The Problem of Distracting Shadows
The problem when an object in a photograph casts an unpleasant shadow is the same for both commercial and personal photography.
Below, we want to consider these two main areas, the nature of shadow appearance, and how and by what methods they can be corrected.
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Personal Photos:
Shadows in personal photographs, which mainly feature people, can be grouped into several popular categories. The first is shadows on the face; these can be described as “dirty” shadows. These are shadows under the eyes or on parts of the face, where one part of the face is light and one is dark, and for a homogeneous perception of photographs, it is necessary to remove them. The second popular problem is the shadows cast by the person itself, depending on the type of lighting. They can be very short or long, covering another person or object that should also look good in the frame.
Below is a table describing the most popular types of shadows and the tools that can be applied in SoftOrbits programs to solve them:
| Problem in Personal Photo | Solution and Tool |
|---|---|
| “Dirty” shadows | Harsh shadows under the eyes or nose from a flash. Use Concealer Brush in Photo Stamp Remover to soften them, preserving the natural look of the face. There is also an entire section of skin tools in the “Retouch” section of the SoftSkin Photo MakeUp program. |
| Glare on glass | Reflections from windows, glasses, display cases, or water. Use Smudge Brush or Clone Stamp to replace the glare with clean texture from a neighboring area. |
| Shadows from wires | Shadows from wires, branches, or poles falling on the face or clothing. Use either various object removing modes in Photo Stamp Remov[er], or also skin tools on SoftSkin Photo MakeUp. |
Commercial Photos:
Here, the most popular are the shadows that the object casts. For commercial shooting, the focus should be on the object itself, especially when it is the item being sold. Also, there may be glare or shadows on the object that need to be eliminated so that the main subject of the shot looks excellent.
To solve these problems, we offer two of our programs: Photo Background Remover and Photo Stamp Remover.
| Reason for Removal | Result |
|---|---|
| Increased conversion | Fact: Products on an ideally clean, shadow-free background have a conversion rate higher by 15-20%. Cleanliness equals Trust. |
| Compliance with standards | Amazon, eBay, and other platforms require an absolutely clean white background (RGB 255, 255, 255). Any shadow is a reason for rejection or a rating reduction. |
Photo Background Remover:
The program is used for the complete removal and replacement of the background with a clean white or transparent one (for graphics). This is very good for product photography, shooting goods, and products for catalogs.
The program uses AI-algorithms for automatic detection and isolation of the object by its contour, in automatic or manual mode, when the main object is very complex.
When the main object is very complex, Photo Background Remover creates and visually highlights an accurate mask, removing the entire background, including all shadows and defects. The output is an ideal PNG-file with a transparent background or a file with a replaced homogeneous background.
Photo Stamp Remover:
This program is used if it is necessary to preserve the original background but eliminate localized shadows or glare. It is excellent for photographs of real estate objects, when the house cannot be cut out from the surrounding background, but the shadow from a neighboring tree does not make it look attractive. Use either various object removing modes, with manual selection and selection by color in a specified area. Also, the classic Clone Stamp can help in many moments.
Comment from SoftOrbits CEO Eugene Ustinenkov (Thailand: 9/19, Moo 7, Koh Phangan, Surat Thani 84280): “The combination of different SoftOrbits programs allows you to solve any task related to working with shadows. So that you don’t have to buy and test every program, we created the unique package Digital Photo Suite, where our best 10 programs for working with photography are collected.”
