What Are The Benefits To Clipping Paths In Product Photography.

As a photographer I've lost track of the number of occasions a customer has requested

their product to be photographed against a plain white background. The reason they ask for a white backdrop is not only that the object will look at its best against white in terms of contrast and colour accuracy but also often the product will eventually appear on a white web site or on a white pamphlet page.

Some objects will indeed photograph well shot in front of a white background including dark products that will contrast successfully against the brilliance of a white background. More often than not though this system will prove to present very poor results for one quite simple reason:

When shooting most objects I always shoot in a way that highlights the best qualities of the object itself which doesn't necessarily create a totally white background. Successful lighting for the object will often result in underexposure of the background so that it appears an unpleasant and uneven shade of grey. Think of a pair of white shoes as an example. If the professional photographer was to seek to light the backdrop so it appeared as a flat white then they would possibly neglect the shoes making them appear overexposed, faded, lacking in intricacy and as flat and 2-dimensional as the background itself.

A capable commercial photographer could certainly overcome these difficulties by advanced photographic techniques such clever but laborious masking or flagging of the object. This would certainly create a very agreeable image but at the expense of time, one thing that neither the photographer or client has the luxury of. Great if this is a one off bespoke shot and the client is prepared to stump up a entire days photography fees for one or two shots although lets be practical, most customers simply need a well shot Pack Shot.

Under these circumstances the simplest, most affordable and usually most effective solution is in the creation of a post production clipping path. A clipping path is where the image is imported into image editing software, mostly Photoshop, and then the object or product is essentially drawn around by hand with the pen tool to create a vector based path. This clipping path can then later be administered to the image file to effectively 'cut-out' or detach the object from the background, such as when wanting to print. Visualize this action as basically drawing round an object in a journal with a pen then cutting round this drawn line with a pair of scissors to remove the object from the rest of the magazine.

The fantastic thing about clipping paths is that not only can you precisely alter the exposure, colour caste, sharpness and contrast of the product individually without effecting the background, you can then drop that object onto any background of your choice, as many times as you desire. One week you might decide to paste it onto a white web page the next week ask your designer to print up a leaflet with a whole range of products, all appearing as if they were shot at the same time. In order to give your cut out product a more 'real' feeling you may also ask your designer or photographer to attach a soft drop shadow, both to give it authority on the page and create a gentle transition between the products edges and the page.

To summarizeTo conclude clipping paths offer the client a cost effective and long-lasting solution when presented with the task of shooting bulk product shots, allowing the commercial photographer to fully exploit the visual properties of the product without considering about the final look of the background.

by: Andy Nickerson

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