I see pictures on Ebay and other trade sites that have pictures of merchandise that have no background. Only the item is in the picture. How can I do that with my merchandise? What picture editing software would I need?
They are most likely shot in a light tent with a white background and a white surface.
This gives the appearance that the item is not sitting on anything, and if you need to cut the item from teh background, you will have a uniform color to extract from.
March 4th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
Actually, alot of the time it has nothing to do with editing software. And easier way to take pictures of objects with no background is to find white(or black) fabric and use it as a backdrop with some good lighting. An editing software can then be used to brighten the colors if needed, which will give your pictures a more professional look.
References :
March 4th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
You should be able to do that with any of the photoshop-type software, but they can be very expensive and take some time to learn. Paint.net is a free program that will do it, and it’s pretty good. There still will be a learning curve, but that’s what it takes.
Another alternative is to shoot your merchandise on a light table. This eliminates the shadows and makes it look as if the background is just pure white. Higher end camera stores can probably set you up with one, but again there’s cost and learning involved.
Or you can shoot your object on a plain white board or wall, but you’ll still get some "background" because of the shadows. Pros use rolls of background paper or "sweeps" to keep from showing where the floor (or table) meets the wall. Depending on the size of your product and the quality you’re going for that professional look can take a long time to master.
Even with the best of equipment, you’ll probably need to fix some things in your photos digitally, so you might as well just go with the software from the start. If you really want good quality, take it to a pro.
References :
Paint.net website:
http://www.getpaint.net/
Example of a light table:
http://www.nextag.com/SMITH-VICTOR-SmithVictor-3-500499380/prices-html
March 4th, 2010 at 9:03 pm
also after taking photo on blank backdrops, you can edit in any photo editing program like photoshop, or even accessories/ paint, if not those then other, by opening image, and selecting background color and erasing around object,
Photofiltre
http://photofiltre.free.fr/frames_en.htm
Gimp ~photo editor,
http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/stable.html
..
References :
March 4th, 2010 at 9:35 pm
Do mean mean there is a "neutral" background? For example a white, black or dark grey background?
Or do you mean that there is literally no background behind the item, so that you can place the image on a web page, without having to see a square or rectangular background. In other words, the background of the image is the actual color of the page the image is on?
If the first one, you can simply use a white or black bedsheet or you can get some thicker material from a fabric store. There are also companies that make backgrounds for professional photographers.
If you mean the second scenario, the images are usually saved as a GIF file. The GIF format allows for a "clear" or "no color" background. Most image editing software allows for this.
References :
March 4th, 2010 at 10:24 pm
They are most likely shot in a light tent with a white background and a white surface.
This gives the appearance that the item is not sitting on anything, and if you need to cut the item from teh background, you will have a uniform color to extract from.
References :
March 4th, 2010 at 10:47 pm
If the object is small enough, you can put it right on a light box. See http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/1296244675/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/412244168/ for examples.
If the object is too big for that, you can use a piece of heavy white paper as a backdrop. Set it up so that it gradually curves from the table top to a prop behind the backdrop. This will eliminate the "horizon" as you shoot. Here is one that is not lit all that great and the background is not white, but you can get the idea of the effect a little better because it is NOT white. Look to see where the background transitions from being flat to being horizontal. http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/1023266602/
Here is the way to set it up: http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/2039003177/
Here are some more examples with further explanation under the image. Bear in mind that you can use white paper and the background will pretty much disappear. I used the brown paper simply because I had it and because it makes it easier to avoid overexposure, which you have to be careful of with a white background.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/2039748432/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/2039748284/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/2038951527/
References :
March 4th, 2010 at 11:36 pm
I photograph them on a white background. It has to be very white though. Then the background doesn’t show because it’s on a white page.
This isn’t a very good example, but here is one of the ebay quality paintings of mine ( I never sell good ones on ebay) on ebay with a shadow on a white background, and because it’s on a white page, you can’t see the excess.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=260168422992&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=016
That’s the simplest way to do it.
Here is another, http://cgi.ebay.com.au/FM-TRANSMITTER-BK-for-APPLE-IPOD-NANO-VIDEO-30GB-80GB_W0QQitemZ120183771044QQihZ002QQcategoryZ73836QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I think it’s more like what you want. You can also take the photo into photoshop and use the bucket tool to colour in the background white. If you do that make sure to save it as a jpg not a psd or it will be too big.
References :
Accredited ebay powerseller, 7 years experience.
March 5th, 2010 at 12:21 am
You don’t need software — you need a light tent.
Google it.
References :