I used to depend on previews a lot when I didn’t want to spend too much time comparing details. Over time I noticed they help for a first impression, but not always for final decisions. When I want a faster overview, I check
this site cs2 wiki skins and use the preview images there together with the descriptions to get a better sense of how the skin might actually look in different conditions. I remember once picking a skin just from a preview and later realizing the in-game lighting made it feel completely different. Now I treat previews as a starting point rather than the full picture, especially when I’m choosing between similar-looking items.