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GS1 Image Standards and Digital Asset Management
Discover advanced PhotoRobot software tools for image capture & robotic process automation in this quick guide to our hardware control software.
PhotoRobot’s Image Capture & Control software gives you complete control over all of your hardware on a single interface. Command multiple cameras, lighting setups, robotic processes & hardware sequences for all of your still images, 360 spin photos & 3D product photography.
Configure and save settings as “Presets” to reuse long into the future when photographing similar types of products. Set once, use forever; we like to say.
In this guide, we’ll demonstrate how. We’ll introduce you to our image capture & control software, and share some advanced tricks to streamline your product photography.
Take complete command over when and where to trigger cameras with PhotoRobot's image capture automation. Specify individual angles to capture, or quickly re-capture angles with fast sequence repeat.
Were there only a few misfired photos? Select the angles you need to re-shoot, and streamline the sequence to only capture specific images.
Unique to PhotoRobot, configure and save capture settings as “Presets” to use again and again. Presets allow you to streamline processes in the studio for both image capture and editing.
Extremely valuable when photographing a range of products, define commands to apply to objects in similar categories. This way you automate outputs for various types of products - whether it’s clothing & apparel, household appliances, or any other eCommerce product photography.
Simply create presets for your most-used settings, from camera and row automation to arm elevation, lighting, sequences, and post processing. Presets are applied automatically and immediately at just one click of the play button.
Another function unique to PhotoRobot is our Fast Shot mode. With this tool, we’re able to capture up to 24 pictures in 15 seconds from the time we prep the scene. To do this, our image capture and control software reads the position of the turntable 1,000 times per second.
It’s even possible to reach up to 24 photos in 10 seconds, although for this we need exceptionally fast lights and cameras.
While reading table position, PhotoRobot then sends capture signals with the precise moment for cameras to trigger. All the while, the rotary turntable remains in non-stop rotation, shaving valuable seconds off each product photoshoot.
With 360-degree product photography, there are single-row and multi-row spins. Each row consists of a specific angle which you photograph 360 degrees around an object.
Single-row spins are the easiest to capture, and one row is usually enough to create a lifelike impression of an object. These spins can only move left and right on a horizontal axis, and often consist of 36 images at 10-degree increments.
Multi-row spins (also known as “3D spins”) require more time and effort. They usually have 3 or 4 rows of photos with 12 or 18 images per row. We photograph each row at different camera angles to create a spin that moves up and down as well as left and right.
Capturing multi-row spins often calls for configuring settings for each individual row. You might need to adjust lighting, camera capture, or camera & editing parameters. Our image capture & control software allows you to do precisely that. Apply unique settings to each row, and PhotoRobot handles the rest.
For further time-savings, take advantage of automatic elevation of the robotic camera arm. Using CubiScan, we detect the object’s size and shape, weigh & measure it, and save dimensions to the specific item.
We can then open items in the software to trigger automatic elevation of the Robotic_Arm. The camera arm will then adjust its position to the absolute center of the object, without any more manual input from the user.
Using a single interface, you have complete control over all photography robots thanks to our image capture & control software. Control everything: from speed & rotation of motorized turntables to camera arm elevation, swing angles, and every robot in the studio.
It’s all at your fingertips. A special widget with a clean and intuitive interface gives you control over robotic processes and movement. Control robots from your studio workstation, or even remotely from anywhere in the world.
Support & control up to 7 cameras at one time with PhotoRobot’s Multi_Cam. This multi-camera system allows for simultaneous photography of several top view angles in a rotational range of 360°. Create 3D photographic presentations of objects while also capturing predefined angles for individual images to use online or in print advertising.
Our image capture & control software streamlines the entire process, giving you complete control over every camera. Seamlessly integrated with the system, command cameras to capture simultaneously to create 3D photos in a single rotation.
Use PhotoRobot’s Live Viewer to preview image capture in real-time and across multiple screens. Your photographers as well as the product stylists will thank you.
Dedicate one or more monitors near the workstation for a better overview of the entire photography scene. Our server streams the camera Live View to your monitors, allowing you to watch the magic as it happens.
With support for both Canon and Nikon, PhotoRobot’s Camera Remote allows you to configure and save camera settings as Presets.
Create Presets for multiple cameras and simultaneous capture, and deploy to reuse for all similar photoshoots.
Control lighting and flashes directly from the interface. With support for Broncolor, Profoto, Fomei and DMX, you can adjust energy, cell sensors, modeling light, and power on / off. All remotely from your workstation.
Save all light settings as Presets to automate lighting parameters for future photoshoots. Combine these with presets for hardware & camera control, and you have complete automation in the studio.
Freemask is one of the quickest and most exact ways to remove the background from product photos. The mask is created during the picture taking process, reducing the amount of cut-out work after production to a minimum.
With the aid of our software, we take two pictures - one main image, and one mask image. In the main image, only the product is lit, and during the second mask only the background.
The backlit shot then creates a pixel-exact mask within post production. Our image capture and control software provides an approximate estimate of the color threshold which will be considered dark enough to be the object.
Anything lighter than the threshold registers as the background, and then you get a mask to apply to the main picture. The software does this completely automatically, and lets you place the cut-out object onto a new color of your choosing.
Our image capture & control software even has freemask support for transparent objects. It allows you to set half transparency with a threshold of three values: black, white, and gamma.
Anything below the black point registers as the product. Everything above the white point becomes the background. Then, anything between these two points is made transparent, however not completely so.
Experiment with the threshold and automate background removal on even the smallest structures, details, and transparencies.
Curious to learn more about PhotoRobot hardware and software? Why not contact us, or even sign up for our Product Photography Newsletter below? You can also follow us on LinkedIn and Youtube. We regularly share blogs, guides, tutorials and videos to keep you updated on everything happening at PhotoRobot.
