'No Frills' $75.00 home studio tent/lightbox

Joss -- Coop is the one to give you the most help with multiple images using CS2. I do multiples but use Digital image Pro 10 which is avaialble very cheaply on EBay. Likely in the $20 range. There are freeware image editors but no nearly as good as DIP 10.

Coop, and a few others are much better than I am with putting together multiples without the problems I have in getting the shadows to show properly but it is basically a preparation of each individual image as a layer and then adding it to the base image you have done in camera.

Same thing with the borders and names. I can do it quite simply in DIP 10 with borders but choose to only add my sig to an image. With PS you have to expand the canvas but I would expect that Coop has set up an action to do what he does because he does it so often.

Now as far as the lighting and tent arrangement I currently use and what works just fine and does not require a lot of power but using Daylight flourescents allows for auto exposure with a Nikon 995 a 3.4 megapixel camera please take a look at this thread

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3358160

I beleive everything one needs to know about lighting and tents is included in that thread.
 
SharpByCoop said:
How's this? Just about perfect lighting and great detail. I wouldn't improve this shot. :thumbup:

Coop
Click to expand...

Thanks Coop!

Murray White said:
I wonder, is the handle supposed to be green or is it really black? I ran the image in my editor and hit the "auto levels" and got a black handle but the rest of the blade looks good. The blue background goes a bit deeper when the handle is black. Can you tell us the real color of the handle? If it is black, then perhaps a levels adjustment might improve the image.
Click to expand...

It's green, I just tried Auto Levels is CS3 and the image pretty much stays the same.

Here's my lightbox:









The bulbs are 65W daylight bulbs and I also have my camera on custom WB.

That image above had hardly and PS work done to it, it was pretty good straight out of the camera. I'm very pleased with this setup, just wish I had some more interesting knives to photograph.
 
you have the right idea certainly with this setup. Just a couple thoughts. instead of using solid sides, sides made of the same material will allow you to use a light thru the sides when necessary to act as either accent light of a fill of the shadows on darker handles.
Another idea might be to create a refelective scrim over the top and around the sides of the bulbs that would direct the light toward the diffusing material whereas right now you are losing alot of the direction of the light from the spirals.

have fun with you knife photography
 
Murray White said:
you have the right idea certainly with this setup. Just a couple thoughts. instead of using solid sides, sides made of the same material will allow you to use a light thru the sides when necessary to act as either accent light of a fill of the shadows on darker handles.
Another idea might be to create a refelective scrim over the top and around the sides of the bulbs that would direct the light toward the diffusing material whereas right now you are losing alot of the direction of the light from the spirals.

have fun with you knife photography
Click to expand...

I usually hold a mirror on top of the bulbs to reflect light back down. I also place a sheet of paper in front of the box to reflect some light back.

I'll try the light through the sides if I find I need more light, before I do that I might try some small mirrors on each side.

Thanks,
Kam
 
Very quick lesson: You need a program that allows layers (Photoshop and Photoshop Elements are definites).

  • Open two images on similar background. Select one as the 'core image'.
  • On the inset image, use the polygonal tracing tool to go around the inset. Set feathering at 70pixels and keep about 1/2" away from the inset.
  • Once you finish and click/connect the ends of the PGT tool, it will have a flowing line around the inset (Marching ants.... :))
  • Copy (CTRL-C or Command-C) the inset, and paste (CTRL-V or Command-V) it into the core image.
  • You just created another layer. Go to the layers pallette and set opacity to 60% temporarily.
  • Hit CTRL-T or use the pulldown menu to 'transform' the layer. CLICK ON THE LITTLE CHAIN IN THE UPPER MENU. (Doing so will NOT alter the aspect ratio: h-w.) Use the corners to stretch or shrink the inset and twist it to fit. Go ahead and play. :)
  • Once done hit Enter. Set Layer opacity back to 100%.
  • Use eraser tool to erase hazy edges from the core image.
  • Adjust levels or curves to match inset background brightness similarly.
  • Use pulldown Layer menu to Flatten image
  • Make all final adjustments as a single image (No layers).

That's enough for now.... :) Start a thread and let's see your progress.....

Coop
 
KamSingh, that's about the dumbest and simplest lightbox I have ever seen. :eek: I love it! :thumbup: ;)

Only thing less complicated is PhilL's window 'lightbox' with two sheets of paper and the cloudy sky.

Coop
 
Murray, you're right: I use recorded steps (Actions) in PS to create my borders. I hit one button and it creates the whole thing. I set it up so the text layer is positioned, and only needs to be edited with just the maker's name. Set it up once correctly and it will repeat it every time.

Life is good. :)

Coop
 
Gotta love 'actions'
Set up another 'action key' just for scans...takes the pain out of scanning ;)
 
Thanks Coop!

img2186copy2smallyy9.jpg
 
NOW I've done it.......

KamSingh's a monster!

Coop
 
Here's my attempt as a composite image - thanks to Coop for the directions!

Dowell.jpg
 
Nicely done Joss. :thumbup: Good transitions.

The next phase is to preplan your layout and shoot the details shots as you like them positioned. It's fun! :)

Glad to point you in the right direction. Keep at it.

Coop
 
OK, when I first started adding insets (and you may be WAY ahead of me in this regard), I took a bunch of shots with little regard for where they would actually go. Nice and clear each one but combined, yuck.

So then I considered what it was I wanted to show with the insets. For me, I want to show new information (different, not just enlarged views), so then I shoot my details accordingly and consider how they will display in the photo.

Here is a knife (ironically) I did last night for a noted dealer. Same knife. Here is how I handled it:

standard.jpg


As I shot the image, I considered where I wanted the visual aspects (As you may have done.) Depending on whether you are placing an extra image in the upper or lower areas, determines what side of the frame you wish to let the components run out. So you shooot them accordingly. Preplanning.

Another oft-used aspect I still utilize effectively is a window. I will use this when their seems to be no other solution to the display.

I did this a lot early on. Here is what I mean:

standard.jpg


Coop
 
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