Which type of studio is best for in-house product photo shoots?

You’re thinking about producing your own product photo shoots and 360 animations in house? But it’s hard to find the ideal studio to fit your needs. Learn more with our practical guide.

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An FAQ about photo studios dedicated to product photography

What’s a photography studio for product photo shoots?

It’s a full software-operated product photo shoot system. It lets you produce standardized product photos and/or animations in-house.

Why use this type of system? What are the advantages?

Product photo shoots and animations in house is especially useful in certain cases, e.g. when you want to simplify your operations and avoid making trips back and forth to an outside product photo studio. This might be the case when you’re dealing with bulky or valuable items. A number of users, like online retailers, R&D and Quality Control departments, use an in-house studio so they can be more responsive in their internal and external communications. Your ROI and cost savings will be higher or lower over the long term depending on the number of items you have to photograph.

What are the features of these studios?

They’re designed to standardize and facilitate product photo shoots . For instance, the software lets you set the parameters on your camera and displays them on the monitor in live view. Features like automatic camera settings and assisted trimming of one or more items in one go are all designed to make photo shoots easier and less of a hassle for you.

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A revolution in digital product visuals 

From illuminated photo tables to 3D systems

The backlit light table

• What types of images? Flatlay (horizontal layout)
• What types of product photo shoots? Clothing, accessories, bags, high-tech items, artwork, cosmetics, small tools…
• A key benefit: the ability to shoot several products at once and separately export images of each one.

The software-operated turntable with lighting system and cyclorama wall

• What types of images? Photographs (flatlay or vertical), 360° animations, hemispheric 3D with a photo arm.
• What types of product photo shoots? Furniture, clothing displayed on mannequins, bikes, sporting goods, white goods, stereo systems, interior decor, large technical components, musical instruments (guitars, subwoofers, DJ turntables)…
• A key benefit: the ability to shoot large and/or bulky items.

 The backlit studio box

• What types of images? Flat and vertical photographs (depending on the layout of the camera holders in the studio box). Some studios currently on the market allow you to produce 360° animations and 3D hemispheric views using a camera arm setup.
• What types of product photo shoots? ? A “standard size” box lets you photograph many different types of products: shoes, perfume, bottles of wine and spirits, parapharmaceuticals and medical equipment, small-to-medium sized technical components (like car lights), laptop computers, loudspeakers, tableware…
• A key benefit: the compact size of the studio vs. the space it provides for photo shoots, which makes it adjustable, compact, and well suited to photographing many different types of products.

The mini studio or compact photo studio — backlit light box

What types of images? Photographs of items (vertical or flatlay — depending on the layout of the camera holders in the studio box). Some of the models that are currently available let you produce 360° animations.

What types of product photo shoots? Cosmetics, timepieces, jewelry, gemstones, components and small electronic devices (circuit boards, smartphones…), eyewear and optical supplies…

A key benefit: they’re easy to move around and generally don’t take up much space.

 3D photo shoot systems

There are two possibilities for producing 3D visuals. The first is a studio dedicated to object modelling or an articulated arm equipped with several cameras, combined with a software-operated turntable. It lets you produce 3D spherical or hemispheric animations of your items.

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What PackshotCreator offers you

• LuminaPad+ is a backlit light table and a 2-in-1 photo studio. When it’s turned, it becomes a backlit studio backdrop. Like the other systems listed here, the LuminaPad is operated by PackshotCreator software. It can be used with a PackshotSpin turntable (below) to produce 360° animations.
• PackshotSpin is a software-operated turntable with cyclorama wall and lighting system. The tray can support items weighing up to 320 kg.
• The PackshotCreator R3 LT, a modular photo box with backlighting and a cutting edge synchronized turntable to automate your photo shoots.
• Mini studio or compact photo studio — backlit light box: the PackshotMini Mark II with full LED modular lighting in 3 separate zones with spaces for flatlay and vertical shots of small items.
• PackshotCreator also offers a huge range of studios and equipment for shooting 3D visuals: from the MaestroBot 3D, which is fully automated, to the PackshotSphere X5 3D arm system.