FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS for photographers
Zillow Showcase Product
What is Zillow Showcase?
Zillow Showcase is a unique listing marketing product that allows agents to create an elevated listing experience on Zillow. Showcase listings combine interactive media, listing agent prominence and powerful exposure on Zillow to impress sellers and help agents win more listings.
What is the listing agent asking me to do?
Agents have the option to work with their photographer of choice – that's you – to capture the listing media for their Showcase listing. We're here to facilitate that process and connect you with the resources you need to capture and upload all the high-quality, interactive media needed to create the elevated Showcase listing experience.
We’ve heard from agents that their established photographer relationships are important. We respect these relationships and through this program can offer agents who want to leverage Zillow Showcase in their business more choice, while supporting independent photography businesses.
Do I need an Aryeo account to upload media to Zillow Showcase listings?
Yes. You will need to use either a free Aryeo Lite account or an Aryeo Pro account to upload the media. Photographers have the option to create a free Aryeo Lite account using the registration page. Please note, if a photographer has not created an Aryeo account in advance of their first media request, the photographer will be required to create an Aryeo Lite account following the instructions in the email they receive for their first media request from an agent.
Aryeo Pro is our paid Aryeo plan that gives media companies access to additional premium features. You can learn more on the Aryeo website about the premium features included in Aryeo Pro.
What media am I required to capture for Showcase listings
Participating photographers are required to capture still photography and a Zillow 3D tour and interactive floor plan.
Media Rights for Showcase Listings
Who owns the rights to the still photography I capture for Showcase listings?
As the photographer, you own the rights to the still photography, panos and the copyright to the virtual tour. ShowingTime+ receives a license to use the media to create the elevated Showcase listing experience.
Can I add my own watermark to the images on the Showcase listing?
Currently, still images captured for Showcase listings are branded with “ST+." Independent photographers may add their own watermark to the images for Zillow Showcase as long as the photographs captured for Zillow Showcase are uploaded through the media upload link. To avoid impacting the integrity of the listing or photographs, we suggest no more than 144 pixel width x 54 pixel height.
Who can upload the media for Zillow Showcase that was captured by a participating photographer?
Can my assistant or team member upload the media? The simplest way to assure you are providing the necessary license to create the Showcase listing experience is to have the photographer who captured the media upload it and agree to the media terms and conditions. If you have another photographer, assistant, or other member of your team who will be managing uploading the media, please make sure they have the necessary rights to the media required to agree to the media terms and conditions. If you are unsure or have any questions, please reach out to us at photographersupport@showingtimeplus.com.
Zillow 3D Home & Interactive Floor Plans
Do I have to capture a Zillow 3D tour and interactive floor plan?
Yes, you must capture a Zillow 3D tour and interactive floor plan using the Zillow 3D Home capture app. Select “Virtual Tour & Floor Plan” when beginning to capture the media. You can find detailed instructions in our capture guide.
What kind of camera can I use to capture a Zillow 3D Home tour and interactive floor plan?
To capture using the Zillow 3D Home app, you must use a compatible 360 camera from the following list: Ricoh Theta Z1, V, X, SC2, or SC2 for Business, or Insta360 ONE RS 1-Inch 360 Edition, X4, X3, or X2 cameras.
Will the type of compatible 360 camera impact the image quality of the Zillow 3D tour and interactive floor plan?
Though any compatible camera can be used to capture Zillow 3D Home tours & interactive floor plans, higher-quality 360 cameras tend to produce higher-quality tours. We recommend the Ricoh Theta Z1 or Insta360 ONE RS 1-Inch 360 Edition, as they are the highest quality cameras from each manufacturer.
Do I have to use a floor marker to capture a Zillow 3D tour & interactive floor plan?
Do I need to create a Zillow or Zillow 3D Home Capture app account before capturing an interactive floor plan?
Yes, you will need to create a free Zillow 3D Home Capture app account. This can be completed when you open the app.
Can I capture Matterport or Cubicasa instead of a Zillow 3D tour and interactive floor plan?
No. Showcase listings feature a Zillow 3D tour and interactive floor plan, which must be captured using the Zillow 3D Home app.
Am I expected to offer Zillow 3D Home tours and interactive floor plans to all my clients?
Showcase listings require a Zillow 3D tour and interactive floor plan.Zillow 3D Home is available to you at no cost if you would like to take advantage of this free offering for your clients, separate from Zillow Showcase. It is up to you to determine the charge for the service and how it fits into your suite of offerings.
Can I offer Zillow 3D Home tours and interactive floor plans to all my clients?
Zillow 3D Home tour and interactive floor plans are available to you at no cost to include in the suite of services you offer to agents as you see fit. Zillow’s interactive floor plan is a cost-effective way to enhance your value to help your clients get specialized exposure for their listings. Interactive floor plans bring your client’s listing to life into a seamless, interactive experience, buyers and renters can get a sense of your home without stepping foot inside. See more details on the Zillow 3D Home website.
Zillow 3D Home & Interactive Floor Plans - Capture Process
How long does it take to capture a Zillow 3D Home Interactive Floor Plan?
This varies based upon the size of the home. On average, it should take approximately 45 minutes to simultaneously capture a Zillow 3D Home tour and interactive floor plan.
What if I can’t find the address of the listing in the Zillow 3D Home Capture app?
Inside the app, select the “Keep Private” option on the “Complete your tour screen”. You can then use the 3D Home Dashboard here to add the address and post the tour to the Zillow listing.
I selected the "virtual tour only" option and clicked finish. Can a floor plan still be created?
In order to properly create the floor plan, creators must select the floor plan and virtual tour” option inside the Zillow 3D Home app. If this option was not selected, creators may need to return to the property and recapture the entire Zillow 3D Home tour and interactive floor plan by selecting the “floor plan and virtual tour” option inside the Zillow 3D Home app.
I forgot to add a room, can I edit the tour?
Yes! A new panorama will need to be captured on-site. To add a panorama to a completed tour, please follow these steps:
- Navigate to the tour from your Zillow 3D Home app under the “My 3D Homes” tab
- Tap on the three dots on the lower right corner of the tour you would like to edit
- Select “Add/remove panoramas”
- Read through and check the boxes in the “Add/remove panoramas” pop-up
- Select “Continue”
Once you have added the new panorama(s), click Finish. The existing tour link will update to show the new panoramas that you added to your tour.
Can I update label names on the floor plan?
Yes. Any edit requests can be submitted to floorplan@zillowgroup.com and then reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Edit requests will be reviewed within one business day.
Note: The labels on floor plans are independent of the labels of the Zillow 3D Home tour, so changing the labels on the tour will not change the labels on the floor plan. We use the labels on the 3D Home tour as a guide when creating the floor plans.
How do I share my Zillow interactive floor plan tour with my client?
We recommend that you share the unbranded tour link with your client. Your client can submit the tour to the MLS using this link. You can find the unbranded tour links in the 3D Dashboard here. An email with the unbranded tour link will also be sent to the email address that was used to login to the Zillow 3D Home app and create the tour.
Can I capture the Zillow 3D tour and interactive floor plan at a different time than the still photography (I’ve already captured still images for the property)?
Yes; however, we recommend that you capture the Zillow 3D tour and interactive floor plan as close to the same time as the still photography as possible so that all of the media matches – for example, the furniture and paint are consistent throughout all media.
Uploading Media for Zillow Showcase
How do I upload the required media to a Showcase listing?
Photographers will upload the required media using an Aryeo account. Photographers can access Aryeo with an Aryeo Pro account or our free account option, Aryeo Lite. Follow the step-by-step instructions in the articles below to successfully upload media to a Showcase listing:
Note: Photographers with an account who have enabled Showcase Select do not need to accept Showcase media requests. Instead, they will automatically receive a new order inside their Aryeo Pro account each time an agent orders media from their Showcase account. Learn more about Showcase Select.
Has the media upload process changed for Zillow Showcase?
Yes. Photographers will upload media using an Aryeo account to all Showcase listings created after March 11th. Photographers can access Aryeo with an Aryeo Pro account or our free account option, Aryeo Lite.
Note, if prior to March 11th you received a media upload link via email for the Showcase listing, you will use the media upload link you received to upload the Showcase media.
I received a media request, but I have not created an Aryeo account yet. What should I do?
If you did not create an Aryeo account in advance of your first media request, you will create your account when accessing your first media request. Photographers can access Aryeo with an Aryeo Pro account or our free account option, Aryeo Lite. Once signed in to your Aryeo account, you can access the media request you received.
Can I receive media requests for non-Showcase listings?
Yes! Agents who use Showcase can also place media requests for their non-Showcase listings with their photographer. Photographers will upload media to non-Showcase media requests using an Aryeo account. Follow the step-by-step instructions in the articles below to successfully upload media to a non-Showcase listing:
Note: Photographers who have enabled Showcase Select do not need to accept non-Showcase media requests. Instead, they will automatically receive a new order inside their Aryeo account each time an agent orders media from their account. Learn more about Showcase Select.
I work for a photography company, can we onboard our entire team to capture and upload media for Zillow Showcase?
Yes. You can create a primary Aryeo account for your company. We can then set up an email address domain feature for your company so that if a media request is submitted by an agent to an email address that matches your company’s email address domain, the media request will be sent to the primary Aryeo account for your company. Your team can then manage all media requests from your primary Aryeo account. You can email photographersupport@showingtimeplus.com to request that our team set up the email address domain feature for your company’s primary Aryeo account.
My agent wants to remove a photo or change the order of photos in their Showcase listing on Zillow. How can I do this?
Photographers can delete photos from a Showcase or non-Showcase media request using the listing page inside their Aryeo account.
Note: If an agent wants a photo deleted from the All Photos section of their Showcase listing, the agent must remove the photo from their MLS listing. If an agent wants a photo removed from the photo carousel or featured room sections, the agent will need to remove the photo using their Showcase account.
What media am I expected to upload for Showcase listings?
You are only required to upload the still photography and Zillow 3D tour and interactive floor plan. If your client requested additional media, that should be delivered directly to them (Showcase listing agent) so that the media can be added to the MLS listing.
Can I upload other floor plans as an alternative to Zillow 3D tours and interactive floor plans?
No. Zillow 3D tours and interactive floor plans are required for Showcase listings on Zillow. If you encounter an issue with your Zillow interactive floor plan, please contact 3DHome@zillowgroup.com for assistance.
Can I upload media separately and at different times to the listing in my Aryeo account, or does all the media need to be uploaded at the same time?
The media for Showcase listings can be uploaded at different times. The first time you upload media to a Showcase listing you must upload the URL link for the Zillow 3D Home virtual tour and interactive floor plan and upload at least 10 total photos that represent a minimum of 3 interior rooms (at least one photo of three distinct rooms) to meet the minimum Showcase media requirements. You can return later to the Showcase listing and add additional photos and media.
Can I upload the still listing photos to the media upload form using Dropbox?
Yes, you can use Dropbox when uploading your media.
Can I upload the still listing photos to the media upload form using Google Drive?
Yes, you can use Google Drive when uploading your media.
I already have all the required media. Can I use that instead of reshooting the entire house?
If you own the required media (still photography and Zillow 3D tour and interactive floor plan), you can use the media for the Showcase listing. Photographers and agents are not authorized to use media they do not have the rights to for Showcase listings.
What image file types are acceptable for upload?
We recommend that still photos be uploaded as .jpeg files. Other file types such as .heic will automatically be converted to .jpeg after the image files are uploaded. We do not accept video, music or zip files.
Is there a maximum file size for each still image?
Yes, the maximum file size for each individual image is 10MB.
Is there a maximum number of still images that can be uploaded?
No, there is not a maximum number of still images that can be uploaded.
I only captured still photos for the listing. What additional media do I need to capture and upload for the listing to become Showcase?
If you only captured still photos and did not capture a Zillow 3D Home tour and interactive floor plan for the listing, you will need to return to the property and capture a Zillow 3D Home tour and interactive floor plan. Photographers need to upload both the still photos and the link to the Zillow 3D Home tour and interactive floor plan to the Showcase listing.
Where can I find the link to my Zillow 3D Home tour and interactive floor plan in order to upload it?
In the 3D Home Dashboard here, find your tour and click on the Share option to access the link. You can share and manage every Zillow 3D Home tour and interactive floor plan that you complete using the 3D Home Dashboard.
Aryeo Lite
What is Aryeo Lite?
Aryeo Lite is a free version of Aryeo offering a foundational toolset for media professionals. Using Aryeo Lite, media professionals can:
- Receive and deliver Zillow® Showcase media requests from agents who use Showcase.
- Upload and deliver media to their customers.
- Add team members to their photography company account to help manage media.
- Give their customers access to their media through a download link or their own customer portal.
Can I create an Aryeo Lite account?
Yes, photographers have the option to create a free Aryeo Lite account using this registration page. Please note, if a photographer has not created an Aryeo Lite account in advance of their first media request, the photographer will be required to create one following the instructions in the email they received for their first Showcase media request.
What is the difference between Aryeo Lite and Aryeo Pro?
Aryeo Lite is a free version of Aryeo with a foundational toolset that is available to all photography companies. Aryeo Pro is a paid Aryeo plan that gives media companies access to additional premium features. You can learn more on the Aryeo website about the premium features included in Aryeo Pro.
Showcase Select
What is Showcase Select?
Showcase Select is a designation that allows Aryeo Pro customers to be discoverable by agents and receive media orders directly from agents through the Showcase agent experience. Learn more about Showcase Select.
How can I become a Showcase Select photographer?
Showcase Select is a designation available to Aryeo Pro customers. Aryeo Pro photographers can receive the Showcase Select designation by (1) enabling the Showcase Select feature within their Aryeo account, (2) designating media products that meet the media requirements of Showcase, and designating at least 1 order form that includes these media products, and (3) creating a Showcase Select company profile.
Aryeo Lite photographers can visit the Upgrade to Aryeo Pro page to learn more about becoming Aryeo Pro and receiving the Showcase Select designation.
I previously enabled the Showcase app inside my Aryeo account, but I no longer see that it is enabled in my account. Do I need to enable the Showcase Select app?
Yes, you will need to enable the new Showcase Select app.