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360 Product Photography using Capture One™

Capture One™ is a professional grade software primarily used for studio photography. It supports a wide range of compatible cameras for tethered shooting and is designed to automate studio photography workflow. It is the leading software for professional photographers who are looking to capture and process RAW image format in an efficient manner. In addition to the powerful Tethered Capture and RAW processing tools, the Cataloging and organizational functionality can pose a significant benefit when shooting high volume product photography in a studio environment. So how does this translate into 360 Product Photography?

Iconasys is a leading provider of 360 Product Photography tools. Our 360 Product Photography Turntables easily out-compete all competitors in terms of accuracy (up to 0.03-degrees), resolution (>10X more accurate than all other turntable options), speed (capture 36 frames in ~60 seconds), and quality. We designed and deliver professional quality 360 photography turntables that use the highest quality components to ensure for stability and longevity.

We understand many of our current customers are already heavily invested in their studios – this includes cameras, lenses, lighting and yes – software with Capture One often being the choice! Although we develop our own tethered application – Shutter Stream 360 Product Photography Software, some customer prefer to continue with Capture One. The good news, Iconasys provides seamless integration for 360 Product Photography when using Capture One Software. Note, Iconasys Turntables also integrate with Adobe Lightroom Software for 360 Product Photography (learn more).

360 Product Photography using Capture One: Workflow Video

Capture One + Iconasys Turntable for 360 Product Photography:

(workflow steps listed below is for Canon cameras. Workflows may slightly differ for different camera brands)

Step 1: Studio Set-up

Users will first want to set up their product photography lighting – either strobes or continuous lighting will work great. For those well versed in studio photography, lighting set up should be straight forward however, as part of our free premium technical support, we are available to provide 360 Product Photography Lighting tips if required.

Install the included Iconasys Turntable Controller Software (Mac/Windows/Linux). This is the application that will be responsible for driving the turntable and automating the 360 image capture process (through Shutter Release commands).Connect turntable via USB to computer and power it on.
Connect Turntable via USB to computer and power it on.
Launch the Iconasys Turntable Controller Software.
Set camera on tripod, positioned at the 360 photography turntable, and connect via USB to computer.
Launch Capture One Software

Step 2: Image Composition

It is in this step users will want to enable the ‘Live View’ mode in Capture One and compose the image prior to shooting the 360 product image set.

1. Place product on the turntable. Visually ensure the object is centered. Users can use grid line markers in Capture One Live View mode to help with correct positioning.
2. Pre Rotate Turntable – Open the Iconasys Turntable Controller Software and use the Rotation buttons to preview a rotation. While watching the Live View on the monitor screen, ensure the object is spinning on axis (in the center of the table) and that is does not fall outside the frame as it rotates.

3. Adjust Camera Settings – It is suggested to shoot with camera in manual mode. This will give full control over Shutter Speed, Aperture, White Balance (setting a custom white balance is suggested), and ISO. Optimize camera settings to ensure for a color accurate result. This step may require users to shoot a few test shots.
4. Set Focal Point – When shooting 360 Product Photography, we strongly suggest to shoot using a fixed focal point. This can be set directly through the Capture One software in the ‘Camera Focus’ menu or manually on the camera.

Step 3: Pre-Define Edits & Processing

This is the final step before entering the 360 image capture process. We suggest users start a ‘New Session’ – this will help with cataloging and organizing images. Then capture a single image. With this image, users will define the image processing. Including:

Define Crop Markers (optional) – Often times, the product being shot wont fill the entire frame. Users can pre-define Crop that will be auto applied to all images in the capture sequence.
Define RAW Processing/ Image Editing – Capture One will provide users a wide variety of tools to optimize image exposure, colors and quality. colors, shadows, exposure, contrast and highlights

Step 4: 360 Shooting Parameters

After RAW processing and edits have been defined, users are now ready to shoot their 360 product image set. Users will define the 360 shooting parameters in the Iconasys Turntable Controller Software:
1. Turntable Type – Please select the correct Iconasys Turntable Model you are working with.
2. Frame Count – Define the number of frames per 360 rotation – for example: 36 frames will be one capture every 10-degrees. Users can select from a defined list of frames or enter a custom value. For professional grade 360 product photography, we suggest somewhere between 36 and 120 frames.

3. Turntable Movement – In this area users can define turntable rotation speed (10 different speed settings). They can also define a Pre or Post Capture delay – this is an important step especially when working with strobes in the case they need more time to recharge in between captures. This is defined in seconds and can be added Before capture (turntable will turn, stop then wait X seconds) or After capture (turntable will wait X seconds before moving to next position).
4. Lock Table when Idle: Enable this to ensure for turntable positioning accuracy.
5. Turntable Spin Direction – Define Turntable direction (clockwise or counter clockwise)
6. Camera Triggering – Ensure ‘Trigger Shutter Release before Turntable Turns’ is enabled

Step 5: 360 Product Photography

After the 360 product image set has been captured, they can be further edited and processed (if required). Next, they can be output locally to a folder where users will have free reign to further process and compose into 360 product view. In this step, users can rename (suggested to use FILENAME-‘3 digit counter’) and resize (suggested to <2000 px wide or tall) and adjust resolution (ex. 72 DPI for web).

Iconasys offers 360 Product View Creator Software that can compose a 360 product image set into a web-ready 360 product view in various interactive web formats.

Step 6: Output 360 Product Image Set

Iconasys offers 360 Product View Creator Software that can compose a 360 product image set into a web-ready 360 product view in various interactive web formats.

Learn more about 360° Product Photography Solutions from Iconasys

Iconasys 360 product photography solutions are trusted by some of the world’s leading brands & retailers along with thousands of professional photographers and small to medium size businesses. Our product range includes a range of stand alone software, turntables and lighting kits which can be used together as a complete turnkey solution for 360 product photography. These tools are designed for users of any skill level to easily and efficiently create high quality results. Additional info on the Iconasys product range can be found using the links below:

Additional 360 Product Photography Software