How can I photograph transparent objects on a pure white background?
Asked 8/9/2019
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I’m trying to photograph a transparent object for a clean pure white background, but I shot it in a light box against black because I thought it would make the object easier to see. In Photoshop, masking it onto white doesn’t look realistic because the transparent edges and highlights don’t behave correctly.
What’s the right way to light and shoot transparent objects if I need a true white background straight out of camera, or at least something that can be cleaned up naturally afterward?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
6y ago
2 Answers
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Kind of, but it won't look right. You can set the black BG as the white point using a levels adjustment layer. This will make the image almost entirely white. Then use the layer blending option and set the layer to only affect darker tones. This will leave you an image that is light and mid tones. Mask out the surrounding BG as required, and put a white layer underneath everything.
The problem is then that your highlights and shadows are primarily inverted from where they should be. And that is because you used a black BG; because it makes it easier to see the translucent material highlights.
The right way to do it would be to take the picture on a white/light BG and use negative lighting (black cards/fabric) for the translucent plastic to reflect. Then, all of the edges/lines that are currently white would instead be black. It's not really important that the BG photograph as pure white, that can be edited... what is more important is the correct tonal relationships in the image as recorded.
Here is a quick edit done as I described (if it is not your image, or you disapprove of me posting it, I will remove it).
Originally by user70370. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user70370
6y ago
0
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Masking a transparent object shot on black onto white usually won’t look right. The reflections, highlights, and shadows are built from the dark background, so when you replace it with white the object looks unnatural.
A better approach is to shoot it on a white or very light background from the start. Place the white background behind the subject, ideally with some distance, and light or flash the background so it goes pure white. Watch the histogram and expose the background to white without pushing so far that you get blooming or halos around the object.
For transparent subjects, use negative fill: place black cards or black fabric at the sides so the object reflects dark edge lines and keeps definition, while the background stays white. Side or slight backlighting can also help the transparency show.
You can improve contrast afterward, but the key is getting the white background in-camera. If you want a dramatic black-background look instead, a glossy black surface can work well for transparent objects—but that’s a different setup than a pure white product shot.
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