# getting wrinkles out of backdrops!!



## Sontizzle

i have a black backdrop and a white backdrop and they are both made of cotton. how can i get the wrinkles out? i dont want to wash the black one and lose the color. 

also isnt there other alternatives to backdrops? like vinly/plastic and where could i order it?


----------



## Joves

Get a spray bottle and heavily mist the material and, try throwing it in the dryer. Or do you have an iron? Those have worked for many years.


----------



## Sontizzle

your talking about ironing a 12'x12' fabric! lol


----------



## kundalini

I've seen [video=youtube;5qvkeiPBHIc]http://youtube.com/watch?v=5qvkeiPBHIc"]*this* [/video]on TV.  ???


----------



## goodoneian

use a slower shutter speed, and have someone or yourself even move the back drop back and forth. that's worked pretty well for me and sure beats ironing


----------



## Big Mike

Here is a great tip that I've heard from a few different sources.

Use a spray bottle and mist the backdrop...but you don't need to put it in the dryer...just leave it hanging.  Depending of a few factors, it may take several hours...but the wrinkles should slowly disappear.


----------



## Village Idiot

Also, if small wrinkles persist, have your subject 6' or so away from the backdrop and use a smaller DOF. 5.6 or so would be good if you can manage that with the lights you're using.


----------



## Mike_E

Big Mike said:


> Here is a great tip that I've heard from a few different sources.
> 
> Use a spray bottle and mist the backdrop...but you don't need to put it in the dryer...just leave it hanging.  Depending of a few factors, it may take several hours...but the wrinkles should slowly disappear.



A blow dryer and a hairbrush work too.  Wet the backdrop as suggested and hit it with the hot air while smoothing with the brush (or something other than your hand -it gets hot).  If you can get it against a wall it goes faster, kind of like ironing with out having to take it down, or scorching the wall.  lol


----------



## One Sister

We have many backdrops...too many to hang up (only room for three).  The spray bottle will work if you have time to wait for it to dry, but  I keep a small Conair steamer (about $35) in the studio for quick touch ups.

I've always been afraid to work with vinyl or anything that will reflect light as I have a hard enough time lighting my subjects without having light spilling all over the place!


----------



## Neuner

Sontizzle said:


> your talking about ironing a 12'x12' fabric! lol



I do it.  It works and doesn't take as long as you think.  The dryer method works sometimes but tough wrinkles take more.

When I'm done, I roll the fabric up on a long pvc pipe and store it that way.  The only time it gets wrinkled again is maybe during a shoot.  Touching up those small areas are then easy.


----------



## Snap Happy

Downy sells a product in a spray bottle called "Downy Wrinkle Release". Find some of that and a fabric steamer and you should be good to go.


----------



## usayit

Downy Wrinkle Release works... although I've never used it on a backdrop.  Just my cloths when I'm too lazy to pull the iron out in the morning.


----------



## noob873

Without even working with the actual backdrop its pretty easy to get rid of it in pp.  Say if the backgrounds white, put your dodge tool on highlights at 100% and go over the background to make it pure white. For black do the same thing but use the burn tool on shadows. Then to make sure its pure white/black you can open up the info window, and 255 is white, and 0 is black, so as you go over it make sure the whole background is either one of those.


----------



## Palyriot

I've never used a backdrop before, but after reading this thread, this might work. What about clipping the two bottom corners down, or attaching a weight to each corner and put a fan behind the backdrop blowing air at the backdrop.. This should push out the wrinkles if they aren't too severe.


----------



## Joves

Sontizzle said:


> your talking about ironing a 12'x12' fabric! lol


Yeah and? I have done it before in the old days.


----------



## SBlanca

i've seen my mum iron bigger things that 12x12


----------



## Meysha

I've ironed my backdrop before and it was a snap! Seriously I spend longer ironing the weekly laundry than it took to iron my backdrop.


----------



## Sontizzle

i may give that a try then.


but what about the other backdrops ive seen? they look vinyl and can be rolled up or down by pulling on them. i dont know how to really explain it.


----------



## Lacey Anne

I use a dewrinkler spray as well. I spray the backdrop then smooth with my hands. It works really well.


----------



## roadkill

you can mist the fabric with a spray bottle and, if hanging, wrinkles will be gone in 5 minutes.  Old restaurant trick for table clothes


----------



## Icon72

Sontizzle said:


> but what about the other backdrops ive seen? they look vinyl and can be rolled up or down by pulling on them. i dont know how to really explain it.


 
Are you referring to muslin backdrops possibly?


----------

