# I'm trying to setup a chroma-key photo booth and need some advice..



## methodeux (Sep 14, 2012)

Greetings,

  I'm setting up a photo booth for purposes of taking professional quality photos of items for eBay/Amazon within my company.  I'm looking for some advice on how to set one up in a cheap-but-effective fashion.  

  What kind of fabric/material should I use to line a frame for the cleanest chroma-key result?  

  How do I deal with dust/dirt/wear from large volumes of used items moving in and out of the booth?  

  What type of lighting should I use?

  What's the cheapest I should expect to pay for the setup?

  Any other advice or hints are welcome.

Thanks.


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## tirediron (Sep 14, 2012)

"Cheapest" and "professional" rarely go together.  Depending on the size of your item, I would purchase one of the many relatively inexpensive light-tents (eBay) which usually come with chroma blue & green backgrounds as well as white and neutral gray.  Since you're dealing with static subjects, then continuous lighting will be fine.  Size and quality dependant, anywhere from $200 - $1200.


As for the dust/dirt/wear, the simplest solution would be to clean the products before you put them in the tent (clean products photograph much better and will likely sell more quickly and/or for higher prices.  A small air-compressor will generally clean most loose dust & dirt easily.


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## cgipson1 (Sep 14, 2012)

To add to what Tirediron said... flash is far superior to any type of constant light, although for static objects... either can be used.

Chroma Key shooting can be diffiicult to learn, as it does require some experience and good technique. You typically need to have very even lighting on the background to ensure that background removals is as easy as possible. Special software for the background removal is available, but it does not always live up to it's promises either.

You did not say what camera, lenses or other equipment you have either... that makes it easier to recommend other gear. Assuming you have a decent camera, and lenses.... and need flashes, light tent, etc... you can probably do a decent setup from $200 to $500, depending on the quality of the gear you buy.


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## MLeeK (Sep 14, 2012)

Order a light tent from Adorama or B&H. 
Order two speedlights to put on either side of it.
A trigger and receiver system for the speedlights. 
Then start learning how to operate it correctly.


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## Bitter Jeweler (Sep 14, 2012)

Don't forget the book, "Light, Science, Magic"!


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