FIELD NOTES · LISTING TECHNOLOGY · 8 MINUTE READ
Zillow Showcase. Citadel media.
Official Zillow Showcase product screenshot, shown for commentary. Image © Zillow.
Showcase is the platform. The media team is your choice.
Zillow’s own ordering guide says agents can invite an existing photographer. You do not have to hand the creative work to Zillow Media Experts in order to use Showcase.
ZILLOW
Provides the Showcase treatment.
Zillow manages the subscription or listing credit, the enhanced listing design, agent branding, Zillow 3D Home viewer, interactive floor plan, virtual staging and performance reporting.
CITADEL
Creates and coordinates the media.
We capture the HD photography and Zillow 3D Home tour that generates the interactive floor plan, then coordinate the wider campaign—drone, film, social assets and a property website when ordered.
84% more page views. 77% more saves. 93% more shares.
Those are Zillow’s June 2026 averages for active Showcase listings compared with similar nearby non-Showcase listings. They are not a guarantee for an individual property—but they explain why agents care about the treatment.
HOW IT WORKS
Five steps. One coordinated shoot.
01
Activate Showcase
Create the address in Zillow Showcase, choose a credit or payment method, and click “Get media.”
02
Choose your photographer
Select Citadel under “Photography companies you know,” or use “Invite photographer” and send the request to us.
03
Book directly with Citadel
We confirm the appointment and the exact media plan. If you are inviting a new provider, Zillow notes that scheduling may happen directly with that provider.
04
We capture and upload
Citadel photographs the property and captures the qualifying Zillow 3D Home panoramas. Zillow processes the tour and interactive floor plan.
05
Review before launch
In Showcase Workspace, review the media, reorder or delete photos, complete the listing and then publish through the normal MLS workflow.
Showcase also includes shopper-controlled virtual staging on eligible room photos. Official product screenshot © Zillow.
Why use Citadel instead of Zillow’s camera team?
Because Showcase is only one destination. Your listing still needs a coherent campaign everywhere else buyers and sellers encounter it.
01
One visual standard
The photos, 3D tour, drone and film are planned as one body of work instead of separate products from separate vendors.
02
One local relationship
You know who is coming to the property, how the home will be photographed and who to call when a detail changes.
03
One campaign beyond Zillow
The same appointment can produce MLS photography, social video, a property website and seller-facing marketing—not just a Zillow deliverable.
WHAT HAPPENED TO MATTERPORT?
For Zillow, 3D Home is now the practical replacement.
As of January 29, 2026, Zillow says it does not display Matterport tours. Showcase is instead built around Zillow 3D Home and its AI-generated interactive floor plan.
That does not mean Matterport disappeared from every use case. It may still be useful on other platforms or for commercial and archival needs. It simply is not the tour Zillow is showing right now, so it is no longer the sensible default for a Zillow-first residential listing.
What should I order from Citadel?
Start with the media Showcase actually requires. Then build the wider campaign around the property and the way you intend to market it.
THE REQUIRED FOUNDATION
Showcase-ready essentials
Professional HD photography plus a Zillow 3D Home capture that can generate the interactive tour and floor plan required for Showcase.
THE STRONGER SELLER STORY
A complete real estate media package
Add the media that works outside Zillow: drone, a vertical or horizontal film chosen by its job, social-ready content and a property website when the campaign calls for them.
A NOTE ABOUT SKYTOUR
SkyTour is separate from ordinary drone photography and video. Zillow says it is currently available only in select markets and requires a Zillow Media Expert plus an eligible package. We will not promise a feature Zillow itself makes conditional.
The short answers agents actually need.
Showcase is simpler when the platform, the photographer and the launch sequence are treated as three separate decisions.
Do I still pay Zillow?
Yes. Showcase access or listing credits come from Zillow. Citadel’s fee covers the media production you order from us.
Can an existing listing become Showcase?
Yes. Zillow allows agents to flip a live listing, but the listing still needs qualifying HD photos, a virtual tour and an interactive floor plan.
Can I rearrange the photos?
Yes. Zillow’s guide says media can be reviewed, downloaded, rearranged or deleted after the photographer delivers it.
Do I need Matterport too?
Not for Zillow Showcase. Zillow currently does not display Matterport tours; its own 3D Home tour and floor plan are the relevant spatial media.
SOURCES AND METHOD
Product details and statistics were checked against Zillow’s official materials current in August 2026. Zillow, Showcase, 3D Home, Matterport and SkyTour are trademarks of their respective owners. Citadel Photography is an independent media provider and is not Zillow.