Product shot has been one of the most requested topics for me to collaborate with Patreon, As some have seen I had already made a livestream of this same theme using Vray a few years ago, but I have decided to do the full course again this time for Patreon.

Product shot is an interesting topic to work in 3D, there is not a lot of information about how to work it correctly and there are many techniques that can be used and in this course we are going to focus on real techniques used in photographic studies.

There are several ways to simulate them in 3D but the versatility of each is different. The most important thing to work depends on each type of product, it is not the same to work with a bottle of Coke, a bottle of wine, in the case of the bottle of coca-cola the liquid has a very important part with the shades of orange important that define it as image, this is achieved by means of techniques of illumination towards the refraction, on the other hand in a bottle of wine, the bottle itself is much more important in conjunction with the label, what it needs.

For example, for a Product Shot for a bottle of wine, it is necessary to make a set up in which the lights are focused directly on the bottle, and make it stand out as a very important object in the point of interest, highlighting it completely from the background, it is also often necessary to take a second photograph in which the label is defined separately to be able to have the highest quality possible in the same. Then in post-production, the two photographs are combined with a high quality to highlight the best possible result of the same. Of course, the finishes are important and in some cases bottles of wine are considered elegant products and the finish is necessary to polish it and give it a more interesting detail many times with a subtle impact that shows value and high capacity power. And to achieve this, more subtle techniques are needed with both maps and lights.

The course itself will expand to different types of product shot, jewelry, structural, packaging and to finish with the work of automobiles, applying all the techniques that we can use to guide the structures and formulas already existing in traditional photography.

In this video you can see a little more about the process we are going to use to create the different techniques and the type of analysis towards each one. For example, there is a way to use HDRI to link to the lights and in this way use SOFTBOX techniques to illuminate but if we lack a little control over it and the positions are not so easy to operate. This is why I prefer to use a more “living” technique based on how it really works in a photographic studio, which by means of a diffuser, whether it is made of fabric or tended, we will create the diffuse reflections and the intensities can be managed by means of the position of the lights rather than the amount of light emitted by it. In this way we can better control both the shape and intensity of the reflection.

There are many types of Product shot that can be worked and the techniques vary from one another, from cosmetic products, products for commercial catalogues, appliances, packaging and many more that are needed in the day to day. The generational change has come to increase the production of digital content for product advertising and this is a very good time to be part of this medium. Here are some examples of what can be achieved through this technique.