1.2.1. The lighting

3DSOM Pro can handle photographs taken under a variety of conditions. Two typical configurations are shown below - a low budget desktop photoshoot and a professional studio set-up.

3DSOM Pro will automatically correct many lighting problems, although the following points should still be observed:

• avoid strong shadows on the backdrop, calibration mat or object.
• If possible, make sure there is enough light to take your pictures without having to use the camera flash.

Lighting advice for professional studios Use diffused lighting to flood the scene with even lighting Use a reflector above the object Minimise shadows from the object

1.2.2. Camera setup

Key points

• Use a digital camera
• Mounted on a rigid tripod in landscape or portrait mode
• Disable the flash to prevent strong shadows

TIP:	Try to make the object and mat fill the camera viewfinder (i.e., make good use of the camera view space) to improve the quality of the results.

Tips for more experienced photographers Experienced photographers should use the camera in manual mode. Use manual exposure and F-stop to ensure all the photographs are taken under the same conditions. Use as large an F-stop as possible in order to increase the depth of field so that the whole object and calibration mat are sharp and in focus. Experiment with the exposure settings until the correct image is achieved or use a standard grey chart or light meter. You can adjust the white balance manually to prevent white balance unevenness. Once you have an even exposure/white balance in a series of pictures, ensure that the "Tone correct textures" tick box is not ticked in 3DSOM Pro Settings Window.