The first picture is right out of the box. It only took 5 minutes or less to fluff the leaves to what was aesthetically pleasing. I have contemplated investing in a live fiddle leaf fig of this size or larger but then I came across this faux one! Of course I would rather have a live plant but I don’t have the best luck keeping even the “hardiest” houseplants alive. This tree looks real and is very affordable compared to others I’ve researched. Yay, so excited!