A light tent is a

box A box (plural: boxes) is a container used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides. Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or very large (like a shipping box for furniture), and ca ...

used for taking

photos A photograph (also known as a photo, image, or picture) is an image created by light falling on a photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor, such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are now create ...

of objects without casting

shadows A shadow is a dark area where light from a light source is blocked by an opaque object. It occupies all of the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, ...

. It can, for example, be used to take pictures of a physical

product Product may refer to: Business * Product (business), an item that serves as a solution to a specific consumer problem. * Product (project management), a deliverable or set of deliverables that contribute to a business solution Mathematics * Prod ...

for use in an

encyclopedia An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...

, for

documentation Documentation is any communicable material that is used to describe, explain or instruct regarding some attributes of an object, system or procedure, such as its parts, assembly, installation, maintenance and use. As a form of knowledge manageme ...

or for

marketing Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to empha ...

. The combination of evenly distributed lighting and the diffusing material means that minimal shadows are cast, and it can appear as if the pictured product is "floating in nothing", and a neutral image without a disturbing background can be achieved. Glossy or reflective objects in particular can require a light tent in order to avoid unwanted reflections in the picture.

Walls and materials

The walls in the box is made of a diffusing material such that light spreads well when it hits the surface. White is the most commonly used color, but other colors can also be used. This contributes to uniform lighting of the object. For example, one can use matte white paper sheets, but

felt Felt is a textile material that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic or acrylonitrile or w ...

or another types of matte textile can also function as a background and substrate.

Size

Light tents come in various sizes, but typically occupy an area of 2×2 metres, and can typically be placed on top of a small table. A rule of thumb is that the tent should be large enough to have at least 10 cm of clearance on all sides of the object to be photographed. Many light tents are portable.{{Cite web , date=2021-03-04 , title=Et lite fotostudio: Derfor er et lystelt genialt , url=https://digital-foto.no/fotoutstyr/belysning/3-gode-grunner-til-a-bruke-et-lystelt , access-date=2022-12-27 , language=nb

Openings

The box may have one or several openings to the outside so that the photographer can get access for taking a picture with a

camera A camera is an optical instrument that can capture an image. Most cameras can capture 2D images, with some more advanced models being able to capture 3D images. At a basic level, most cameras consist of sealed boxes (the camera body), with a ...

. Some light tents have a completely open front, while others have one or more small hatches that can be opened to insert the camera lens.

Lighting

The box can either have integrated lighting or be illuminated by lamps from the outside, for example with one lamp on each side of the light tent. Alternatively, a 3-point lighting can be used: * Key light: Stands approximately 30 degrees to the side and up from the camera's axis towards the object. * Fill light: Also stands on the front of the object, but on the opposite side (right versus left) and should ensure that there is not too much shadow. Preferably set a little lower than the key light. * Back light: Should stand behind the object and slightly to the side, and is used to separate the object from the background. "Studio" Lightbox.jpg, Setup Samyang 8mm f3.5 CS Fish-eye (Mount).jpg, Result

Color temperature

To achieve a good result, it is recommended that the object should be illuminated by lamps with the same

color temperature Color temperature is the color of light emitted by an idealized opaque, non-reflective body at a particular temperature measured in kelvins. The color temperature scale is used to categorize the color of light emitted by other light sources ...

(expressed in

kelvin The kelvin, symbol K, is the primary unit of temperature in the International System of Units (SI), used alongside its prefixed forms and the degree Celsius. It is named after the Belfast-born and University of Glasgow-based engineer and ph ...

or K). Different color temperatures may occur in cases where, for example, lamps with different types of bulbs are used, or if there is a combination of indoor lighting and natural daylight.

Camera settings

For product photography, high f-numbers (small

aperture In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture and focal length of an optical system determine the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. An ...

, long

depth of field The depth of field (DOF) is the distance between the nearest and the furthest objects that are in acceptably sharp focus in an image captured with a camera. Factors affecting depth of field For cameras that can only focus on one object di ...

) are most often used, for example 8 to 16. It is also recommended to use low ISO-values to minimize noise, for example 100 to 200. The

white balance In photography and image processing, color balance is the global adjustment of the intensities of the colors (typically red, green, and blue primary colors). An important goal of this adjustment is to render specific colors – particularly n ...

may be based on daylight (5000 K to 6500 K) unless the lighting indicates otherwise.

References

Photography