Ebay shots ......... white background?

[MarkOne]

How do you get the totally white background if you are doing a sales shot for Ebay for example?.... I know you can do it in PS, but sometimes it looks bloody awful if you get the edges wrong.

Any camera settings method?

[Bumble]

Other than PS the most effective way of doing it is using a lightbox, but it's expensive to buy all the gear if you're only selling the odd thing.

I've looked into buying a tabletop set up but have heard mixed reviews as to how good the cheaper end stuff is. I'd be interested to know if anyone has tried an had success with one of the cheap end packages.

[Mark W]

MO look at using feather for the edges - thats what we use mate

[gary65]

Mark,

Either a white background, which you can then light independent of the subject, try and get a curve so it seems there is no background, or a light tent. Light tent is especially good if you have something that is reflective as it will not show the reflections, or at least cut them down. My photography lecturer had us make a light tent from and old bed sheet hung from the ceiling !

[Roy]

I don't put much on eBay these days, but I usually use an A1 or A2 sheet of 250gsm artist card. I position the card on the floor near a wall with a curved bend in the card to try and provide a continuous background. I bought several different colours including white, black, pale blue and pale yellow to provide an appropriate contrast depending on the predominant colour of the object being photographed.

[ahobden]

I made a lightbox out of foam board to form a cube with one face removed; cut most of the left and right hand sides out and covered those in tracing paper. I lit each of those sides with a floor standing builders halogen lamps (500w), put a continuous sheet of card in the back of the box to form an infinity curve, and over expose by approx a stop to make the background white rather than grey. I bought the materials from Staples (about £15) and the lights from Wickes (about £6 each). I'll post an image of the box if you like, in the mean time, a couple of sample shots below:

[cosmicma]

maplins sell a cheap light box for a tenner in their sales ( normaly £20 ) but if you know maplin they cycle there so called sales so if it's not on sale this week keep an eye out it'l come back up for a tenner soon enough

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=38260

[Metalhund]

"I'll post an image of the box if you like"

I like to see the box

Kind regards

[Rob.Richards]

Me too!

[ST]

Just checked Maplins the box is now £9.99 worth a punt possibly

[ahobden]

As requested ..