Changing Background Color

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 5:30 pm

I know i've read a thread on this subject before but i've been searching for an hour and cannot locate it. Here goes. I'm new to studio lighting. I have white seamless paper for a background. What do I need to change the color of the background? Is it a light or is it a colored-something-or-other that I put on my sb800 that I use to light the background? Help and any other information about this subject is greatly appreciated :-)
==Judy

Premium Member Joined: 02 Apr 2005 Posts: 2020

Normally you'd use a colored gel. If you have a good music store in your town, they will have packs of them.

Colored gels are also available from B&H photo video.

Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:08 am

Thanks for the info, Singlemalt. I will check out the music store first.
==Judy

Premium Member Joined: 02 Apr 2005 Posts: 2020

I should have explained a bit more. I meant a music store that caters to your area bands. If you happen to have a large photography shop around you, they'll have them as well. However, they'll cost a lot more than the gel packs in the music stores.

Joined: 31 Jul 2005 Posts: 131 Location: Boulder, Colorado

You could also pick up rolls of different coloured paper backdrops. Might even be cheaper than the gels?

Premium Member Joined: 02 Apr 2005 Posts: 2020

Fisheye wrote:

You could also pick up rolls of different coloured paper backdrops. Might even be cheaper than the gels?

A pack of 8 gels at my local musician's supply = $13.00.

Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 9:47 am

You will never have to replace your gels once you purchase them and you can store them in a manilla envelope. Multiple rolls of paper are VERY costly and you continuously have to replace.

Check out both BH and Alien Bees if you dont have any luck here in town. Both of them carry some great gels.

Of course there is always making a good clean selection in photoshop and making your background absolutely any color you want! :) Of course for the purists, that would be an aggregious mistake. LOL! Personally that's the route I'd take. Much quicker setup. No spill of color onto your subject unless that's the look you are attempting to achieve. And colored gels on a subject can look very interesting. Without a doubt you are much futher ahead financially by getting some good gels vs. multiple rolls of paper.

Have fun!

Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 9 Location: north carolina

how do you change a black or white background to a color in photoshop?

Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 7:55 pm

http://www.phototakers.com/articles/articles/35.html

Hi... this article was written by a gentleman who posts here on the forum. His article is excellent and worth the read. Definitely takes some practice if it's a difficult selection, but not impossible. It is most complicated when your subject is wearing the same color as your background. Yikes.