TRDFantasy

I know I'm not the only one here, but how many people have noticed that for some of the refreshed Lexus models, instead of properly updating the pictures in the gallery, the old pictures are simply photoshopped, often poorly, to add anything new.

Also with some refreshed models, the photoshopped pics are missing certain key details. For example, the wood piece below the glovebox on the 2010 ES.

IMHO, this detracts from the website and makes some of the Lexus models look downscale with some of these poorly done pics. I'm also not a fan of how certain pictures are overly stylized; it makes the cars look unrealistic. Personally I miss having to see super-sharp, high resolution real-life pics of the cars.

If you're listening Toyota/Lexus, it would be nice if more effort was put into the Lexus USA (and Lexus Canada) websites. With the Lexus Canada website, the problem there is that website is barely updated. The concepts are outdated, and some of the pictures for refreshed models are outdated. Good websites leave a good impression, particularly for younger people.

RXSF

i agree about the horrible photoshopping and also the car-turned-animated look that some pictures have. but I can see taking new pictures every few years being too costly.

and this happens with other brands too, like MB

encore888

Particularly the LSh gallery, they were some amateurish photoshops that were embarrassing; fortunately they removed them with the 2008-2009 changeover, but one still remains:

http://www.lexus.com/lexus-share/ima...ior/g_ext6.jpg

The background blurring is overdone, and the recolorization of the vehicle has removed realism and the actual color. Others are closer to real photographs and much better:

http://www.lexus.com/lexus-share/ima...ior/g_ext9.jpg

By contrast, Lexus Europe's site uses limited photoshopping, and nice crisp photography.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i also agree with all the PS job... i guess if they want to use PS i am ok with it, but i am sure they could have done a MUCH MUCH better job

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

I'm 100% sure the people on CL could chop these cars better.

LexFather

I've bished about the website since day 1....its still "okay" to me, even as it has gotten better. We even had a Lexus survey on it some participated in (forgot if it was a public survey or not)....

I agree the PS are pretty noticeable...

Trexus

Dunnojack can PS way better than the U.S Lexus website...

TRDFantasy

I agree the Lexus Europe website is very nice in comparison to the Lexus USA site. I also think the Lexus Japan site is done very well. I wish the Lexus USA site would improved, if not a complete overhaul at the very least getting rid of those bad photoshop pics.

I do however applaud the Lexus USA site for being very straightforward and informative. It's the presentation and design of the site that could use some work.

encore888

The Lexus Japan site, being at headquarters, has the most detailed info...but it's not readable for us English speakers....wonderful design though. I like the Lexus USA site's design too, it provides a very accessible and modern interface. The Lexus Europe site to me is a bit more on the Flash/techie menus side. The photo quality is great, but it's less straightforward than Lexus USA or Lexus Japan (e.g. the photo loading menu which needs to scroll to see more pics). I also wish they would not use gray headings for Lexus.eu, and also maybe have a more sharpened Lexus logo for Lexus.com. Another worth mentioning is Lexus Australia, which seems to have a more accessible stylistic counterpart to Lexus.eu.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

I did notice that for the 2010 ES they forgot to add the wood across the dash in that one pic. Looks bad:



As far as the PSing...it's really rather unexcusable. I noticed that for the change from the 07 to 08 GS, all they did was change the wheels and recolor the rear fender on some pictures. It seems so cheap and amature for a company like Lexus. How much does it cost to have a photographer take a few new shots every year? Probably less than you pay the people who endlessly retouch these photos to the point that they look like cartoons.

















This pic is particularly ridiculous, as the top of the dash on the cashmere interior is light gray, not black. It's a shame too, because this looks much better...


Probably one of the worst:


All of the retouching and editing makes these cars look almost nothing like how they appear in real life. It looks like a screen shot from a computer simulation or something.

TRDFantasy

It seems different Lexus sites have different strengths. The Lexus USA site indeed is very informative, and the interface and is very straighforward and accessible. They just need to add some polish, and slick elements to the USA site, like more professional pictures to make it a fully professional site. More movies would also attract more younger people.

lex

And they should renew the videos that would be cool.

TRDFantasy

I think that it would be GREAT if the Lexus USA site used pics as professional as the press pictures found on Toyota's pressroom website. Those are sharp, clear, professional looking pics.

encore888

Fixed!!!

Well, I like the Lexus pressroom pics, particularly for how accurate they are...however I much prefer the outdoors photos. The indoor ones are typically taken with a featureless background and the lighting is not always that flattering.

The photoshopped ones have more artistic intent in them at times...however many of the outdoors ones in the pressroom are great.

TRDFantasy

Looks like Lexus is listening after all .

I agree about the indoor press pics. The featureless backgrounds do not help, but the outdoor press pics are usually dazzling, and are rare among Lexus pics in the sense that they actually accurately portray how L-Finesse styling cues would look in real life.

I don't mind artistic intent in some of the pics, but on the other hand I want at least some of them to look crisp, clear, and professional.

I am sure they could make some dazzling interior press pics if they just put a bit more effort into it.