My first attempt at making a light box.

[Brucie Kibbutz]

I still need to get a background for it. I'm just using a piece of paper taped up against the back for now. The pictures seem too dark to me so I'll probably get some higher wattage bulbs. These are 75 watt "daylight" bulbs.

If anybody has some advice on what to do for improvements, I would appreciate it. :hi:

[Fumesucker]

1. The results look pretty good..

You could put a front on it by taping some paper there and just leave a hole to shoot through, that would make your coverage a tad more even.

[CC]

2. You did a great job.

Not sure you have to have a brighter light, just adjust your camera settings for the lights you have. Unless you are trying to stay at a particular f-stop and shutter setting. A quick adjustment in your choice of image manipulation programs and you have a perfect photo.
example


I only spent a few seconds adjusting the color balance and lightening the background. Since it was a white background setting the white point in curves pretty much did it for the background.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

3. good work... only suggestion I can make

is... get some white tile to set the knives on... it will make the shadows pop

[Brucie Kibbutz]

4. thanks

After reading your post, I started messing around with the software that came with the camera. It has an "auto adjust" feature that is very helpful. I'll have to learn how to make my own adjustments manually to get results as good as yours but this auto feature is a big improvement, IMO. thanks again

before:




after auto adjust:

[CC]

5. It is very few photos that

can escape with no post precessing at all though the better it comes out of the camera the less work after. I did miss part of the edge of the blade in the one I did. I have a feeling that is a very big no no to a knife collector that would be looking at it.:) Whatever software you use it is only a matter of learning to use what it can do. Play around in it just like you would play around with the camera's buttons.

[Brucie Kibbutz]

6. did some more messing around with it

I probably shot over 100 pics this time. Ended up keeping just one. Now nothing is good enough.:rofl:

There is so much to learn! It is a lot of fun though! :crazy:

[Brucie Kibbutz]

7. Made a few changes...

I decided not to use light from the top this time and moved the lights on the side further away from the box. It seems to work better than having them right next to the box.

Having a hard time keeping glare from satin finish blades from ruining the whole picture so I decided to try this coated blade. It did seem easier to get a decent picture without all the glare. Picked up this piece of ceramic tile at Lowe's the other day. Not a bad upgrade for $1.80, IMO. It seems to compliment the coated blade nicely. I did have to raise the red level a bit to bring out the brown color. It looked almost gray before changing it.

These both seem a bit blurry to me but they are still improvements in some respects, I think. I'll get it figured out at some point.

If you have any advice, go ahead and share it, please. :hi:

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

8. tile makes a great surface

I have several colors I use... flat black, shiny black, white and a grey marble