Photosphere vs. N30: which do you prefer?

My photography education is still in its infancy, and I'm having a hard time deciding what would be best for me to use for still photos, given that I don't even really know what questions, features, etc. I should consider, and the two systems are so drastically different in their layout.

The N30 and other types like that with flat backgrounds (and floors?) tend to leave white exposed outside of the background. It appears that this would not be a problem with a Photsphere style product.

But what about ease and availability of lighting changes?
How easy is it to change or add backgrounds?
Do you prefer to use a pose stand, pose balls, and animations played by the avatar?
I'm not as worried about the money - I'm willing to spent what it takes (within reason) to get the product that is easier to use, if necessary. I don't want to cut corners, and then regret it.

And yes, I have tried both style a little bit already. That's why I'm asking you all which style you prefer. I realized that I don't really know enough to know if I am adequately evaluating them. I want to hear from people who use them frequently. Sorry if this is slightly off topic for this thread, but I tend to get better answers in this forum.

Princess Ivory

I bought the sphere type of photo *studio*, I was fortunate to find the one i wanted at a yardsale for 1500 ,it was 3000 on SLX...its far better than any other type Ive tried. I had one of the flat ones, but as you point out you do get white edges etc. I use a pose stand in it (it came with the item but Ive added more poses also) and hide it during shooting, its simple to use...and the results even for an amatuer like me are really cool! It has menus at either side of the sphere, one side deals with the repeats of patterns and lighting, the other side contains all the backgrounds and colours, you can also add scenes & colours to it. Simple click of the old mouse and voila

I'll look up the model name of the one i have when im inworld and let you know later.

When you say *still* photography what do you mean>? I use mine for modelling clothes for stores , have also done a few shots for friends etc..

It has literally hundreds of backgrounds, scenes, glass patterns and also block colours.there are alos lighting options which i havent fiddled about with yet....very handy thing

Photosphere hands down. You can find it by searching for Kyoot Army (her other business). It's on a sim called Silent.


Photosphere: Not primmy, Easy to use, Easy to Add backgrounds, good customer service.


N30: A giant prim monster, complicated, too many bells and whistles and other such things. Also, more expensive than the photosphere.

I don't use either. I make a 10 x 10 hollow cube, cut it half way so that it's basically an "L" shape, and color it white.

Then I put on whatever I'm going to model, turn off my AO, and pick a modelling pose from the separates that I've purchase and are sitting in the "animations" directory in my inventory. I strike that pose in order to adjust lighting.

Set to sunset or sunrise; you won't get such harsh shadows. Then, if I need extra lighting or mood lighting, I create a sphere, or spheres, set them to emit light, color the light if necessary, and move them around till I like how I look.

Then I do a PrtScrn, and paste to my graphics program, where I can manipulate the image further. I cut out the white background and paste a backdrop of my choice as a lower layer.

I tried using a "photo booth" but to me it's frustrating.

If you set that white cube to full bright, there will be no shadows, which is perfect for editing out the background for something else if you need.

Sounds great - please send a lm if you still haven. By "still photo" I mean exactly what you are doing. Posed non-motion photos. Maybe for clothes, or things like that.) I'm heading in the direction of photographic art, so I need al lot of control over the background, hopefully easy to use that feature. And the poses. I would guess I could just use the stand I already use the feature I have added, and just add more as I go. Same with backgrounds? I'm assuming it comes with backgrounds, and I can add more?

Thanks for your response!

Princess Ivory

I have used both and a few other custom systems created by other people that are not for sale. To be honest with you, a lot of it has to do with what you have going on and the type of photography you are going for. The type you describe can be adequately done with any of the systems out there.

I simply rez my own prims, have a lovely pose stand that rotates, hides and holds all my favorite poses. Its menu driven and can be found at Nyteraven. Its also a one prim jobber which makes things great with a lovely reset button for when Second Life misbehaves.

I prefer to either do an all white set on bright or an all black background. Not only are these great as the backdrop, at any time later on I can always go back to those snapshots and do some "cut-outs" for use against other backgrounds or other purposes.

Doing things this way also allows me to pull out my pose stand in sims that allow build and do impromptu shots using Second Life as the backdrop, which is becoming a quickly preferred request with many of my clients wanting pictures done. Those that don't allow building, I keep a handy set of poses to give away and for myself to use in the animations folder. We go to town and are down in less then five or ten minutes usually.

Don't always be swayed into paying a lot for the things you can do yourself and have far more control over the outcome.

I bought the N30 studio in the past and it always seemed to have some issue or another and I wasn't pleased with it at all. Nor did I like the poses that came with it. I haven't tried the other studio mentioned. I have a special room set up in my home just for taking pics, mainly it's a small black room and I just use my own poses and backgrounds. Much cheaper and less laggy

I guess I'm cheap too, because like Oryx, I just used a cut cube, except I added a floor to it. Poses I have in the fold and then take snaps that way and download them to the hard drive.

Yes, full bright removes the shadows of the background and setting the sides to emit light adds light to the scene too. And turning off the foot shadows. I hate the foot shadows.

I have my workbox set up to be a photostudio for my products. Scripted it so that one panel of floor, when click, turns the entire thing full-bright black, and when the net one over is clicked it returns it to the building grid texture that it normally is. All of the outside textures are transparent so that I can get a good angle, while on the inside all except a cieling is textured however I want it to be (The black or building grid)

WOrks lovely ^_^

I have both and I say...

Photosphere FTW!

http://shop.onrez.com/item/364357

http://shop.onrez.com/Saeya_Nyanda/?SortBy=best_match&Category=126

I also made my own. It's a large, hollow cylinder with about 1/4 slice from the side. Pure white, full bright. I added 5 other small, transparent prims for lighting.

I do lighting effects, background and whatever in photoshop.

N30

You can cobble stuff together as others have said.

My first studio was a single 10x5 prim with a free texture changing script and loaded with freebie textures. Added Teddy's Multi-Pose freebie loaded with free poses. Tossed up some lights and :boom: instant studio. Decent enough for most uses for L$0, 6 prims total, and a little bit of time.

As I got to know more about building, texturing, and scripting, my studio(s) have been slowly becoming more refined for my uses. The one I've been working on lately is da uber.

If I were to buy a studio toy, it would be Photosphere.

i too created my own. i just created a full bright white box, transparent outside textures and use the poses in my inventory and get snap happy.
The thing about this aswell, for me is that because I rez it at about 800m high, on my mysti-platform, It doesn't bother me so much if I lose it, I can get more

i haven't seen either of the ones mentioned though so cannot offer an opinion.

I've made my own with an "L"back wall and floor, a pose stand, and some moveable, color-changeable light spheres. It's just that I"m so new at this, if I were leaving out important features, I wouldn't even know it? That's why I was asking about the commercial products - thinking I can always customize something more of more own when I am more experienced. I really appreciate the feedback! If you've got some goof advice or feedback, please keep it coming!

Princess Ivory

What is the best color to use on a back drop for modeling clothes if I am going to put in a background when I edit in my photo editing software?

Bec

Something that contrasts with the subject and is easilly selectable in editing program without any bleedover.

I just modeled some clothing for a professional photographer, and she used a product shaped like a sphere, and it was completely white inside. Lots of lighting, too. She said she always uses the white for modeling.

I do the same thing, I made a white box, full bright, perfect for taking ad pics

simple made it myself posing/modeling stand, tossed in some freebie poses and good to go

I use save snapshot to disk, not print screen

would not purchase a photostudio, do not really see the need for one

(and use light set prims if I need additional lighting)

ok another question how do I get full bright white? is it just the white in the color selector?

Bec

QFT

Also to add

maybe try a sphere and add your texture to the inside face ..

N30 etal is great if you want snaps of yourself behind a camera .. if your aim is to photograph your client then I don't recomend a 3rd party product.

Choose your own background inworld if possible .. if not project/texture it on a prim.

Select White as your bkgnd colour ( if white can be considered a "colour" ) ..
then while still in the edir tab select "full bright".

WAHOOOO thank you thank you!!!!

Bec

Same here. I have a posing stand with all my poses in it. The color I make the back ground is just any color that isn't on the model so I can easily select it - like a blue screen.