The Ultimate Guide to Product Photography, Retouch and Composite with Aaron Nace and Ross Floyd

About this Class For more than a decade, Ross Floyd has developed his skills and knowledge of product photography working with dozens of clients and taking over 70,000 professional images. In this tutorial, he breaks down the theory and fundamentals of lighting objects, how to accurately represent products in an image, and the business side of building and maintaining strong client relationships.

What is Product Photography? Think of your favorite bag or piece of furniture. What is it you like most about it? Maybe it’s the texture and feel of the materials. Maybe it’s the unique shape or design. Maybe it’s the small details and craftsmanship. We teach you how to express these ideas and more through the tools and techniques of photography.

Learn from a Professional Photographer With over 70,000 images—from designer furniture to fine art, luxury bags to one-of-a-kind treasures—Ross Floyd has photographed it all. Learn from a master of the craft on how to capture the best images possible for eCommerce, print, and web.

Art & Business Product photography is equal parts art and business. For every creative decision you make, there’s a dozen decisions being made by a client that needs you to help tell their story. Learn how to balance the craft of photography with the business side of finding, keeping, and collaborating with clients.

Product Photography Tips & Techniques We all know that to be a photographer, you’ll need some combination of cameras, lenses, and lights to capture images. But what about stands, lighting modifiers, and materials to create backgrounds? We break down everything a working product photographer uses to bring products to life in a photo.

Working with Clients As a product photographer, your clients are creators, builders, and entrepreneurs. They are experts that need an expert to help them tell the story of their products through photographs. Get valuable advice from a working professional that knows how to take direction and build long-lasting relationships, all while exploring their own creative ideas.

Backgrounds & Set Design The background is almost as important as the product itself. Need a pure white background for an eCommerce website? Use a white seamless. Your client needs to fill up a magazine spread? Time to build a set and tell a larger story. We even teach you tricks that will save you time, like turning a pure white sweep into a pitch black background by simply changing the lighting.

Lighting & Theory Having a strong grasp of lighting fundamentals will often separate a good product photographer from a great one. We break down how to use light to express the most information about the products you’re shooting. Learn about quality of light, modifying light, and how to use light to describe shape, dimension, and texture.

Quality of Light In photography, there’s much more to light than ‘on’ and ‘off’. Light can be controlled, shaped, and sculpted in ways to reveal more about the objects you’re photographing. We show you how to utilize hard light, soft light, and every step in-between to bring out all of the beautiful details in a product.

Photoshoot Best Practices As a photographer, your job isn’t just to take photos. You’re also in charge of making sure a photoshoot is safe, efficient, and comfortable for everyone involved. See how a professional balances working with clients, models, and crew all while working to capture the best images possible.

Choosing a Camera Camera selection is important but not as important as making the most out of the gear that you have. See a side-by-side comparison of product shots taken with a Canon 5D and Phase One medium format camera. Then learn the fundamentals that will help you take great shots with any camera, whether it be an iPhone, a point-and-shoot, or a high-end DSLR.

Choosing Lenses Lenses will have a huge impact on how products appear in a final image. How do you avoid lens distortion? How do you capture the most accurate shape of an object? We answer these questions and show you what lenses should be your go-to for any type of product photography.

Choosing Lights Did you know you can take beautiful product photos with a single light? Whether you’re using one strobe or a dozen, learn to wrap products in light using a combination of professional gear and DIY tools.

Medium Format Photography If you’re capturing images of high-end products, you’ll want to use high-end gear. Medium format photography allows for the highest resolution images, allowing for maximum fidelity, unmatched sharpness, and a more flexible post-production workflow.

Product Styling Most products will need a little help to look their best in front of the camera. We show you how to arrange and style products to give them shape, volume, and to show off their most unique features.

Capture the Details Product photography involves accurately representing the product as a whole and also getting in close to the see the little things that make it unique. Whether it be the materials, stitching, logo, or a useful feature, we show you how to look for and capture all the most important details.

Angle & Perspective The lights are set. The product is in place. But where should you put the camera? Maybe you want the product to look big and heroic. Or maybe you want to show as much of the product as possible. We break down how angle and perspective can be used to evoke a feeling, show more, and solve creative problems that might arise during a shoot.

Materials & Texture Supple leather. Detailed stitching. Handcrafted Wood. Reflective glass. Every material you photograph presents a whole new world of challenges. Learn to use light, shadows, composition, and framing to accentuate quality and describe how a product feels.

Shape & Structure Will that bag be able to hold everything you need for your daily commute? Will that table be sturdy once you get it home? A product’s shape and structure will reveal a lot about how it might fit into someone’s lifestyle. Learn to capture size, dimension, and build quality using common photography tools and techniques.

Photography

01. Introduction to Product Photography 01. Getting to Know Ross Floyd

02. The Art of Product Photography 01. What is Product Photography 02. Telling an Accurate Story 03. Describing Material with Light 04. The Client Side of Product Photography

03. The Product Photographer’s Toolkit 01. Choosing a Camera 02. Choosing Lenses 03. Backgrounds and Set Design 04. Tethered Capture 05. Lighting and Strobes 06. Lighting Modifiers

04. Seeing Like a Product Photographer 01. Shape and Structure 02. Angle and Perspective 03. Texture and Details 04. Light, Shadows and Reflections 05. Shooting for Composite

05. Leather Handbag on Multicolored Background 01. Planning with Ross Floyd 02. Compositing 03. Extending Multiple Backgrounds 04. Frequency Separation 05. Retouching and Background Texture

Retouch and Composite

01. Introduction to Product Retouching 01. Getting to Know Ross Floyd 02. Working with a Retoucher

02. Oak Dresser on White 01. Planning with Ross Floyd 02. Compositing for Exposure 03. Removing the Background 04. Adjusting Highlights and Shadows 05. Retouching and Blemish Removal

03. Oak Dresser with Dramatic Lighting 01. Planning with Ross Floyd 02. Compositing and Removing the Background 03. Building a Background with Gradients 04. Retouching

04. Designer Stools on White 01. Planning with Ross Floyd 02. Compositing and Retouching

05. Product Photography Photoshoots 01. Photoshoot Best Practices 02. Oak Cabinet – Quality of Light and Lighting Shapes 03. Oak Cabinet – Hard Light for Dramatic Shadows and Texture 04. Designer End Tables – Tension and Perspective 05. Leather Handbags – Product Styling 06. Commuter Backpack – Capturing the Details 07. Managing a Photoshoot – Clients, Talent and Creativity

06. Leather Handbag on Pink Background 01. Planning with Ross Floyd 02. Product Shaping and Retouching 03. Frequency Separation and Dodge and Burn

07. Leather Handbags on Colored Steps 01. Planning with Ross Floyd 02. Extending Multiple Backgrounds (Part 1) 03. Extending Multiple Backgrounds (Part 2) 04. Product Shaping and Retouching (Part 1) 05. Product Shaping and Retouching (Part 2) 06. Frequency Separation 07. Adding Texture and Changing Background Colors 08. Creating an Animated GIF

08. Leather Backpack with Multiple Backgrounds 01. Planning with Ross Floyd 02. Product Shaping 03. Removing the Background 04. Retouching 05. Changing the Background

09. Peak Design Backpack 01. Planning with Ross Floyd 02. Product Shaping 03. Removing the Background 04. Retouching 05. Frequency Separation 06. Adding New Backgrounds

10. Peak Design Backpack Unique Shot 01. Planning with Ross Floyd 02. Object and Blemish Removal 03. Product Shaping and Creating Symmetry 04. Retouching 05. Frequency Separation and Dodge and Burn

11. Peak Design Backpack Detail Shot 01. Planning with Ross Floyd 02. Retouching and Dodge and Burn 03. Frequency Separation 04. Sharpening

Assets.zip

  Channel    and      Group