How can I make apparel product photos look more evenly lit and polished in post?
Asked 12/31/2015
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2 answers
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I photographed clothing with two lightboxes aimed directly at the item. The exposure is decent, but the lighting looks harsh and unnatural. I’d like to get a softer, cleaner catalog-style look with more even highlights, similar to polished apparel product images.
Is there a good Photoshop or post-processing method for improving this? If needed, I can also reshoot, so advice on shooting technique is welcome too.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
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A simple method is to shoot from exactly the same position with different lighting conditions so that the shadows appear at different positions. Then you align the images (even though you are shooting from the same fixed position, a shift of a few pixels can easily occur), and transform to linear colorspace. A linear combination of these pictures then corresponds to how the picture would have looked if you had taken it under the corresponding linear combination of the different lighting conditions. You must make sure the white balance is fixed, you should not use auto-white balance.
This allows you to compile a picture of the object illuminated by many lights, shining from different direction so that it is almost uniformly illuminated. When you are done, you transform the result back to sRGB colorspace and then you can correct the white balance.
Originally by user28357. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user28357
10y ago
0
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Yes, but the best result usually starts at capture, not with a Photoshop “effect.” Based on the answers, two things matter most:
- Improve the garment styling: your reference image looks better largely because the clothing is arranged more carefully. Smoother, more natural folds will do more than artificial highlights in post.
- Make the image brighter and more even: increase exposure in-camera or in post if needed.
If you can reshoot, a stronger method is to take multiple shots from the exact same camera position with different light positions. Keep white balance fixed (not auto WB). Then align the images in post and blend them. In a linear workflow, combining those exposures can simulate broader, more uniform lighting and reduce harsh directional shadows.
So the practical answer is: don’t rely on a Photoshop highlight effect alone. Restyle the garment, brighten the image appropriately, and if possible reshoot several aligned frames with varied lighting so you can blend for softer, more natural illumination.
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