Chivas Regal Composite Photoshoot

Want to combine photography with CGI? Get a taste of the delicious results you can achieve.

In this bottle photography class, you’ll learn how to craft the perfect lighting setup for a whisky image to be paired with a CGI background.

As Karl begins, he’s confident that the shoot will be straightforward. But it proves to be more challenging than expected, requiring some fascinating problem-solving and producing excellent learning opportunities.

You’ll watch him experiment with a wide variety of lights and modifiers, including softboxes, scrims, Fresnels, projection attachments, and more.

You’ll also see him use a range of props and reflectors as he works to create beautiful lighting for the bottle, its label, and its contents – plus the accompanying glass.

Particularly interesting are the lengths to which Karl has to go to achieve satisfactory caustics on the wooden surface!

Once he has the various images he needs, Karl demonstrates how to move them into Photoshop, merge them and undertake the necessary retouching, including removing the ‘halo-ing’ so that the bottle sits comfortably against the CGI background.  In this part of the class, you’ll learn various useful post-production tools and techniques.

He finishes by photographing a cube to help Ethan match up the perspectives of the bottle shot with the CGI background.

In this class:

  • Product photography with CGI background
  • Lighting techniques for bottle and beverage photography
  • Using a scrim in product photography
  • How to use reflectors in bottle and beverage photography
  • Creating caustics
  • Photoshop tools and techniques for bottle and beverage photography

To watch Ethan create the CGI background for this image, check out Chivas Regal Composite CGI.

If you enjoyed this class, be sure to watch Cosmetics Product Shoot Using TV Background.

Questions? Please post them in the comments section below.

© Karl Taylor and Ethan Davis

Comments

    1. Hi Lena, at what time in the video please? It’s most likely an acrylic mirror but if you give me the time I can double check.

  2. Paulpdh

    That’s certainly made me think twice about my shots. You spent some much time lighting that bottle from every direction. Fascinating. I’ll definitely redo some of my images trying this. Thanks really helpful. Paul

  3. Hi,

    Thank you for the video – very enlightening! Just one question: Why do you cut the hole in the silver “paper” that you place on the table “under” the bottle? I mean the one you use to keep the light on the bottle from top to bottom, min. 13 of the video? What happens if you don’t cut it and place the whole rectangular silver “paper” under the bottle?

    Thank you! M.

  4. Hi.
    Simple question (could be obvios): What do you use as a background for bottles in general? Or depends on the color of the content?

    Thanks.

  6. hi,
    can you please help on top tips how can we shoot flat product with big dimensions as YOGA Mat dimensions (183×61 cm)

    Many Thanks

    1. Hi Roma, no I’m afraid we can’t give very specific personal tutorials for one particular type of product. There are many classes on this platform that cover things such as flat lay photography: https://visualeducation.com/section/flat-lay/ and many other including packshots: https://visualeducation.com/section/packshots/ and all types of product photography: https://visualeducation.com/product-photography-courses/ please learn photography if you want to make really good pictures, you can’t short cut these things. Yes there would be a set up that would be best for what you want but what it is depends on many things such as: What background? what size studio do you have? What angle do you need to shoot the mats? Are the matts glossy or matt? Etc etc. Your question is a bit like going to a DIY store and saying I need to build something, what do I need?

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