How can I spot and correct an off-white background on an IPS monitor?
Asked 12/23/2011
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I photographed products on a white paper roll and then placed the image onto a pure white canvas in Photoshop. On my IPS monitor, the background looks white enough that I can't easily see slight discoloration or color cast, but on my laptop I can tell the background is a bit off-white. What's a good way to detect and fix those near-white background areas so they match a true white background more reliably?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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As I understand it, you have photographed the products against a white background. I guess you're extracting the product from that background and pasting onto a true RGB(255,255,255) pure white background in photoshop. I think what you're saying is that you have some areas from the original background which isn't pure white, and those don't blend in with the pure white background?
If so, and the original has a color tint, and you want it to be pure white, then before extracting the product from the original background, use a curves adjustment layer, and use the white eyedropper and select part of the background and that should correct the color cast, and will also bring that part of the background close to pure white so it matches the background you're pasting on.
Answering your question more directly I think, once you have the image pasted on the pure white background, if you want to check it, I would use a levels adjustment layer. Move the midtone (middle) slider almost all the way to the right. This will increase contrast in the lightest tones and show you places where you don't have matching whites. You could also use a threshhold adjustment layer. Find spots, paint them over with a white brush or mask them off, then throw away the levels/threshhold layer when you're done.
I hope I've understood the question. If not, clarify :)
Originally by user4191. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4191
14y ago
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Yes—what you’re seeing is likely a slight color cast or tone difference in the photographed paper background, which can be hard to notice on one display and obvious on another. A practical fix is to correct the background before cutting out or compositing the product.
In Photoshop, try a Curves adjustment and use the white eyedropper on a background area that should be white. That can neutralize the color cast and push the background closer to pure white so it blends better with an RGB 255,255,255 canvas.
Also keep in mind that white paper usually isn’t truly pure white; it often has a slight warm or gray tint. So some correction is normal in product work. If small problem areas remain, retouching them manually—such as airbrushing or painting over the background—can be the simplest solution.
In short: use tonal/color correction first, then clean up any remaining patches by retouching.
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