Why does adding light make it worse?

Because a mirror shows its surroundings. More light in an uncontrolled room simply illuminates more clutter for the product to reflect.

Why does my chrome look grey?

Over-correction. If the environment is perfectly uniform the surface has nothing to reflect and loses the gradient that reads as polish.

Should I remove distortion in glass?

No. Refraction is how glass behaves, and removing it makes the object stop reading as glass.

What is a light tent actually doing?

Surrounding the product with large clean surfaces so the reflection is smooth and controlled rather than full of the room.

Why are small round objects hardest?

A curved surface compresses the entire environment into a small area, so everything around it appears at once.

How do I deal with fingerprints?

Prevent them. Handle with gloves and clean before shooting, because they are unmissable under directional light and tedious to retouch.

Does this apply to screens?

Yes. A dark screen is effectively a mirror, and a lit one competes with ambient light for exposure.

Is the free generation really free?

Yes. One per day, watermarked and capped at 1024px. Signing up gives you 20 credits and clean full-resolution files with full commercial rights.

How to Photograph Reflective Products

You are not photographing the object. You are photographing what it reflects.

One free generation a day. No account, no card.

How it works

1. Upload your product
Any shot works — the reflections are what gets replaced.
2. Choose controlled staging
A clean environment is what a reflective surface needs.
3. Generate and download
One free watermarked result. Sign up for the clean, full-resolution file.

Why this is worth getting right

The single idea that fixes reflective product photography is that a mirrored surface does not show itself, it shows its surroundings. A chrome kettle photographed in a room contains the window, the ceiling, the light stands and the photographer, and none of that is the product. Every technique that works follows from accepting this: you control the reflection rather than the object. In a studio that means surrounding the item with large white surfaces so the reflection is clean and gradient rather than cluttered, which is what a light tent physically is. The instinct that fails is adding more light, because in an uncontrolled space more light only illuminates more clutter to be reflected. The second trap is over-correcting into a perfectly uniform environment, which removes the bright-to-dark gradient that tells a viewer the surface is polished — a chrome object reflecting nothing at all reads as flat grey plastic. Reflective surfaces need contrast in what they reflect, deliberately placed. Glass adds refraction on top, since it bends what is behind it, and that distortion is genuine information about the material rather than an artefact to remove. Curved surfaces compress the whole room into a small area, which is why a spoon or a ring shows the entire environment at once. And fingerprints are the practical menace, since every one of them is visible under directional light and they are far easier to prevent than to retouch.

Tips that actually help

Control what the product reflects rather than adding light, because more light in a cluttered room adds more clutter to the reflection.
Leave deliberate contrast in the reflection, since a perfectly uniform environment makes chrome read as flat grey plastic.
Preserve refraction through glass, as the distortion is real information about the material rather than an error.
Expect curved surfaces to show the whole room compressed, which is why small round objects are hardest.
Prevent fingerprints with gloves rather than retouching them, since they are unmissable under directional light.

Who uses this

Kitchenware and metal goods: Categories where chrome and stainless steel dominate and reflections ruin most attempts.
Glassware and barware: Products where refraction is part of the appeal and needs preserving rather than fixing.
Jewellery: Small curved metal surfaces that compress an entire room into a few millimetres.
Consumer electronics: Glossy plastic and screens with the same underlying problem.

Câu hỏi thường gặp

Why does adding light make it worse?: Because a mirror shows its surroundings. More light in an uncontrolled room simply illuminates more clutter for the product to reflect.
Why does my chrome look grey?: Over-correction. If the environment is perfectly uniform the surface has nothing to reflect and loses the gradient that reads as polish.
Should I remove distortion in glass?: No. Refraction is how glass behaves, and removing it makes the object stop reading as glass.
What is a light tent actually doing?: Surrounding the product with large clean surfaces so the reflection is smooth and controlled rather than full of the room.
Why are small round objects hardest?: A curved surface compresses the entire environment into a small area, so everything around it appears at once.
How do I deal with fingerprints?: Prevent them. Handle with gloves and clean before shooting, because they are unmissable under directional light and tedious to retouch.
Does this apply to screens?: Yes. A dark screen is effectively a mirror, and a lit one competes with ambient light for exposure.
Is the free generation really free?: Yes. One per day, watermarked and capped at 1024px. Signing up gives you 20 credits and clean full-resolution files with full commercial rights.

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