Product photography today is in great demand in advertising and printing. Product photography provides the photographer with the opportunity to earn money by posting their images in the libraries of photobanks, which are accessed by various publications and magazines. If you're looking to learn how to take still pictures at home, here's a quick guide and key tips for photographing subjects.
Subject, background and composition for product photography
The choice of the subject of shooting is entirely up to you. You can start practicing product photography by taking pictures of the simplest things that you will find in your home. Try to choose something simple, but at the same time non-standard and interesting. As a rule, a background of neutral gray tones is used as an environment for product photography. Such a background does not give unwanted color reflections in the photographic image.
As a background, you can, for example, use a uniformly colored wall or a large sheet of white or one-color paper. In addition to a neutral color, you can use a contrasting background that could complement the colors of the subject being photographed. For photographing small objects, it may not be worth using a background as such, instead a light-absorbing surface such as black velvet, on which these objects can be placed, is suitable.
A separate issue when you are dealing with shooting subjects is composition. The photographer in this case is not limited in time and means, since the objects remain static, so you can pay more attention to building a composition. A successful composition is understood as a harmonious combination of objects in the photographic image.
Objects can harmonize with each other, firstly, due to the form. It is desirable to see some simple geometric shapes (rectangle, line, circle, etc.) in each subject being filmed, after which you can build a composition in accordance with simple geometry rules. It is also necessary to remember the psychological perception of various forms. For example, a rectangular shape of an object is associated in humans with stability and static, while a circle is associated with a certain instability, dynamics and movement.
Secondly, when building a composition and finding a harmonious combination of the objects being shot, you need to think about the perspective. You must immediately decide what will be in the foreground (and what will be the main focus), and what will serve as a background or minor detail. The focus of a still image may also shift to the background if, for example, the subject in the background is brighter. The background can also be beautifully blurred by playing with the depth of field.
Thirdly, color plays a huge role in building a composition. The original color combination can transform any, even the most mediocre photo. A variety of associations also work here: green - nature, summer, white - purity, lightness, yellow - warmth and positive mood. Different colors in the picture should be in harmony with each other.
Lighting for product photography
As cliche as it sounds, light is one of the key factors in creating a successful still image. When shooting small objects, you can use both pulsed and constant light sources. The whole difference between them will be mainly in the camera settings - in the case of pulsed light sources, there is no need to set long exposures that generate noise in the picture.
It is not necessary to use expensive studio lighting, you can often limit yourself to diffused light from a window or lighting from fluorescent lamps. The main thing is not to combine light sources with different color temperatures, in particular, incandescent lamps with fluorescent ones. Also, do not use too contrasting lighting - it can lead to too dark shadows in the photo image. To soften the shadows, it is advisable to use softboxes and simple reflectors in the form of a sheet of paper.
Try to experiment with lighting schemes and placement of light sources. All light should not fall on the front of the subject, side and back lighting are equally important, as they can add interest, depth and shadows to the picture. If buying a set of studio equipment doesn't fit into your budget, then you can simply choose a room for product photography that is well lit by windows and benefit from it using ordinary curtains and blinds. Natural light from a window is able to fully illuminate the subject, while it can be supplemented with an ordinary lamp or reflector. When using multiple light sources, be sure to avoid double shadows.
Tripod, photography equipment, camera settings
Product photography will require a tripod, regardless of what light sources you use. The tripod must be stable, it must be able to move the camera from a vertical to a horizontal position. If you are shooting with a SLR digital camera, then, of course, a high-quality tripod with a metal “head” is preferable, since a plastic tripod will shake along with the camera when the shutter is released. When shooting, it is necessary to ensure that the camera is strictly horizontal / vertical. In addition to a tripod, the use of a cable release is also recommended. Thanks to this set, you can set a slightly slower shutter speed than usual, and more freely work with the plot.
As for the photographic equipment itself, when shooting small objects, it is better to shoot on a camera equipped with a macro lens. It is ideal for this kind of shooting, providing high definition and detailed images. If you don't have a macro lens at hand, then zoom lenses should be preferred to a lens with a fixed focal length, for example, 90 or 120 mm. Fixes are known to provide higher image sharpness and less risk of chromatic aberration.
The recommended mode for shooting subjects is Aperture Priority (A). We close the aperture to a value close to the minimum, but not to the very minimum in order to avoid loss of sharpness. In principle, the smaller the aperture, the greater the depth of field, meaning you have more room to sharpen the subject in the frame without blurring the far edge. ISO sensitivity is set to the minimum possible for a particular camera (50 - 100 ISO).
We select the maximum settings for the quality of images - the maximum resolution, RAW format, or JPEG format with the best quality. It is recommended to determine the white balance manually for a specific light source using a simple sheet of white paper. The focus mode is preferable with one zone, and it is in this zone that the part of the object (with contrasting elements so that the focus is “hooked”) should fall, which in the photographic image, in accordance with your plan, must necessarily turn out sharp. Focusing can be done in LiveView mode. Next, turn on the timer shooting mode (with a shutter delay) and turn off the built-in flash.
Object shooting
So, you have set the appropriate camera settings, correctly composed the frame, corrected the white balance and selected the focus area. You can start shooting. Press the shutter button halfway, the camera focuses, and then press the button all the way. We wait for the shutter to fire, making sure that the lighting of the scene does not change at this moment, and then we control the results on the LCD screen. You need to pay attention first of all to the sharpness and correctness of the selected exposure.
To see how sharp the subject turned out to be, you need to zoom in to the maximum view. In this mode, a focus error or accidental blur, as well as blurring of one of the edges of the subject being shot, will immediately become noticeable on the screen. If such shortcomings are found, you will have to reshoot the frame, since it will be extremely difficult or impossible to get rid of this during post-processing. You can connect the camera to a computer, if possible, and carefully examine the frame for blurring on a large monitor screen.
The correct exposure is best checked using a histogram, which shows how many and what tones (in terms of brightness) a picture contains. It is necessary to strive for such a histogram, in which the curve goes with a small indent from the left edge from the zero value to the right one, slightly short of it and dropping to zero. In the event that the histogram curve starts directly from the left edge not from zero, that is, it is “cut off” by the left edge, this indicates insufficient elaboration of details in the shadows. You should enter a positive exposure compensation and repeat the frame again.
The reverse situation is when the histogram curve is "cut off" by the right edge. In this case, detail in the bright areas of the image will be lost, and you will have to enter negative exposure compensation. If the curve is “cut off” on both sides, then the matter will not be limited to exposure compensation. You will have to change your approach to building lighting and setting camera settings. In general, it is very convenient to track the correct exposure on the histogram. After all, one glance at the curve will be enough for you to determine the quality of the exposure and, if necessary, reshoot the frame.
When you have mastered in practice these basic rules and recommendations regarding subject photography, it will already be possible to move on to creative experiments. You can experiment with angles, apply different light sources and manipulate the settings of your digital camera to achieve more interesting and unusual shots.
Subject photography is one of the activities of Moscow photographers registered on the YouDo service. Contact our performers if you need high-quality product images at a low cost.
Experienced specialists shoot objects with a visit to the specified addresses or in photo studios. Using modern photographic equipment, the masters will take pictures that will best emphasize the advantageous features of the goods (high quality materials, bright colors, etc.) Our performers are ordered to take photographs of the following objects:
- Jewelry
- furniture
- clothes (fur coats, hats, etc.)
Yuda-registered specialists have the necessary professional equipment for high-quality photography. After agreeing on all the details, the photographer you have chosen will take over the assignment. Photo editing will be included in the price of the service. Pictures will be of high quality, regardless of the complexity of the shooting.
Professional help for Yudu performers
Before starting work, the photographer will find out the purpose of the photos - this is necessary so that the finished pictures correspond to your business task. Specialists registered on Yuda take photos for different sites:
- printed and electronic product catalogs
- online shopping
- restaurants, cafes, etc.
To create high-quality photographs, the masters select a background that emphasizes the advantages of the product, choose a shooting point. Masters require modern professional equipment:
- tripod
- lens with optimal focal length
- professional camera
- lighting
- photo boxes, special tables for subject photo shoots
Professional photographers are experienced in creating images of various subjects. The price of the work will depend on the volume and complexity of the task.
Before ordering the services of a specialist, look through his portfolio with examples of the best work - this will help you get an idea of the qualifications of a specialist. Also, customer reviews posted in the personal profiles of the performers will help with this. Discuss important details of cooperation in the internal chat:
- shooting rates for product catalog, menu, exhibition
- minimum order amount
- scope of services, etc.
Specialists with experience in studio and location filming in Moscow can be found on the YouDo website in the shortest possible time.
Benefits of cooperation with Yudu performers
Photographers registered on the service are professional in their tasks. Important features of working with YouDo specialists:
- convenient time for photography
- quality result
- low prices
You can order the departure of the performer to any address around the clock. Specialists will promptly respond to your order on any day of the week.
Prices for subject photography are made up of the following factors:
- shooting duration
- specifics of photographed objects
- number of shots taken
- volume of artistic retouching, etc.
The profiles of YouDo performers indicate these and other factors that affect the final price of services. Ask questions to the photographer directly if you do not find the information you need on the personal page.
Choose the artist that best suits your requirements by viewing the price lists of professionals on the Yudu website. Having studied the price lists, you will orient yourself in the offers and quickly find professionals who provide services at the lowest prices.
Leave a request in any convenient way:
- for all specialists registered on the service who are professionally engaged in studio and location photography (for this, fill out the feedback form on this page or call the specified phone number)
- ask for help from one of your favorite performers in Moscow, having previously studied his portfolio
You can order the help of experienced specialists, as well as find out how much professional photo processing costs, at any time.
Your chosen specialist will take high-quality pictures, regardless of the complexity of the task. When shooting on location or in a photo studio, the performer equips a place to work, selects a suitable background, and installs lighting fixtures. The specialist will create an image of the subject that will be most attractive to the target audience.
Specialists have extensive experience in the creation and digital processing of images. Ready shots will look harmoniously in the online store catalog, booklet or menu. Thanks to the experienced performer Yuda, product photography on location or in the studio will be professional and quite affordable.
Publication date: 15.01.2016
Product photography is one of the most relevant and profitable genres that are popular in the modern photographic market. Today, it increasingly involves the creation of images of an advertising nature. Such photographs are widely used on websites, online stores, magazines, advertising layouts, product packaging design, printed products, etc.
The main objective of a subject advertising photo is to demonstrate the offered product, emphasizing as much as possible all its winning sides and disguising possible shortcomings. That is, an “idealized image of the object” is created - a picture, looking at which, the consumer will certainly have a desire to purchase the advertised product.
In this regard, commercial subject photography of an advertising nature has significant technical features, unlike conventional artistic subject photos and still lifes.
The photographer needs to accurately convey the main properties of the object being photographed (texture, color, details, shape), choose the most advantageous angle, and emphasize the volume. As a rule, fuzziness, blurring, deviations in frame exposure, flare, vignetting, noise and other artifacts that can easily serve as an original artistic technique in creative shooting are not allowed in advertising product photography.
I have been doing product advertising photography for over five years. I mainly specialize in commercial photography of cosmetic products for online resources, printing, catalogs and magazines. Also, recently there have been many orders for streaming jewelry for websites and online stores. I shoot on Nikon D800. It is a high-resolution 36.3 megapixel full-frame camera with an image size of 7360x4912 pixels that captures photos with superb clarity, depth and detail. I mainly use Nikon AF-S 85mm f / 1.8G Nikkor, Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120MM F / 4G ED VR lenses, as well as Nikon 105mm f / 2.8G AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor lenses. It is a macro lens with high sharpness and close focusing distance (0.314 m), which is an indispensable advantage when shooting jewelry and small objects.
The first thing we must do before starting work is to clarify the TOR (technical assignment for shooting) as much as possible.
Shooting advertising photos are of two types: streaming and image. Streaming is used when shooting goods for websites, online stores, booklets, etc. Basically, this is shooting individual objects against a uniform background with simple lighting setup, identical and suitable for shooting most objects of similar categories. This approach allows you to shoot a large number of items per shooting day (up to 500 units), that is, it significantly reduces the cost of the process. Complex post-production with this type of shooting is usually not required by customers.
In image shooting, on the contrary, a preliminary study of the concept, composition and details of the frame is necessary, it is possible to include additional props, backgrounds and textures in the frame. The arrangement of light is carried out individually in order to best illuminate all elements of the composition. Such shooting is much more complex, painstaking and expensive than streaming, and requires high-quality post-production. The number of photos at the output is usually from 1 to 15 pieces. Image photos are used to place advertising layouts in the press, design banners, design websites, catalogs, printed products, etc.
The terms of reference should indicate where it is planned to use the photo. Accordingly, the photo format must be specified: horizontal, vertical or square. It is desirable that the dimensions of the final image be specified in pixels. Then you will understand from the very beginning what image size and detail you should provide at the output. If this is a photo of a bottle of 600x600 pixels for a website, then you don’t have to worry too much about the smallest details and dust particles. At this size, the photo simply will not be visible. But if you need a photo of maximum resolution for printing on a billboard, then you will need to take care of the transmission of the smallest details, the ideal depth of field throughout the frame, and also take into account the need for subsequent painstaking retouching of microdust particles, flaws and texture irregularities, which will certainly become visible at a large image scale. . Given these features, you can initially calculate the complexity and time of work, include this in your fee.
When the same photo is saved at maximum resolution (for printing on a billboard), unevenness and defects in the application of paint on the logo, as well as microdust particles on the bottle, become visible.
We will need careful retouching to eliminate all imperfections and get a photo of the bottle with a perfectly even texture and clean, clear inscriptions.
The second thing that it is desirable to find out from the TOR is the necessary angle for shooting the advertised object. Shooting cosmetics, jewelry, and other areas has its own specifics of setting the advertised object in the frame and the most beneficial and frequently used angles. Most often, they are easy to analyze by searching for photos of similar products on the Internet. You can also ask the customer to send references, that is, examples of photos that are supposed to be taken as the basis for the upcoming photography.
You also need to know what background the object should be shot against. Most often, when streaming, customers require a photo on a white background with subsequent clipping. Clipping - replacing the background in a graphic editor with a transparent or completely white background without any information: RGB color 255, 255, 255. Such photos are relevant for websites, printing, page layout in the press. But sometimes you need a photo with shadows falling on the background from objects, reflections, a colored or textured background. These techniques are more often used in image rather than streaming product photography.
After finding out all the above details, we can proceed directly to the photography itself.
I propose to start with the simplest - consider the nuances of shooting matte objects using two bottles as an example.
Let's crop these products against a white background for use on the site. I will need 3 flash light sources, a synchronizer, a table, a tripod and 2 sheets of white plastic. Instead of white plastic, you can use plain white paper, but I prefer plastic, as it has a more even and dense texture without creases and bends.
Alternately place the green bottle of Gardex and the white bottle of Giorgio Armani on the edge of the table plane, after placing a sheet of white plastic on the table. We put the second sheet of white plastic behind the table as a background and place behind it a source of pulsed light with a regular reflector to shine through the plastic into the light.
Let's put the camera on a tripod and think over a suitable angle and shooting point for our objects. One of the most common angles in product photography of various bottles is the frontal one. In this case, the optical axis of the lens must pass strictly through the center of the object being photographed. This solution avoids perspective distortions in the geometry of the object. We will choose this angle.
To begin with, let's try to light our objects with the help of two strip boxes (special attachments to the light source in the form of narrow rectangular soft boxes) placed at the same distance on both sides of the camera.
In this shoot, I used 500 joule monoblocs (power adjustment range 60 steps) with the following settings: 2 strip boxes at 38 power steps, a reflector behind the plastic at 43 steps. Nikon D800 camera, Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens. Camera settings: ISO 100, shutter speed 250, aperture f/18, white balance - "flash". The focal length of the lens when shooting is 120 mm.
Your settings may vary significantly, you can also use a gray card to fine-tune the white balance. But you should always remember that ISO should be as low as possible to avoid noise. The aperture should be quite closed, because in advertising product photography we need depth of field around the entire perimeter of the object, and the focal length of the lens should be in the region of 50-125 mm. In this case, you will get the smallest perspective distortion of the object being shot. At the same time, we always shoot in RAW, as this format gives us much more opportunities for subsequent high-quality photo processing in graphic editors.
Let's look at the resulting photos of the bottles. On the green bottle of Gardex, the glare from two strip boxes revealed uneven textures on the plastic. Eliminating them in Photoshop will take a lot of time. In general, both bottles do not look too juicy and contrasting.
I suggest trying to replace the strip box on the left with a regular reflector (with a power of 24 steps). Photos of the bottles have become juicier and more contrast due to a harder light source. But due to the backlighting, the borders of the objects are a little blurry and overexposed.
Let's put small sheets of black cardboard around the edges of the bottles, and look at the photo. The borders of the bottles have become clearer, and the picture itself looks much brighter and more attractive.
There are times when you want to remove an object (jewelry, shoes, gloves, handbag, etc.) in such a way as to emphasize all its beauty. For example, items are often removed to show off a new thing in front of friends on social networks. However, more often subject photography at home pursues more practical goals: to successfully sell a thing through an ad, to interest the largest number of potential buyers in it. In both cases, you want to get professional-quality images at home. The photographer's advice will help in this.
Lighting and background
A professional photo is taken, as a rule, on a white background, the subject on it is evenly and well enough lit, so that you can easily see everything, even the smallest details, while there are no extra shadows around the subject. There are two main options for how to get the right quality when shooting at home.
Option one: subject table for photography at home
Any table can turn into a subject table for photography at home for a while: a computer table, a kitchen table, a coffee table. In some cases, when the subject is small in size, the role of a table for subject photography can be entrusted even to a stool.
For the duration of the “photo session”, the table should be moved to the wall and a sheet of white drawing paper should be leaned against it so that part of it is on the table, part covers the wall, while at the transition point a smooth descent is formed, without hard bends, like a slide. You can see samples in the images illustrating this article. If you plan to shoot very small items (ring, earrings, etc.), then an ordinary white sheet of A4 format will suffice.
Photographer tip:
The object can be placed on a plate covered with white paper and the player can be slowly rotated. The object will rotate, so you can easily shoot it from different points, and then choose the most successful angle.
Illumination of an object located on a subject photo table is an important point. Optimally, it will be possible to limit yourself to natural light, that is, the light coming from the window (but, of course, not bright sunlight, otherwise it will have to be scattered with a curtain). In this case, there will be no extra shadows.
Photographer tip:
Do not rush to use sources of artificial lighting if the light from the window seems insufficient. Try setting the camera to auto mode and leaving it still. This will allow not only to "pull out" the best quality in the existing lighting, but also to avoid "trembling" of the device, which will also have a positive effect on the quality of the image.
If you need to use additional light sources (flash, table lamp, flashlight), make sure that they are not directed at the subject being photographed. The light can bounce off the side wall or off the ceiling. It is not forbidden to use homemade reflectors: a sheet of white paper, foil. A mirror can also serve as a reflector.
Photographer tip:
A mirror can also be used not only as a reflector - if you put an object on it, you can get quite spectacular shots.
Similarly, a tablet with a white background screensaver installed on the screen can serve as a background, and at the same time a source of illumination. Pictures in this case also turn out to be interesting, the subject on them looks advantageous.
It is important that you need to shoot small objects from a tripod, in extreme cases - from a small bedside table, stool, several books placed under the apparatus. This is the only way to avoid "jitter", almost inevitable when pressing the shutter button, if you simply hold the camera in your hands. And do not forget about the expediency of using the automatic descent function.
Option Two: Photographing Objects in a Lightbox
When the size of the subject allows, it is worth building a lightbox for photographing it. There are several options for how to do it yourself. For example, it can be glued from whatman paper or even sheets of white printer paper. A better lightbox can be built from an unnecessary cardboard box (from under a postal parcel, from under shoes, from under household appliances, etc.).
A lightbox for subject photography is, in fact, a box open on one side (objects will be placed in it from this side, and you will shoot them from here). The ceiling and walls in this box should transmit light well, but not be transparent. This means that the usual cardboard box for subject photography at home will have to be improved. To do this, the central part in each wall of the box will have to be cut out, and instead of them, stick with tape or ordinary printer paper, or white plastic bags, or tracing paper for baking (almost every home has it).
When photographing a subject, you need to direct the light through the top and / or sides of the box (they will scatter it). In this case, table lamps, a monitor screen, flashlights, including those built into the phone, can serve as light sources.
It remains to choose the optimal shooting angle and select the appropriate mode on the camera. If you are an amateur with no great skills, it is easier to simply select the "Macro" mode on the device - this will greatly simplify the process, especially if you are shooting micro-objects such as jewelry, cosmetics, hair accessories, tin soldiers, stamps and the like.
Elena Pronina
We all read reviews of the most diverse computer hardware in numerous online and paper publications, and some of us write these reviews ourselves. A person who is more or less familiar with the specifics of such work knows that illustrations become one of the main problems when writing a review. In computer magazines, there is a photographer on staff with special lighting and photographic equipment for this purpose. I will add: as well as with their secrets, allowing you to put the shooting of objects on stream and have a predictable and high-quality result at the output.
If the author makes illustrations for his own article on his own, using a digital camera and improvised means, the result often leaves much to be desired. A person who is well versed in technology may simply not know how to properly set the lighting and background, what parameters to use when shooting, and most importantly, he is unaware of some of the nuances and techniques that can greatly simplify the process and improve quality. The result of unsuccessful photo shoots is a mass of good, in fact, reviews (usually online), ruined by frankly unsuccessful illustrations. Below we will consider the methodology and techniques of work, allowing you to do at home subject shooting of almost professional quality. If you already have a DTF and a tripod, then the budget for finalizing the mini-studio will be about $ 30.
Initial data
Here are the equipment and materials used in our particular case:
- digital camera Canon PowerShot G5
- tripod Manfrotto 728B
- three table lamps priced at 270 rubles each
- three 100-watt lamps with a reflective coating (40 rubles / piece)
- seven sheets of drawing paper A1 (8 rubles / piece)
As you can see, the last three points, of which the lighting part itself consists, cost less than 1000 rubles in total. In addition to the above tools and accessories, an important part of our complex is a computer table, which acts as a kind of frame. Here's what it looks like before starting work:
We put the light
After you have cleared the table of a pile of undoubtedly necessary junk, filling up the corner of the room, the most important thing begins. The whole idea in this case is to get uniform shadowless lighting. Four sheets of whatman paper will help us with this, which we will put as follows:
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By the way, the attentive reader must have noticed that at first it was about seven sheets of drawing paper, while so far we have used only four. Everything is very simple: we put two more sheets under the lamps themselves and one under the central curved sheet in order to eliminate the reflections and translucence of the yellow surface of the countertop.
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Now you can set up your tripod and start shooting:
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We are filming
Here I would like to make a small digression and touch on the issue of choosing a camera for subject photography. It seems to the author that the optimal ratio (quality + usability)/price
non-mirror digital cameras (the so-called digital cameras) are used for these purposes. Their advantages over DSLRs are well known:
- initially large depth of field, due to the small physical size of the matrix
- the ability to sight in the process of shooting on the LCD screen
Canon's PowerShot G3/G5/G6/Pro1 series (cameras listed in ascending order of price and quality) looks like a very good choice for the specific tasks of subject photography. Here is a list of their advantages over most competitors:
- 2-axis rotatable display, which is convenient to shoot from any position, for example, vertically oriented shots
- orientation sensor that allows you to automatically flip vertical frames when jumping through the standard software ZoomBrowser EX
- remote control included, replacing the cable release
- focus bracketing, which allows you to expand the depth of field by gluing several frames
- well-implemented RAW format that uses lossless compression (takes up less space on the memory card) and allows you to shoot without pauses
Of course, fans of SLR technology can dispute some of the arguments, saying, for example, that a similar depth of field on SLRs can be achieved by clamping the aperture to values of the order of f32, while f8 is the limit for most digital compacts. This attack can be countered by the fact that with similar apertures and frankly low light used by us (300 W), shutter speeds can reach ten seconds. Accordingly, you can shoot only completely stationary objects and it will be almost impossible to capture any object in your hand without blurring. This is further complicated by the impossibility of framing at the time of shooting on a rotary screen (an assistant is required). In addition, a digital SLR with optics of the appropriate class (sharpness, range of focal lengths) costs much more than a compact. Of course, potentially mirror technology allows to achieve a higher image quality, but in this case the well-known saying "from a cannon to sparrows" comes to mind: for online publications and not very large illustrations in magazines, the quality of a good "digital camera" is more than enough.
So, let's try, as an example, to take a high-quality picture of a cell phone that is at hand. The following settings have been made on the Canon PowerShot G5:
- aperture priority mode Av
- f8 aperture for maximum depth of field
- 140mm focal length (maximum zoom) to reduce perspective distortion
- RAW file format
- paper white balance
- center-weighted metering
- positive exposure compensation +1EV
- descent from the remote control
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It is clear that images cannot be published in this form: this is just "raw material" from which we will make normal illustrations. First of all, let's open the RAW files again in the converter and set the white balance more accurately, by the white point. By saving the files as 48-bit TIFF, you can tinker with the levels in Photoshop and get almost decent quality. One problem: the phone's display contrasts sharply with the rest of the image, it is either overexposed and has an unnatural color temperature, or completely unreadable. Let's try to rectify the situation, because we have at our disposal the "magic" RAW format.
Let's take picture number 3 and convert it again, but with different color temperature settings and negative digital exposure compensation. With such tricks, the built-in Adobe Photoshop CS converter is best handled:
We got rid of overexposure, but the color temperature is clearly not the same. Let's try to install it on Daylight (5500 K):
In principle, this is already a normal quality and it is not a shame to put such an illustration on public display. However, the picky critic will notice that the front panel is not well lit, and the glossy oval call/end call buttons and joystick pommel show sloppy reflections of the dark part of the room. Let's try to shoot the phone from a different angle and put our screen on it. This is done very simply: transform the screen rectangle in place with the Skew command and overlay one layer on another using the Overlay method to leave the glare of the protective glass, which increases the reliability:
You can see the result of two hours of work in the last two illustrations. Half the time was spent setting up the mini-studio, setting up the lighting, and filming. Another hour - image processing on the computer. As it seems to the author, the game is quite worth the candle, especially considering that it took a little more time to write the text of this article.
