How to photograph an INCI list so the bot reads it (quick checklist)

When the bot fails to read ingredients from a photo, it’s almost always an image quality issue: glare, blur, tiny text, or heavy Telegram compression.

Here is a short checklist that dramatically increases the chance your INCI is read on the first try.

INCI photo checklist (7 rules)

1. Shoot closer so text is large
   Two close-up shots are better than one full-package shot.

2. Avoid glare
   Rotate the bottle relative to the light source; don’t use direct flash straight at the label.

3. Keep the camera parallel to the label
   Strong angles make edges blurry and OCR misses characters.

4. Tap to focus on the text
   Make sure the letters are crisp before sending.

5. Lighting beats camera specs
   Daylight near a window is often better than warm indoor light.

6. If the packaging is curved, shoot in parts
   Two overlapping shots (left/right) usually work better than one shot across the curve.

7. Send as a document (no compression)
   Telegram compresses regular photos. Sending as a file/document keeps small text readable.

If it still doesn’t read

• try a closer crop (often enough);
• send as a document;
• or paste the ingredient list as text.

Quick start

Open BeautyAI and check ingredients