Storing Muslins when not in use

[stargazer77517]

What do yall do? Roll them in 10ft tubes? Trying to keep the creases to a minimum. Ive read that wadding into a ball is an option.

[Dermit]

I wad mine up and stuff it in a bag. I like the random wrinkle look.

[SkipD]

What do yall do? Roll them in 10ft tubes? Trying to keep the creases to a minimum. Ive read that wadding into a ball is an option.The proper method really depends on what type of "muslin" you have.

If it's a painted muslin, you'd probably want to very carefully roll it onto a support tube for storage. This would help to avoid damaging the paint.

If it's a dyed muslin, most folks literally stuff them into a bag in a manner that makes the wrinkles both small and totally random. If you keep the background a bit out of focus and light it properly, you would never notice the small wrinkles. This is the way I deal with my dyed muslins, by the way.

[stargazer77517]

Thanks Guys for the replys. One is dyed and one is painted. Looks like I need to do both methods.

[phr0ze]

I've stuffed my muslins every which way and I can't stand the wrinkles. Perhaps my issue is I am uaully shooting in an environment where I can't get the muslin OOF enough.

[Cathpah]

I've stuffed my muslins every which way and I can't stand the wrinkles. Perhaps my issue is I am uaully shooting in an environment where I can't get the muslin OOF enough.

If you hate wrinkles, sounds to me like it's time for you to invest in a roll of seamless!

[SkipD]

I've stuffed my muslins every which way and I can't stand the wrinkles. Perhaps my issue is I am uaully shooting in an environment where I can't get the muslin OOF enough.You need to have the background at least six feet behind the subject (with about ten feet between the subject and camera) and use a reasonably wide aperture (I have used f/8 or wider) to blur the background enough to blend in the wrinkles.

In addition, your background lighting CANNOT be from the sides. It must be located behind the subject in order to avoid casting shadows from the wrinkles.

[Benji]

I carefully fold mine into thirds. When I unfold it I have one fold vertically in the middle and three folds horizontally. In Photoshop with the clone tool at 50% opacity and 0% softness it takes about one minute to remove the fold marks.

Benji

[SilverHCIC]

You need to have the background at least six feet behind the subject (with about ten feet between the subject and camera) and use a reasonably wide aperture (I have used f/8 or wider) to blur the background enough to blend in the wrinkles.

In addition, your background lighting CANNOT be from the sides. It must be located behind the subject in order to avoid casting shadows from the wrinkles.
Skip is right. I usually try to keep 5 feet (or more) between the subject and the background, and I get very good results. He is also right about direct lighting of the BG. I place a 580 EXII on a low stand directly behind the stool and use the flip down wide-angle panel to spread the light evenly across the BG (to avoid a hot spot).

As far as storing muslins (mine are all dyed) I just shove them in a large plastic Zip Lock bag. ... It keeps them crumpled up really well, they stay clean, and I can tell what color they are with a glance!!!

I have a couple of really big muslins that won't fit in a standard Zip Lock bag (no matter how much I squeeze them), so I just took two Zip Lock bags and joined them with tape. ... I closed the "zipper" on both bags and sliced off one side of each using a straight edge and a sharp blade. While they were still "zipped closed" I set them side-by-side, and just taped them together with strong tape. They work perfectly for storage.

[phr0ze]

If you hate wrinkles, sounds to me like it's time for you to invest in a roll of seamless!

Ahh, Seamless is cheap. Thats not the issue. The issue is the transportation. I shoot on location and I'm not about to buy a van to move seamless around.

[phr0ze]

You need to have the background at least six feet behind the subject (with about ten feet between the subject and camera) and use a reasonably wide aperture (I have used f/8 or wider) to blur the background enough to blend in the wrinkles. .

Yep, that would be ideal. I'm usually cramped for room and that is beyond my control. I try to suggest distances to my clients, but last minute changes usually eat my space.


In addition, your background lighting CANNOT be from the sides. It must be located behind the subject in order to avoid casting shadows from the wrinkles.

I actaully have not tried this thanks. However I would imagine that the wrinkles will still appear further out from the center of the light.

[Gel]

You know, when I read the title I read it as Muslims.

Don't know why I read it that way but all the possible answers that could of been said to the OP made me chuckle.

[SkipD]

You know, when I read the title I read it as Muslims.

Don't know why I read it that way but all the possible answers that could of been said to the OP made me chuckle.The title did say that initially. I brought it to the attention of the moderators right away and they corrected the spelling.

[SkipD]

Yep, that would be ideal. I'm usually cramped for room and that is beyond my control. I try to suggest distances to my clients, but last minute changes usually eat my space.

I actaully have not tried this thanks. However I would imagine that the wrinkles will still appear further out from the center of the light.Another thing you could do is use a travel steamer (used to remove wrinkles from clothes after you take them out of a suitcase). The steam will allow you to knock the majority of the wrinkles out while the muslin is hanging. It takes a little while, but it works.

[jdouglas003]

Another thing you could do is use a travel steamer (used to remove wrinkles from clothes after you take them out of a suitcase). The steam will allow you to knock the majority of the wrinkles out while the muslin is hanging. It takes a little while, but it works.


I hate working with muslins. I have a steamer and it's still a pain to get the wrinkles out. My shooting area in my home studio is not large enough to get enough distance. I bought a "no wrinkle"http://cgi.ebay.com/BLACK-10x20-DIAMOND-CLOTH-WRINKLE-FREE-BACKGROUND_W0QQitemZ350269118988QQcmdZViewItemQQpt ZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item518daa9a0c and it sucked even more. This is a Ebay store for Background Outlet.

I shoot with seamless most of the time but I still do use the muslins when I need to.