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How I make white backgrounds.

2007.08.29

Starting image (actually two images together, with my hand removed)

After a crop and resize start by adjusting levels. Notice the white point is't brought right up to where the whites actualy start, if you do this you get 'blown out patchs', especialy later on when you add curves.

Also it's often best to leave the black point where it is, though of course it depends on your subject.

Move the mid gray point to the left as much as you can with out blowing out the highlights.

Open a curves adjustment layer and select the 'set white point' button. This helps to remove the colour cast. Next click on a pixel that you want to represent pure white. don't click a pixel that is already white, it won't make any difference and don't click a pixel to dark as it'll just look washed out. Click a few points and see what works best.

Next I use another curves adjustment layer to lighten the background. - notice the layer mask in the layers pallet blocking the layers effect on the cup and jug. I wanted to keep some detail in them.

Final image after a few more curves adjustment layers. I find it helps to adjust the curves gradualy over a few layers, using layer masks to stop highlights blowing out where you don't want them to. The water in the origional image didn't show after the editing, so I used the water from here - http://www.sxc.hu/photo/842606

I don't want to come across big-headed posting a kinda of tutorial, but I've been asked a few times, through messages and comments left in this blog how I do 'white shots' and white backgrounds.

I'm also not claiming this is the best way, but it's the way I tend to do it.

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