How do you shoot a 360° rotating product image with a turntable?
Asked 4/14/2013
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I’m quoting a product shoot where the client wants an interactive 360° spin: as the user moves the mouse, the product rotates through a sequence of still images. The item is roughly iPad-sized.
What’s the best way to capture this efficiently? I’m considering using a turntable/lazy Susan so the camera and lighting stay fixed while the product rotates.
A few specific questions:
- Is a turntable/lazy Susan the right tool for this kind of shoot?
- How many positions around the object are typically needed for reasonably smooth rotation?
- Any tips for minimizing post-processing, especially if the turntable might appear in the frame?
I’m mainly looking for practical capture advice rather than web-development details.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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Furniture stores may have simple turn-tables that they sell for television tables. It is a tv-set cabinet, with a circular bearing device and a MDF sheet on the bearings. Wait a sec, I'll go take a photo of my turntable bearings plate:
That's a light version, rated for max 50 kilograms, and not really so very smooth. Stan's suggestion sounds good, that you buy something of a bit higher quality. Inserted the photo so you'll better know what you will be looking for.
To make the turning look smooth, it should be at least 15 frames per second, and that's not very smooth yet. A good deal of computer displays are flat LCD screens with 60 Hz refresh rates, and it would be nice to have the turning image fps suit that number. Take a pick from 15 fps, 20 fps and 30 fps. After that, you'll want to decide how long will the complete turn take. One second full turn makes you dizzy, I think. Two seconds for complete turn might look better, which makes for 30 frames at 15 frames per second rate. Your customer should have been more specific about it.
Basicly it is just another timelapse, only you turn the object and control your camera instead of letting all go on a programmed automaton.
About the time, I bet you'll spend as much time setting up the lighting than you'll spend at postprocessing. See, the object is turning, but lights should stay put. No nasty reflections at any phase of the turn, while still having every angle nicely lit.
Originally by user17441. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user17441
13y ago
0
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Yes—this is typically shot with the product on a turntable (often called a lazy Susan) while camera and lighting remain locked off. For an iPad-sized object, a sturdy, smooth, repeatable turntable is more important than extreme weight capacity; stability helps keep alignment consistent and reduces post work.
For frame count, 15° steps gives 24 images for a full rotation, which is a common starting point. That can work well for mouse-driven product spins. If you want smoother motion, use smaller increments (for example 10° for 36 frames). The smoother you want the interaction, the more frames you’ll need.
To minimize post-processing:
- Keep camera, tripod, focal length, exposure, and lighting fixed.
- Center the product carefully on the turntable.
- Use a clean background and lighting setup that hides or de-emphasizes the base.
- If possible, choose or build a turntable surface that blends into the background so you don’t have to mask every frame heavily.
The playback itself is usually handled later in software/web code; your job is delivering a consistent, evenly spaced image sequence.
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