Advantages of Toplight for Product Photography

Lighting is the key for professional product photography. Its position, dispersal, intensity and quality have a greater impact on the result than the camera and lens. The additional lighting and top lighting control, allow you to be more creative and take exceptional photos. Having a toplight for product photography is a perfect implement.

Most of PackshotCreator photo studios are already combined with an integrated top light. Some also have the option to insert one, but what is the importance of a toplight in product photography? What are the advantages of using a toplight? In this article we will introduce PackshotCreator’s 7 advantages of using top light in product photography.

Emphasize Texture, Contrast, and Depth

Directly lighting, including lighting from the top, is very suitable to give the product a sense of texture and provide contrast and depth. It also helps to increase drama or create mood. Particularly, if used properly, the top lighting will play a different role and can help your product maintain its best appearance. Whether you are shooting products on pure white background for Amazon or creating lifestyle photos for your catalogs, top lighting allows you to better convey texture and depth.

Highlight Special Details

Products such as shoes, bags, backpacks and handbags have special and important features on the inside. To be able to better showcase these particular aspects and details, a toplight is not only needed but essential.

Essential for Top Photos and Flat-lay Photography

When photographing products from the top or on flat-lay, the toplight becomes vital. In this case, taking photos from top to bottom, the top light is used the same as a directly front light. As a result, the more control of the top lighting, the better the quality of the visuals.

Manage Reflections

When photographing products that are very reflective, the front lights can produce unwanted reflections. In this case, having a toplight is advantageous. It acts as a difference light source that likely prevents undesirable and disturbing reflections.

Mastery Shadows

Most of the creativity in product photography comes from the mastery of shadows. Depending on the products position and if hard or soft lights are being used, unique forms of shadow effects can be created. The toplight extensively determines the intensity and orientation of these products’ natural shadows.

With PackshotCreator, you have the advantage of creating and keeping the natural shadow on your product photos and 360° animations, thanks to the AutoMask feature. This feature automatically deletes the background of your visuals while keeping a natural shadow.

Spotlight Hair

A toplight is also performed in portrait photography, model and head shots in order to spotlight hair.

PackshotCreator users have the advantage of using the LiveLight feature to add top lighting in the perfect area before taking their photos. This gives a more quality and professional look to their fashion and model pictures.

Create Feelings

Finally, the toplight can also be used to create visuals that are fun and have dramatic feelings. These visuals communicate with consumers on a completely different level.

Toplight Advantages for Product Photography with PackshotCreator:

• Dimmable LED lights – Adjust the intensity of the toplight all light sources from 1 to 100% from the PackshotCreator
• Adaptable – The toplight can be position in different places to create special shadow effects
• Manually inclination – Inclining the toplight gives additional control of light intensity and angle
• 50,000 hour lifespan LED Matrix
• Daylight color temperature – High quality 5700K
• Excellent color accuracy – 95+ CRI

PackshotCreator offers a wide range of professional photo studios and equipment dedicated to product photography. These advanced technologies are combined with a unique product photography software that integrates camera and light controls to automate and speed up product photography. Offering toplights to our product photography solutions and describing their use and advantages, allow our customers to create better visuals of their products and take in a competitive advantage.

If you need to know how to create visuals for products other than those presented in the article, such as eyewear, don’t hesitate to read our dedicated article on how to photograph sunglasses and prescription glasses for online stores.

PackshotCreator photo solutions with integrated toplight for product photography:

2D photo studios:

• PackshotCompact,
• PackshotOne Mark II
• LiveStudio
• PackshotSphere X5 (optional)

360° photo studios:

• PackshotStart 360
• PackshotCreator R3 Mark II
• PackshotAlto Mark II
• PackshotPro 360
• PackshotStudio 360

Jewelry photo studios:

•  PackshotMacro DL 
• PackshotMacro RE
• PackshotMacro DIS