1) Photograph a 3-dimensional object/product
-This object shot needs a new background.
If you have control over the initial shoot, photograph the product on a
contrasting background. (white object on black, etc.) This will give you many
simple options for making the selection of the object. Magic wand, color
range, magnetic lasso and more. The initial shoot is a good place to plan for making your life simpler, and the client happier. (No RE-SHOOTS) At times you have no control over where you are shooting the product, so practice your selection skills, refine and enhance.
2) Make a great selection of your object/product
3) Create a layer mask -DO NOT cut and paste, automatic “F”
4) Make a new background
4a) white or black or tabletop
4b) gradient (top black, bottom white)
Use the shift key when drawing the gradient, this will keep the gradient vertical or horizontal rather than moving diagonally across the background.
4c) not a solid or a gradient, place the object/product in another
photograph, think about the direction of light. One sure way to
look fake is to have multiple directions of lighting.
5) Place the masked object on new background -USE LAYER MASKS
NO Copy and Paste
6) Create a shadow consistent with lighting directions indicated on original
image.
-Repeat creating 3 new images
Things to think about
1) Add noise, grain or film grain to flat color or
gradients (the backgrounds)
2) If your background has noise your shadow needs
the same amount of noise.
3) Many times a shadows dissipate as the are
thrown farther away from the object.
4) You cannot save a bad photograph by giving
it a new background. If the lighting is wrong, etc.
reshoot.
5) A halo of pixels around the object is NOT a good
thing (make clean selections)
6) Your product and background should have the
same contrast range.
7) Your product and background should have the
same image sharpness. No fuzzy background crisp
product.
Hand in:
Envelope containing images and CD
-Name, project, class day and time, date, email and phone#
-For this assignment you will be handing in
-3 files (.PSD) -Adobe RGB 1998
-3 prints ( 6×9 inches on 8.5×11 inch paper)
Of 1 object/product on three different backgrounds
name files: white, gradient and dropped
How To: Shadows
Drop Shadows
1) Make a selection of the object that needs a shadow (If you have already
created a layer mask, command-click the layer mask in the layers palette, your
selection will dance…
2) Create a new layer (with the selection still active)
3) Edit-Fill with black (this will fill the selection with black on the new layer)
4) Drag the new shadow layer below the object needing the shadow
5) Edit-Transform-Distort
(drag, push, pull the shadow to create a natural looking shadow)
6) Filter-Blur-Gaussian Blur
(create a soft edge for your shadow)
7) Lower the opacity of the shadow in the layer palette
-How to make the shadow better-
Instead if a solid black shadow create a gradient, darker near the
object, fading away at a distance.
When in the gradient tool, click the gradient in the option bar, this will give
you a dialogue box. You can set the gradient from black or not quite black
to transparent.
Custom Gradient
•Colors set by clicking on bottom slider,
•Color option at bottom activates
•Cick on your color choice in the image to
•Choose color for gradient
•Distort
•Shadows can have a color tint.
•Shadows tend to get blurry the longer they extend
•The intensity fades as the shadows extend
•Look study explore shadows you encounter. We look at shadows
everyday.
•Create a shadow, make it look true.
