Homemade photo box for product photography. We make photo boxes and light boxes for product photography
When I started writing my first reviews, and this was more than 4 years ago, I immediately ran into a problem with the quality of the photos. There was a catastrophic lack of light at home for them - my window arrangement is such that there is little light before lunch, and after lunch the sun shines directly into the windows. The problem became especially acute in winter, when there is little light outside during the day, but indoors it’s generally the same... Then I made my first lightbox with my own hands, which I improved several more times. But he came to an end long ago and I chose a replacement for him. This lightbox can help with several issues at once - good clear photos in sufficient lighting and various backgrounds - substrates. In general, if you are interested, go to the cat, at the same time I will show you my homemade monster :))
For a moment of humor, I suggest you look at my first homemade lightbox. To make it, I used a box from a water heater, cutting out one of the sides, leaving a small canopy to cover the lamp. Don’t judge the quality of the photo, because I took photos on an ancient smartphone for a long time, it’s good that the photos were preserved at all. 
Then I bought a fluorescent lamp. I took the maximum power I found. 
Well, I screwed the lamp to the top part using nuts. The cardboard is thick, so everything was held securely. In addition, I made holes in different places so that the lamp could be rearranged different places, avoiding glare and reflections. For the background I usually used white Whatman paper. This is what the finished structure looked like. 
Of course, it improved the photo quality, but not much. There was not enough light, ideally there should be 3 light sources, i.e. 2 more on the sides. Over time, I refined this question as well. But my miracle design had several drawbacks: firstly, it turned out to be quite bulky and did not fold. And secondly, over time it simply rotted because it was stored on the balcony))
Well, now we come to the hero of the review. I received something in a small bag, at first I even thought that the Chinese had made a mistake. 
But when I opened it, I realized that everything was in order. They somehow stuffed the lightbox into a small purse. As soon as I pulled it out and pulled the edge, this whole structure (like inflatable boats in the cartoon) began to rapidly unfold and increase in size. I was a little freaked out by what was happening. I never managed to put it back into its original state! The most I could achieve was a flat surface, in this form you can easily hide it behind the sofa. 
For comparison - with a handbag where everything was stored. 
In addition, the bag contained 4 more fabrics - substrates. 
The fabric is double-sided, with a different texture on each side. On the one hand, something like suede, on the other, more glossy. There is Velcro in the corners to glue inside the cube. 
The fabrics, of course, have wrinkles at the folds, so I had to iron everything before use.
The cube when unfolded is quite voluminous. This photo clearly shows the dimensions in comparison with the washing machine. At that time my wife just passed by and said that I bought a laundry basket that was too big :) 
Dimensions: 60x60x60 cm. There are also smaller ones, for example 40x40x40 cm and larger - 90x90x90 cm. For my purposes it seemed to me optimal size This is exactly the one I made the right decision.
As you can see, the fabric of the cube is all wrinkled, but this is absolutely not important, because it will not be visible in the photo. Its main purpose is to transmit light through itself, making it soft and scattering it.
There is quite a lot of space inside. 
You can completely close the cube, leaving only a small cutout for photos. 
Using Velcro, we attach the fabric - the backing. 
Done, you can take photos. I have not yet solved the problem with the light; before, my lamps were attached to cardboard, but now I need to think about tripods or other mounting options. When finished it should look like this: 
So far I have only one source - from the top; I haven’t figured out how to secure the side ones. A table lamps I don't have much. But even this turns out pretty well. Here is a small example photo from lightcube. 
The product was provided for writing a review by the store. The review was published in accordance with clause 18 of the Site Rules.
I'm planning to buy +27 Add to favorites I liked the review +31 +48A factory-made shadowless photobox is a necessary thing, but quite expensive. For us, far from professional photographers, a homemade lightcube is quite suitable, which can be made from literally anything. Among the most inexpensive and simple options– thick cardboard boxes, plastic photo frames, ceiling tiles made of polystyrene foam, PVC corners and ordinary Whatman paper.
I decided to make myself a light cube from an ordinary mesh toy basket, once bought on AliExpress at a ridiculous price. Over time, the need for such a “container” disappeared, and I simply didn’t think about what else to use it for, until the idea of making a photo box with my own hands was born. For a folding version, such a basket is an ideal basis. The work, however, is more painstaking, but the product turns out neat, light, and compact. And it takes up practically no space - you can even roll it behind the back of the sofa, or push it onto the “roof” of the closet!
Manufacturing cost and components
The total cost of a homemade lightcube did not exceed $7: the basket cost $1.5, 2 mini-lamps on clothespins cost $3.0, and a pair of 15 W LED bulbs with an initial power of 100 W cost $2.5 . Well, an old calico sheet that you don’t mind cutting can probably be found in any chest of drawers. The only tools that will be useful are thread and a needle, a sewing ripper, a soft measuring tape (“centimeter”), large pins and sharp tailor’s scissors. Now spit on your palms and let's get to work!
Making a photo box
We carefully disassemble our structure - we simply rip out the seams connecting all 4 sides of the basket. Then we remove the mesh and get light metal frames. As you will notice, these scaffolds suddenly take on a round shape when freed from the tissue. A surprise, of course, but quite acceptable - we will work not with ovals, but with rings.
Using a flexible “centimeter” we cover one ring and determine the length of the future binding. In my case, the perimeter was 146 cm, to which I added 4 cm for the edge hem. In total, you should get 4 bindings, one and a half meters long, and make the width a little larger than the standard one - about 3-3.5 cm.
Now we need to cut out the “cores” of these rings - 4 fabric circles that will serve as diffusers. We simply measure the diameter of the rings and look for some kind of basin or other thing with suitable dimensions at home. I had such a thing, it turned out to be a boil-off lid with a diameter of 47 cm. I carefully outlined it, and when cutting it out, I added 3 cm (that is, I increased the diameter to 50 cm, so that it would be enough to sew on the binding). Important: do not try to draw a circle on fabric using a compass - you will ruin the material in vain.
When all the parts are ready, we begin to process each of the rings one by one with tape. You grab the folded edges on both sides with pins - there is no point in basting with threads, because we will need to insert the cores into the binding.
This is what we will do now: take out 2-3 pins, insert the edge of the core with a margin of a couple of centimeters and baste “through and through” with white threads. We continue this way in a circle until we have processed all 4 frame rings.
The finished circles turned out very neat, right? Here, for example, is how it turned out for me: I fastened all 4 circles with ordinary stationery clips(binders). For clarity, I turned the structure upside down.
Now we return the box to its “natural position” and prepare it for shooting. We install a lamp opposite the side walls. If you are going to photograph on a table, the lamps can be secured with clothespins along the edge of the tabletop, but since my table is too narrow, I have to do this on the floor. And so that the lamps would not wobble because of the clothespins, I attached to them scraps from plastic window sill– it’s holding up very well, by the way!
The first shot came out so-so because it was “white on white.”
But here it’s better: everything is clearly visible, right down to the inscriptions on the bottles.
The elephant in double packaging (cellophane + organza bag) also turned out to be quite “readable”.
Note: the bottom of my light box I covered it with a piece of the same sheet, but in order not to bother every time before shooting, ironing this piece, you can replace it with a 50-centimeter strip of whatman paper, and cover the “holes” in the corners of the structure with pieces of fabric from the outside.
And one more moment. For my purposes - photographing handicraft objects and dishes for photo recipes, this light is enough. But if you plan to shoot something small (detailed), then 15 W LED bulbs will not be enough; you will have to buy a couple of more powerful lamps. Good luck with your filming!
If you have never come across the concept of a “photobox,” then you have never felt the need to beautifully photograph some small objects. Otherwise you would already have it :)
Photobox, aka lightcube, aka photocube, aka shadowless box (this, by the way, is from Wikipedia), etc. - This special design in the form of a cube, within the walls of which you can photograph objects in such a way that they are optimally illuminated and do not have any surprises in the background.
There are a huge number of photo boxes sold around the world for a variety of photographers’ needs, but they all have one caveat: they need to be stored somewhere. Photographers have a photo studio for this. I don't have one. And I have the need to conduct subject photography no more than once every three months.
That's why I don't buy or keep a photo box. I make it quickly from paper and safely throw it away after use.
Materials for making a lightcube:
- 5 sheets of A4 paper
- scotch
- pencil
- ruler (no shorter than 30 cm)
- scissors
Sequence of steps for making a lightcube:
Step 1. I take two A4 sheets and place them side by side in a horizontal position:
Step 2. I fit them tightly together and secure them with tape:
By the way, I’m a little clumsy, so my sheets constantly come apart when gluing like this, so first I glue the joined edges to the base under the paper with two small pieces of tape on top and bottom, and then I glue them along the entire length. I have a rug here, but it’s also convenient on the windowsill - the tape generally comes off perfectly from it.
Step 3. I take the third sheet of A4 paper and fold it in half:
Step 4. I place the folded sheet exactly in the center of the glued A4 sheets. For accuracy, I combine the fold of the sheet with the glued “seam” and then unfold it to its full width:
Step 5. Now I bend the left “wing” along the edge of the sheet:
And then the right one:
I make sure that the horizontal lines converge and the “wings” overlap each other exactly. The result is a booklet like this:
Step 6. I make special markings on the 4 corners of this booklet: 2 centimeters on each side:
And I mark an additional 2 centimeters from the edge in the middle - along the “seam”:
Step 7 I take a ruler, place it 2 cm from the edge according to the markings, and fold the paper edge over the ruler:
I smooth it out with my finger, first along the ruler, and then without it:
And the same along the top long edge:
Step 8 The booklet is now ready for gluing into a box. You just need to make slits for the folds:
And the template itself begins to assemble into the desired form:
Step 9 I use tape to secure the structure:
It fixes quite well: the structure stands on its own and holds its shape very well:
Step 10 But it holds it much better when the “floor” and “ceiling” appear. I take the fourth sheet of A4 and put it inside the structure:
And, in general, that’s all! For most photographs and objects, this lightcube design will be quite sufficient.
But the fact of the matter is that thoughts about buying a professional photo box arise when the simple design of a light cube no longer produces photographs. So let's move on.
Step 11 I turn the photobox upside down, place the fifth and last A4 sheet inside and get a cube with a “ceiling” and a “floor”:
Step 12 I take that third A4 sheet that I used to mark the “wings” and cut it in half:
Step 13 I make marks according to the height of the resulting photobox and bend the edges according to the marks:
Step 14 I close the last open face of the photobox with the resulting curtains:
All! Now this is a completed photobox/lightcube design.
Examples of using a homemade photobox:
I decided not to write much about the use of photoboxing. Then I’ll make a separate post about various options use. In addition, I will collect good samples in a calm environment. And here I will voice some points.Firstly, about the curtains: these are cool thing for light equalization and white balance!
EXAMPLE No. 1 - CURTAINS:
The light on the lip gloss comes from the left side, and it comes from a flashlight with LEDs. But the image takes on the wrong hue due to the flooding light from the incandescent chandelier behind me. Incandescent lamps produce a strong yellowish tint, which can be eliminated by closing the front wall with curtains. The balance is evened out, and the extra light source no longer interferes. This time.
Two is the most successful photobox design for photographing shiny mirror surfaces that reflect the world around you. In the left photo the gold cap reflects part of the room, but in the right it reflects only a thin strip of something dark between the doors and overall looks much cleaner and prettier.
Now, I am absolutely sure that photographs of famous luxury brands of perfumes, cosmetics and other things in shiny bottles with reflections in the form of the same dark stripes were made in photo boxes in exactly this genre - with curtains having slots with different alternating widths.
I didn’t adjust the white balance before shooting, but, in general, it doesn’t matter for the example. It is important that the photo box allows you to work from any angle without worrying about what will be included in the frame. You can completely concentrate on the subject and not think about what’s going on on the ceiling. This time.
Two is the convenience of a clean background for clipping - separating an object from the background. Because there is practically nothing to do here. It is enough to whiten the existing background using curves, levels, selective color or any other convenient tool in Photoshop and get the final image:
If I were selling something, I would probably constantly be creating something similar. But I don't sell, so I'm just having fun:
Tool " wand"In a clean background it works just fine! A colossal saving of nerves and effort! :))))
Yes, by the way, so that there are no questions about photographic equipment: I take photographs digital camera Canon PowerShot A650 IS. This is a good toy with a fairly pleasant dynamic range, so I don’t have any problems with highlights or underlights in a white background.
A little later I will post a third example here - shadowless shooting. Which, contrary to the common practice of using side spotlights, I do it with illumination from below - under the photo box - this is really the coolest way to photograph without shadows! A huge advantage of a paper photo box is its lightness and transparency. All you need to do is place it on the glass and apply powerful light from below - and you will have unique, clean photographs in your pocket!
That's all for now. Thank you for your attention! I will be glad to see you again!
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The hobby of photography is quite an expensive pleasure. has always been in demand, for example, in photo banks, and is also relevant for those who are interested in handmade and want to show their work in all its glory. For quality subject photography you will need a lightbox, which is easy to make yourself.
A lightbox mixes and diffuses directional light, which is generated by lighting devices, creating a shadow-free pattern of an object and concentrating the viewer's attention directly on the object. Its purpose is quite clear, and the DIY process is quite simple and takes no more than half an hour.
To make a lightbox we will need:
- carton
- sheet of whatman paper (size depends on the size of the box)
- scotch
- glue (pencil or PVA)
- ruler
- paper knife and scissors
- flipchart paper
- 2 clothespin lamps
- 2 energy-saving white light lamps
Making a lightbox with your own hands
Let's take it cardboard box. The size depends on the items you will photograph in the lightbox.
Trim off the excess using scissors and a utility knife.
We get this design.
We cut whatman paper if it is too big for the box.
Having made sure that the power buttons did not hold the Whatman paper well, we decided to use glue and tape, despite the fact that the structure cannot be disassembled.
We attach whatman paper to any glue or tape.
The design is already becoming similar to a lightbox.
Cut the flipchart paper. It is thin enough to let light through.
Advice: You can use any light-diffusing material, such as a tablecloth.
We cover the slots in the box with it.
You can use ordinary clothespin lamps by purchasing energy-saving white light lamps for them.
You can also use household halogen floodlights. But if the lightbox is small, table lamps with a flexible leg will be enough.
Keep in mind that halogen spotlights heat up quickly and can burn your hands or burn your apartment. Therefore, do not leave them on for a long time.
Now you can start photographing objects. The result of our efforts:
You do handicrafts and need high quality photos graphics of your products? Or are you just interested in subject photography, but for now at an amateur level and everyone necessary tools no for this? Be that as it may, yours faithful assistant will become lightbox made.
This item has many names - “photobox”, “photocube”, “light box”. Call it what you want, but having made a lightbox with your own hands, you will understand that this is an impromptu mini-studio with which you can get high-quality photos at home. Lightbox is a cube, on five sides of which white or loose fabric is stretched. They diffuse light and eliminate harsh shadows, which allows the viewer to focus their attention directly on the subject of photography.
What to make a light box from?
To make a light box you will need the following materials:
DIY photobox. Master classes
Lightbox out of the box
The size of the box will depend on what you are going to shoot. If these are miniature products, for example, jewelry, then you don’t need a large box. It will simply take up extra space. But if you are shooting various products for an online store, then it is better to use a larger base.
Photobox made of plastic pipes
Another way to make a photo box with your own hands is this is the use plastic pipes . This method is more complex and will require certain skills and tools, but this box looks much more aesthetically pleasing.
Foam light box
The simplest and most practical light box You can make it yourself from sheets of foam plastic, such as those used for finishing ceilings. You will need four sheets in total.
- Using tape, glue three sheets of foam together with the letter P. That is, you should get the back and side walls.
- Place another sheet on top, but attach it only to one of the sides so that it looks like a lid, and top sheet opened and closed.
- Open the top side and attach the paper to back wall. You can simply bend the sheet a little and it will already adhere to the frame. The paper should be of such a size that it also covers the bottom of the photo box. Close the top to keep the light out.
- Install the lamps.
The practicality of such a light box is that if the paper is dirty, you want to change the background color or make it textured, then just open the top wall and attach another sheet. In the same way, you can hang various decor that will complement the composition.
Using this master class you can do more cheap option lightbox made of thick paper, such as watercolor paper, cardboard or wooden boards.
Ready-made lightboxes cost several hundred dollars, but by spending a minimum of money and effort, you can make a small photo studio at home with your own hands. The most expensive of all materials will be good light bulbs with bright white light. For high-quality photographs, you shouldn’t skimp on light.
With photobox you no longer have to wait for good sunny weather and shoot only in daylight. And the time for processing photos will be significantly reduced. There is no need to adjust white balance, contrast, remove sharp shadows or, as happens in some cases, completely change the background, which requires special skills when working in graphic editors. Another advantage is that the quality of the photo will not be affected by surrounding objects, which can sometimes greatly distort the colors of the photographed object.
If you use a light box and know how to correctly compose, then even pictures taken on mobile phone, will differ little from studio photos. So not worth spending a lot of money on something that you can easily do with your own hands using detailed master classes.