OK...how the hell do the rest of you keep your backdrops wrinkle free? I tend to shoot outdoors, but will do shots in my apartment when it's too cold out there. My backdrops are all folded since space is limited. I do end up trying to iron out the fold creases (probably better word than wrinkles), and they usually come back.
Sooooooo. How do all of you keep nice smooth backdrops?
Well the least expensive way is by using a steamer to iron them out. Or you can buy a backdrop rolling track, so you can keep them rolled up and pull them down when you need them.
I don't. White backdrops I light well enough to blow them out and not worry as much about wrinkles. Anything I happen to catch in the image is simple enough to edit out in PS.
Black, same deal, just not have as much light on it, fixable in PS.
My muslin backdrops are wrinkled to hell since I don't have room to store seamless. I stretch them as tight as I can with clamps and then overexpose the white one or underexpose the black one when possible. Otherwise, I have to spend some time in post removing the wrinkles.
Even having the space in the studio, you still run out eventually. I am switching to all paper and vinyl rolls. But for the muslin that is here I either keep it up in place, or as pointed out rolling racks work well. Of course you would have to start out with a tube sturdy enough (sched 40 pvc works well), mount the muslin, and then roll it on without wrinkling it.
Studio B Photo
Posts: 567
Lake in the Hills, Illinois, US
I have the room to store them on this DIYS rack in my home Studio. Putting muslin on at least a PVC pipe is really a must. My folded ones are seldom used. Have you considered using a 7' wide that when rolled could fit under a bed.. Good luck.
We roll our smaller backdrops on used seamless paper rolls. For 10x20s we hang 5 of them as seen in the studio photo in my profile. For other 10x20s that we store, we break out the steamer. ... and we also have a couple that are made of wrinkle free material.
The best way to keep the muslin wrinkle free is to keep them permanently in place like those cookie cutter places ex sears. I tried the rolling the muslins into pvc pipes with limited success. They always end up catching dirt and space is going to be taken up anyways. I sold all mines and went paper. All problems were solved. No wrinkles no dirt pick up.
John M Hoyt
Posts: 284
Greenville, South Carolina, US
D S P wrote: We roll our smaller backdrops on used seamless paper rolls. For 10x20s we hang 5 of them as seen in the studio photo in my profile. For other 10x20s that we store, we break out the steamer. ... and we also have a couple that are made of wrinkle free material.
To keep your wrinkles from coming back mid-shoot (I assume that's what you're experiencing since after the shoot doesn't matter, it's just getting folded up again), stretch the fabric tight before steaming and keep it that way until its completely dry and cooled. If you're just tacking it to a ceiling and letting it hang loose, that's why you can't keep the wrinkles out. You need lots of clamps on all sides and a good handheld steamer.
I like to use fabric that I can put in the dryer. I like the fabric shops. You can find all kinds of stuff for very little money. And most of the time the people who work there are very helpful!
Plain white king size bed sheet. Outside at a park.
Wrinkled blue satin. On the floor of my living room
Kaouthia
Posts: 3,080
Lancaster, England, United Kingdom
Cornfield Deep wrote: I don't. White backdrops I light well enough to blow them out and not worry as much about wrinkles. Anything I happen to catch in the image is simple enough to edit out in PS.
^^ Same.
When I use them, I just stretch 'em out on the background stand, clamp the ends onto the pole, gaffer tape it to the floor, and it does a decent enough job. Then I just light it to blow it out, and depth of field takes care of the rest.
pay attention to how light affects the existing fold marks - linear fold marks are easy to minimize with careful handling and proper light, random wrinkles are not and to be avoided
have a steamer as apart of your kit - hang, stretch, steam, re-stretch if needed
I use the "freedom cloth" backdrops from Denny - they really do minimize wrinkles....
Studio B Photo wrote: I have the room to store them on this DIYS rack in my home Studio. Putting muslin on at least a PVC pipe is really a must. My folded ones are seldom used. Have you considered using a 7' wide that when rolled could fit under a bed.. Good luck.
Storing backdrops horizontally, fabric or paper, is not generally recommended. Your method seems like a recipe for wrinkles. I store paper, fabric and vinyl backdrops, except for specifically wrinkle-free drops, rolled tightly and standing vertically. This has been the practice in every studio I've ever visited.
I thought this was so widely accepted as the preferred method, I'm surprised that there is even debate.
RKD Photographic
Posts: 2,989
Iserlohn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Don't bother - all my cloth backdrops are deliberate crumpled then stuffed into carry-bags... The 'crumpled' look beats the hell out of straight creases (which you can never totally eliminate).
If I need smooth, I use paper...
Right Poes
Posts: 603
Colorado Springs, Colorado, US
I tried the wrinkle free spray stuff, it helped a bit. My area still smells like a laundry mat and it made the fabric stiff as all get out. My studio area is not long enough to get much blow out but it helps more than the spay junk.
For head shots and standing poses, switch from muslin to jersey fabric (like what your T-shirts are made of) that you can buy at a fabric store like JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores. Here's an example: http://www.joann.com/sew-classic-knit-b … /prd32707/
It doesn't wrinkle much at all, and you can stretch it out on your BG stand to remove any wrinkles using clamps and/or tape. One problem with it is that it is usually available only up to 60" (5ft) wide. But for head shots and standing poses it works great.
Top Level Studio
Posts: 3,208
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
KonstantKarma wrote: I too have made the switch from fabric to paper and vinyl.
However, the fleece idea posted above sounds like a great option, for black.
Even coloured fleece can make a good backdrop. This is an early edit, but it was getting views immediately, so I haven't replaced it with a later edit where the backdrop behind the model is totally black.
Storing backdrops horizontally, fabric or paper, is not generally recommended. Your method seems like a recipe for wrinkles. I store paper, fabric and vinyl backdrops, except for specifically wrinkle-free drops, rolled tightly and standing vertically. This has been the practice in every studio I've ever visited.
I thought this was so widely accepted as the preferred method, I'm surprised that there is even debate.
I guess you missed the bit were he said "home" studio? good luck finding ceilings tall enough to store rolls vertically in a standard North American home with 8 ft ceilings.
Dan Howell
Posts: 1,793
Jersey City, New Jersey, US
AVD AlphaDuctions wrote: I guess you missed the bit were he said "home" studio? good luck finding ceilings tall enough to store rolls vertically in a standard North American home with 8 ft ceilings.
I didn't make this s... up. This is common knowledge. Guess you missed that bit.
His ceiling height will not change the fact that storing backdrops horizontally for long durations will wrinkle them. It literally ruins seamless set paper. Fabric backgrounds will generally require steaming/ironing to get rid of the lines from where part of the background is compressed. Not to mention it takes up less floor space that way.
My studio happens to be next to a famous professional backdrop painting studio. They have literally over 1,000 muslin and canvas backdrops on tubes stored vertically in their studio. They have some painted muslins that are stored in a bag that were painted with the intent to be wrinkled (example below), but the majority are standing.
I happen to have 10 ft ceilings in my loft and 12ft ceilings in my studio. I store paper and rolled fabric backgrounds vertically. (btw. that's an empty set paper box on the floor on its way to recycling)
Even leaning a 9 ft roll to stand up in an 8 ft room is preferable to laying on the floor or the horizontal rack.
shoot on-white or on-black. or use paper (but i find i get nasty noise in black/gray even at low ISO). or buy backdrops that are "wrinkle-free" or put them up to intentionally make curtain-like folds. or use curtains. or put the subject well in front of the backdrop and blur the heck out of the backdrop (but wrinkles may still show on the floor).
otherwise photoshop is your friend on lonely nights of editing.
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