How to Photograph a Card for Grading

1. Soft, even light

Direct sunlight and overhead office lights both create glare that hides edge wear and fakes print-line defects. Shoot near a north-facing window on an overcast day, or use two soft LED panels at 45° angles to the card. Diffuse both.

2. Solid, neutral background

A plain black mousepad, dark grey foam core, or neutral desk mat gives the AI the cleanest edges to detect. Avoid patterned surfaces.

3. Straight down, no tilt

Perspective distortion is the single biggest AI-grade killer. Use a tripod, a phone clamp, or brace your phone against a stack of books so the lens is parallel to the card. Even a few degrees of tilt will shift the centering numbers.

4. Fill the frame

The closer the card fills the frame, the more detail the AI has to work with — but leave a small margin on all sides so the edge detector can find every border cleanly.

5. Shoot both sides

Back centering is the most commonly missed defect. Always scan the back as well as the front. You only pay one credit — and you catch the flaws that stop a PSA 10.

Bonus: shoot raw, not through the sleeve

Penny sleeves and top loaders add reflections that confuse both humans and AI. If the card is safe to handle, scan it raw on a clean surface. Put it right back in the sleeve after.