# Need advice getting a 'pure white' background



## omar (Oct 23, 2015)

I want to take photos of items I want to sell on Amazon.
They need a pure white background.

Is it a good idea to simply shoot an a fairly white background and then just cut out?
A fairly white background being better than a noisy background?

OK... so this might be more of a software editing question...
But I was guessing there'd be someone clever here who can advise. 

Thanks.


Omar


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## Zv (Oct 23, 2015)

It's pretty easy to get a pure white bg. All you need is a white sheet (doesn't even need to be pure white) and then blast it with a speedlite. Make sure not to hit it with too much power or the light will spill over onto your product. Also ensure the white background is at a good distance away from your product to avoid getting creases in focus. You can always adjust things in post but getting a white background right in camera saves a lot of time and frustration. 

Also, if you are happy with off white (which works well for some products) you don't even need to fire a speedlite at the background. The key light should probably be enough. Though I'm a big fan of independent background light as it offers more control. 

Even a white wall could work though you really do want a seamless background to avoid getting lines where the different surfaces meet.


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## neuroanatomist (Oct 23, 2015)

Consider a Cloud Dome Infinity Board (they sell them on Amazon  ). For small items, a sheet of copy paper works.


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## Zv (Oct 23, 2015)

Some additional advice - you can place the background light on the floor aiming up at the white background or from a light stand to the side. You might need to "flag" it to prevent unwanted light and possible flare in your shot. An easy way to flag is to get a piece of black card and just elastic band it to one side of the speedlight head. I made my own flags one day using card and thick black cloth that eats up light (my parter like to sew and had surplus!). It's flexible and very versatile.


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## pardus (Oct 23, 2015)

get a piece of clear glass or plexiglass and set it up as a table. 

put your item on it to photograph

put something white behind it 2-4ft depending on size of object and background. 

light your subject and get exposure correct

add another light from underneath the clear table pointed towards the white background. 

when setup correctly, no post production even needed.


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## CSD (Oct 23, 2015)

Glass table with a small softbox underneath it, or I sometimes use frost/white plexiglass instead to give a less harsh light. Then I use white paper background with a light on it, or sometimes another sheet of plexiglass usually white.

Then it's a just case of managing the lights and how to light the object, if I want to remove light I use black velvet.

If it's a case of removing the object and placing it onto another image then you'll want to look at green screen, but that's a different project to worry about.


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## Pookie (Oct 23, 2015)

Buy a cheap, small item white box for this type of photography... essentially a white translucent pop-up cube. Aim your speedlite at it and done... You can get super cheap ones on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-2090-30-Inch-Backgrounds-Photography/dp/B000UCEUQI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1445622729&sr=8-3&keywords=product+photography+light+box


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## wsmith96 (Oct 23, 2015)

I use poster board, a folding TV tray, and some tape. Put the tray close to a wall then lay the poster board on it with a curve up the wall. Tape the poster board in place, light the subject (I use 2 flashes), and away you go.


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## scottkinfw (Oct 23, 2015)

Likely better, easier, and faster to get a white background.

If you are shooting small things, there are light boxes you just drop them into and hit them with a flash. For larger things, you can get white backgrounds and shoot that way using high key techniques. Shouldn't be that hard.

Look at strobist website for some tips and ideas too

sek



wsmith96 said:


> I use poster board, a folding TV tray, and some tape. Put the tray close to a wall then lay the poster board on it with a curve up the wall. Tape the poster board in place, light the subject (I use 2 flashes), and away you go.


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## peterzuehlke (Oct 23, 2015)

try to have a separate light for the background to cover any shadows cast by your subject, especially if the subject is close to the background. in the old days, before histograms, we used incident light meters and the rule was make sure the white seamless or white cove had light 1 stop brighter than the light falling on the subject to facilitate a clean outline.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 24, 2015)

omar said:


> I want to take photos of items I want to sell on Amazon.
> They need a pure white background.
> 
> Is it a good idea to simply shoot an a fairly white background and then just cut out?
> ...



Just remove the background and leave it transparent. Getting it pure white is pretty difficult, and a pain when compared to how easy it is to just remove it and save as a png.

That way the background will be transparent and appear bright white. (jpgs cannot have a transparent background)

Photoshop and other similar software can do this.


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## emko (Oct 24, 2015)

i have carvings made out of stone and they are kind of shinny, i can get the background nice and white but the edges of the product become soft not nice and clean sharp edges. How do you fix that problem? 

i use a plexiglass with a white background and a flash from underneath hitting the white background.


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## CSD (Oct 24, 2015)

emko said:


> i have carvings made out of stone and they are kind of shinny, i can get the background nice and white but the edges of the product become soft not nice and clean sharp edges. How do you fix that problem?
> 
> i use a plexiglass with a white background and a flash from underneath hitting the white background.



Try increasing the distance of your object from the background, you have light wrapping around your subject and that's what's causing the softness.


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## omar (Oct 26, 2015)

thanks for all the replies guys - really helpful.

the problem is amazon need a pure white background.
is it possible to get a 'pure' white background using some of the techniques mentioned?

actually... i'm not even sure about shadows!

if not possible to get 'pure' white... and/or shadows is an issue...
then the only choice i see is to cut out using software?


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 26, 2015)

omar said:


> thanks for all the replies guys - really helpful.
> 
> the problem is amazon need a pure white background.
> is it possible to get a 'pure' white background using some of the techniques mentioned?
> ...



You can get pure white, or close enough for Amazon, I would not worry. Therre are some awful photographs there. 

Removing the background is the easiest, and files are smaller and load quicker.


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