How to take product photo that floats in a white background

[tradertt]

Hi

Anyone know how they take those product photos that seems to float in a white background like this?

http://a1377.g.akamai.net/7/1377/5720/20040331190116/www.sephora.com/assets/dyn/sku/729780/729780_hero.jpg

Thanks and any help would be appreciated.

[Ikinaa]

If I had to shoot something like that, I probably would use a light tent like this ...

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/greenbatteries-store/eztabtopligt.html

[tradertt]

Thanks :) I know about the light tent but the background will still be shown and it will not look like it is floating in air ...

Any idea whether it is a Camera technique or a photoshop technique and how to do it?

[Fiberoptik]

Its a photoshop technique... A simple cut and paste. Shoot your subject using a light or white background, assuming that the edges of your subject are not white, and using the magnet tool carefully cut out your subject and paste it onto a pure white background. There are many different ways of doing this. For complex subjects try using a white mask and gently paint away the parts of themask covering your subject. It can also be done using a softbox or slave flash system. Good luck

[xounds]

i think i could help you with this.. im a graphic designer..
its just a matter of shooting your subject in a plain background and later filling the background colour in with a colour of your choice, in this case white. this is the easiest method if youre talking about using graphical software

[tekgik]

you can use a white bended board as a backdrop to have a straight background effect. Though it still requires photoshop editing. Have a look here http://www.shortcourses.com/studio/tabletop/studio.htm

[Ikinaa]

i think i could help you with this.. im a graphic designer..
its just a matter of shooting your subject in a plain background and later filling the background colour in with a colour of your choice, in this case white. this is the easiest method if youre talking about using graphical software

What about the white reflection in the mirror, you have to replace that also...
And the white reflection on the black, now tell me how you do that when for example you had previously a green cloth where you put it on...?

[xounds]

i think i could help you with this.. im a graphic designer..
its just a matter of shooting your subject in a plain background and later filling the background colour in with a colour of your choice, in this case white. this is the easiest method if youre talking about using graphical software

What about the white reflection in the mirror, you have to replace that also...
And the white reflection on the black, now tell me how you do that when for example you had previously a green cloth where you put it on...?

tts real easy too, you just fill in the area whereby the mirror reflects the white part.. its the same method as filling in the background..

[Ikinaa]

i think i could help you with this.. im a graphic designer..
its just a matter of shooting your subject in a plain background and later filling the background colour in with a colour of your choice, in this case white. this is the easiest method if youre talking about using graphical software

What about the white reflection in the mirror, you have to replace that also...
And the white reflection on the black, now tell me how you do that when for example you had previously a green cloth where you put it on...?

tts real easy too, you just fill in the area whereby the mirror reflects the white part.. its the same method as filling in the background..

I not only mean the mirror-reflected part but also the reflection on the black frame of the mirror...

[Mike Saxon]

Sure you can mask the compact, and replace the background with white, and then adjust the reflections within the mask.

But it is far easier if you start with a good original, photographed in the traditional manner of table-top product photgraphy:

1. completely shadowless lighting through a BIG softbox close to the object, and just out of the image frame. Or shoot through a wrap-around light tent. Either will achieve wrap-around lighting, but there will still be minor shadows where the compact sits on the (white) background, so...

2. Also use bottom lighting through a white translucent base (Lucite/Perspex). Meter this shoot-through, bottom lighting at about 2-stops brighter than the top lighting. The bright reflections on the left and front sides of the compact suggest to me that bottom lighting was also used in this shot.

3. Raising the object slightly off the background will also help to eliminate any shadows, i.e. literally 'float' the compact by resting it on a small glass/translucent block placed under the centre of its base (I've used an empty white plastic film canister cut down in height so it can be hidden from view.

With careful metering, and bracketing shots, the photo will appear as in your image, and any minor variations in the background will be very easy to Photoshop out, with Curves and Levels. You may not need masking at all.

Mike