What I changed between my first and second order
Yeah, that lighting setup shadows thing got me too on my first go. I ended up just doing a rush job taking ID photo at home without checking the background, and my sig came out looking like a mess. Second time around I actually took the time to follow the step-by-step tutorial and made sure there was nothing behind me. Sounds like a noob question but the search bar really does have all this stuff already answered. Good call sharing this, wish I'd read the sticky before I wasted that first attempt.
Wish I'd thought of this before my first order too. Biggest thing for me was fixing my lighting setup shadows — I was getting weird hot spots across the face. Also realized my sig had that messy background, so I cleaned that up. Honestly, don't skip the "getting started" stuff or read the sticky, it saves you a do-over. Second order went way smoother. If you're on the fence, just use the search bar for photo tips.
Second order came out noticeably better than the first, and the improvements were all things I could control, not vendor quality differences. Here is what I changed.
Photo quality
First order I used a photo taken on my phone in my bedroom with one overhead light. The result on the card was acceptable but showed uneven lighting across my face — brighter on one side, with shadows under my chin. Second order I took the photo near a large north-facing window in daylight with a second lamp on the opposite side for fill. The card photo came out dramatically better: flat lighting, no shadows, more professional look.
State selection
My first card was a state I chose somewhat arbitrarily. I later found out that this particular state is not one of the templates that vendor has the most experience with — the reviews for that state template were sparse and mixed. For the second order I spent time reading reviews specifically for the state and vendor combination, and chose a state with consistent recent positive reviews for that specific vendor. The template was noticeably more accurate.
Proof review
First order I approved the proof within ten minutes of receiving it without careful examination. Second order I spent 15 minutes checking every field against the state template reference I had downloaded. Found one font size inconsistency that I asked the vendor to correct. They did, and the final card matched the reference more closely.
Communication
I also asked the vendor one specific question before ordering: what is their hologram film source for the state I was ordering? The answer told me they were using a specific type of OVD that matched what I expected from that state. Asking one targeted question before ordering gave me useful information that was not visible in reviews alone.