How can I photograph porcelain tiles so they look accurate for an online store?
Asked 4/28/2012
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2 answers
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I need to photograph porcelain or bone china tiles for an e-commerce site, but the current images make them look worse than they do in person. The samples show perspective distortion, uneven framing, and visible reflections or shadows from the photographer. What basic shooting techniques should I use to get cleaner, more accurate product photos, and what can be corrected afterward in Photoshop?
Originally by Mert Nuhoglu. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Mert Nuhoglu
14y ago
2 Answers
10
There are a few things that could be done to get better photographs to start with (and some things you can fix afterwards, but would be better fixed when the shots are taken):
photograph from directly above dead center to avoid the perspective distortion you see in these photos (with the top edge narrower than the bottom edge). This can be corrected in Photoshop to make the tiles look more square.
get your horizon straight too (this can also be corrected in Photoshop).
there are some very obvious reflections (or shadows?) of the photographer in the bottom right quadrants of the photos. I don't think you can fix this in Photoshop, but you could fix it with lighting in the original shots (light from the side, avoid light from behind the camera).
I think the photos could also use some contrast (and saturation), which is fixable in Photoshop.
Originally by user227. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user227
14y ago
0
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The biggest improvement will come from reshooting, not heavy Photoshop repair.
For product shots like tiles, place the tile flat or mount it so you can photograph it straight on, with the camera centered and parallel to the surface. That avoids keystoning and makes all edges appear equal. Keep the frame level as well.
Use soft, diffused lighting rather than direct flash. Light from the sides—ideally from two sides, or even four—helps reduce harsh reflections and shadows. Avoid placing the main light behind the camera, since that can create reflections of the photographer or camera in glossy surfaces.
Expose carefully so the color and surface detail look natural.
In Photoshop, you can correct perspective distortion and straighten the image if needed, but obvious reflections and poor lighting are much harder to fix convincingly. So the best workflow is: get the tile square, evenly lit, and properly exposed in-camera, then use Photoshop only for small perspective and alignment corrections.
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