Keep big furniture at the edges of the frame, not in the middle.

Height and angle

This is where most small bedroom pictures go wrong.

• Shoot from chest height, not above your head. High shots look like security cameras.
• Hold the phone straight up and down. If vertical lines like door frames and wall corners lean, tilt until they're straight. Turn on your camera grid to help.
• Landscape for the whole room, portrait for a detail or a story post.
• Step sideways, not just forward and back, until the bed and one other nice feature both fit.

How to take good room pictures with an iPhone or Android

Tap on the brightest part of the room to set focus, then slide exposure down a touch if the window is blown out. Turn off flash. Hold still, or lean on the door frame.

Judging your own room photo is tricky: you know the room too well to see what a stranger sees. RoomMaxx scores the photo itself, with separate numbers for tidy, light and vibe, so you know whether the fix is the pile in the corner or the lighting. The photo is scored once and not saved. Scan my room

Daylight timing

Natural light changes a lot through the day.

• Bright indirect light is best. That's when the sun isn't shining straight in and making hard stripes.
• Morning or late afternoon often works well, depending on which way your window faces.
• Cloudy days are great for soft, even light.
• If direct sun is hitting the bed, pull a sheer curtain across or wait an hour.
• Evening shots: lamps on, overhead off, and hold the phone very still.

Before-and-after shots

A room makeover photo is way more satisfying when the before and after match.

How to take a before-and-after that looks legit

1. Mark your spot. Note where you stood, or put a small piece of tape on the floor.
2. Same height, same lens, same orientation.
3. Same time of day so the light matches.
4. Take the before honestly. Don't stage it messier.
5. Change one thing at a time if you want a series, like clearing the floor, then the light, then decor. The 7-day plan in room maxxing is built for exactly this kind of series.

If you want your photos to look styled rather than just clean, check how to take aesthetic pictures of your room for close-ups and editing.

See how your room scores on camera

You now know how to make your room look good in pictures: clear the frame, fix the light, find the angle. Take that photo in RoomMaxx and get a Room Score out of 100 with a short verdict, then one small fix aimed at your lowest score. Rescan after the fix to see the score climb, and grab a share card when you're proud of it.

Scan my room

FAQ

How do I make my room look better in pictures?

Tidy the part of the room the camera sees, turn off the overhead light, open the curtains and shoot from a corner at chest height. Keep the phone level so the walls look straight.

How do I make my small bedroom look bigger in photos?

Shoot from the corner or doorway with the wide lens, show some clear floor, and keep the phone at chest height. Big furniture should sit at the edges of the frame.

Should I use overhead lights for pictures?

Usually not. Overhead lights make flat, harsh light with shadows. Daylight from a window or lamps at eye level look much better.

What is the best lighting for bedroom photos?

Soft daylight from a window is the best, ideally when the sun isn't shining straight in. In the evening, use several lamps and turn off the ceiling light.

What angle is best for room photos?

A corner angle from about chest height, looking diagonally across the room, shows the most space and depth. Avoid shooting from above your head or straight at a flat wall.