Examples of food photography surround us on all sides. Clothing, necessities, accessories, and even food all belong to this type of photography. When you decide to get down to it, suddenly it may be that your pictures look boring and do not arouse interest even among colleagues, not to mention the audience. What to do? You can use masking to improve the effectiveness of your pictures.
There are many applications for disguise. We would like to mention separately Luminar Neo from Skylum. This app is not just for masking a photo. It can improve the picture in all aspects. Thanks to the fact that the app is AI-powered, you can quickly and easily correct a photo. You can also use the familiar Lightroom and Photoshop, although, let's be honest, they are not that easy and user-friendly.
What Is Image Masking And Why Do You Need It in Commercial Photography?
Let's start with the simplest thing, namely, a definition. Simply put, masking is a process that allows you to hide some parts of a photo and show others. This is especially true when you don't want to make changes to the entire image, but only want to affect certain areas of it.
Well, product photography is one of the fundamental aspects of the e-commerce business. And masking is a very important part of this type of photography. As we said earlier, not all product photos will look perfect. If you take shots and then think they need post-processing, you should do it.
In product photography, the goal of masking is to create stunning images that not only showcase the product but also its features in the most professional and eye-catching way possible. The end result is an image that is not only aesthetically pleasing but also capable of increasing sales and conversions for e-commerce businesses. By mastering the art of masking in product photography, photographers can take their work to the next level, achieving the desired results and satisfying the needs of their clients.
Now we know what is masking in photo editing. Let's take a look at the aspects in which masking is used in product photography:
- Product photography heavily relies on the background to enhance the overall appearance of a product. However, an unsuitable background can make the product look unappealing. In such cases, photographers use masking techniques to eliminate the background from the image and replace it with a more appropriate one. This helps to create a more refined and professional appearance for the product.
- Selective adjustments to specific parts of an image can enhance the overall quality of commercial photography through image masking. For instance, by isolating a subject's face or body, photographers can improve their appearance by applying adjustments that highlight their best features, thereby improving the quality and appeal of the image. This will greatly increase the attractiveness of the object in the eyes of the audience.
- Image masking has an additional field of use in commercial photography, which is to create artistic effects. Photographers can achieve this by selecting certain parts of an image and masking them before applying different filters or effects. By doing so, they can produce exceptional and visually captivating images that are unique and distinguishable from others in the market.
- Creating complex compositions in commercial photography involves merging multiple images together to create a cohesive and visually appealing final product. For instance, a photographer might want to create a composite image of a model in different poses or a product in various colors or backgrounds. To achieve this, he needs to first shoot each image separately and ensure that they are well-lit, properly exposed, and composed correctly. Once the images are captured, the photographer can use image masking techniques to remove the unwanted parts of each image and merge the relevant parts into a single composite image.
The Difference Between Clipping Path & Masking In Product Photography
Clipping and masking are two very important post-processing techniques. And they are both used in product photography. Unfortunately, not everyone knows what the difference between these methods is, so we will tell you more about it.
Both of these methods are used to remove the background. The clipping path is great when there are few lines in the picture. In simple terms, the simpler the picture, the better it fits. As for masking, it is a more delicate tool. It can be used if the picture has a lot of twists and curves. The clipping mask can also be used in this case, but the result will be much worse, so it is not recommended.
We advise making a choice based on the specifics of your product. There is no one-size-fits-all option, so before you start post-processing, it's a good idea to consider what works best in any given situation.
Conclusion
Now you know all about why you need camouflage in product photography. If you want to use this method, find the guide online and get to work. Practice, and you're sure to create a real photographic masterpiece!