The best product photography background is a physical or digital surface that accentuates a product, its characteristics, and its advantages so that potential buyers easily understand once they see the product. As online competition is skyrocketing, product photographers, online marketers, and e-commerce store owners prioritize product background to stand out.

Choosing the right background that complements the product and highlights its features is necessary for generating sales. It should be decided based on products, background color, materials, light setup, brand requirements, purpose, and budget. Some backgrounds are fixed by e-commerce platforms, such as white (mostly), black, off-white, and gray. Some backgrounds uplift products, such as monochrome backgrounds. Other backgrounds allow flexibility, such as fabric and paper. Many other product image backgrounds are best for different purposes, as listed below.

1. E-commerce Background

2. Monochrome Background

• Plain White Background
• Gray Background
• Black Background
• Off-White Background

3. Fabric Background

4. Paper Background

5. Pattern and Shape Background

6. Gradient Background

7. Bokeh Background

8. Seamless Background

9. Chroma Key Background

10. Stock Image Background

11. Canva/Painting Background

12. Outdoor Background

13. Contextual Background

14. Sturdy Background

15. Textured Background

16. On-Location Backgrounds

17. DIY Background

1. E-commerce Background

An e-commerce background is specifically designed and set by specific platforms that all new and existing sellers must use when they opt for online selling. It ensures professionalism and clarity of the product during an online presentation. E-commerce background mostly prefers white with other variations as follows.

A. Plain White Background

White is the most used e-commerce product background that creates a seamless transition. White represents purity, uniformity, and eye-soothingness, which effectively highlights product details and accurate product colors.

Pros

• Highlight products ‘features and hold viewers’ focus
• Shows product in real-life color
• It is easy to edit products on a white background

Cons

• Can make products look bland

B. Gray Background

The gray background is a mix of white and black, available in silver to charcoal colors. It signifies sophistication, a professional look, balance, and neutrality of the surroundings to display products effectively.

Pros

• Offers less intensity than the white background in photos
• Matches both light and dark color product backgrounds
• Aligns with diverse product photography setups, from vintage to modern

Cons

It may make a vibrant product look uninspiring

C. Black Background

Black backgrounds absorb light and are used for creating bold, sophisticated product photography setups. It makes the product pop, offers a high-end feel, increases viewer’s focus, and evokes their buying interest.

Pros

• Professionally displays metallic, reflective, gemstone, dark color objects
• Creates mystery, elegance, and dominance in the image concept
• Hides product imperfections

Cons

• Deciding on accurate lighting is challenging

D. Off-White Background

The off-white color pacifies the environment, creating a warm look. You can avoid the starkness of the white but provide the contrast. Similar to white, off-white offers clarity and emphasizes the product when used for a minimalistic photoshoot.

Pros

• Provides a soft and eye-comforting look for a product
• Complements products made of natural materials
• Highlights products with props for social media images

Cons

• Shooting white product on off-white makes it less vibrant

Suitable Products: All types of products.

2. Monochrome Background

A monochrome background refers to a single and solid color without any hue. It offers clean and clear support for the product and retains focus when the right color is used. You can use bright or bold colors, subtle hues, or cool or warm colors that align well with the product.

• Bright/Bold colors: Imply energy, dynamism, youthfulness, creativity, etc.
• Cool colors: Represent calmness, reliability, professionalism, etc.
• Warm colors: Signify friendliness, coziness, approachability, etc.
• Neutral colors: Minimalist, elegance, etc.
• Pastel colors: Indicate softness, subtlety, etc.
• Earth colors: Signal natural and grounded emotions.

Pros

• Distraction and a clutter-free background setting
• Offers versatility in creative projects
• Easy to cope with the brand and theme colors

Cons

• The product may appear flat if the background isn’t complementary

Suitable Products: Fashion products, Food photography, Luxury and high-end products, and Tech products.

3. Fabric Background

Fabric backgrounds are made of muslin, satin, cotton, or velvet. Studio photographers hang, stretch, or drape it to create an impactful, comforting, and warm ambiance in the product photo.

Pros

• Comes in various formats, such as creased, smooth, draped, etc
• Available in different colors, textures, designs, patterns, and fabrics
• Washable, reusable, portable, and manageable

Cons:

• Requires careful management to prevent creases or damage

Suitable Products: Clothing products, Jewelry Products, Beauty and skincare products.

4. Paper Background

Paper backgrounds offer versatility and a modern look for any product photography. It doesn’t reflect the surface and is easily disposable. You can produce seamless and consistent results with a paper backdrop.

Pros

• Available in plenty of designs, patterns, and art
• Offers a smooth and realistic surface
• Lightweight and easy to use

Cons

• Risk of tear and crease

Suitable Products: E-commerce products, Beauty products, Fashion products, and Lifestyle products.

5. Pattern and Shape Background

Backgrounds with patterns and shapes come with different visual elements, such as squares, lines, circles, ovals, rectangles, triangles, pentagons, hexagons, stars, diamonds, and other geometric patterns. By creating rhythmic designs in the background, they increase visual interest.

Pros

• Used for enhancing or emphasizing the subject
• Creates different moods and structures in the product photo
• Guides the viewer’s eye to the product

Cons

• Complex patterns might seem distracting.

Suitable Products: Fashion accessories, Premium and luxury products, and Lifestyle products.

6. Gradient Background

Gradient backgrounds are a merging of several colors that brands often take advantage of. This combination creates visual interest, hides distraction, and creates depth for product presentation.

Pros

• Adds creativity and a dramatic look to the product image
• Captures the viewer’s attention toward the product
• Available in printed version and easy to create in Photoshop

Cons

• Inappropriate color combination confuses buyers

Suitable Products: Beauty and skincare products, Fashion and accessories, Luxury goods, and Tech products.

7. Bokeh Background

Bokeh background signifies an artistic perception, evokes emotions, and adds depth to the storytelling concept. It is created by making the background blurry to deliver a dreamy and soft vision. Bokeh separates the product from the background for sharp focus.

Pros

• Creates an unobtrusive background to keep the product in focus
• Product artistic ambiance
• Easily achievable through different lighting sources

Cons

• Overuse of bokeh distracts viewers

Suitable Products: Tech gadgets, Luxury items, Portrait and beauty products, Food photography, and Creative product photography.

8. Seamless Background

A seamless background is a paper, fabric, or vinyl backdrop that has no breaking part. It offers clean, distraction-free, and professional-looking product photography to direct viewers without any visual interruption.

Pros

• Creates a studio-quality and refined look
• Allows customizing
• Highlights product features

Cons

• Prone to damage

Suitable Products: Tech products, Food and beverage, Luxury and premium products.

9. Chroma Key Background

A chroma key background refers to the green screen and the blue screen used during a product photoshoot for digital background replacement during post-production. Photo editors key out the solid colors and replace any colors the clients ask for. The Chroma key allows editors to use creativity and versatility.

Pros

• Enables a diverse range of post-production, from simple to complex
• Used for both product image and product videography
• Cost-effective, reusable, and easily manageable

Cons

• Lack of proper lightning may cause color spill

Suitable Products: All types of products.

10. Stock Image Background

Product photographers often upload their shots on stock photography websites, both in premium and free versions. Using those existing images as your photography backdrop to enrich your product listing is a good idea. From lifestyle, aspiration, and art to specific environments, you will get different images to display your product.

Pros

• Cost-effective solution
• Fast and easy to download
• Customizable and usable for different purposes

Cons

• Can lack product-specific authenticity

Suitable Products: All types of products.

11. Canva/Painting Background

Painting backgrounds are backdrops featuring hand-drawn paintings of various scenes, murals, designs, patterns, and artworks. It is drawn in fabric and canvas. The painted background conveys artistic depth with elegance and creativity.

Pros

• Lasts longer than other backdrops
• Offers a creative look for products
• Reusable and washable

Cons

• Heavy and expensive

Suitable Products: Boutique items, Lifestyle products, and Home decor products.

12. Outdoor Background

Outdoor backgrounds provide context for the product photoshoot in relevant settings, which include architecture, city, vintage look, nature, stone, sand, and wood. It creates realism and connection with the environment, making the product alive and relatable to the viewers.

Pros

• Provides a diverse, authentic, and pleasant look for products
• Enhance products acceptance among users
• Ensures meaningful story development

Cons

• Less control over weather and lighting conditions

Suitable Products: Automobiles, Lifestyle products, Seasonal products, Leisure products, Home and garden products, Organic and natural food, Skincare products, and Outdoor gear products.

13. Contextual Background

A contextual background refers to one resembling a real-world scene to develop a story and connect with consumers. It resonates with the audience’s life and feelings and provides narrative depth. Products shot on a contextual background are well-regarded in e-commerce.

Pros

• Easy to create with any setup
• Adds context and narrative to the photo
• Creates brand authenticity

Cons

• Framing may consist of many distractions

Suitable Products: Beauty and healthcare products, tech gadgets and home decor products, lifestyle products, and food and beverages.

14. Sturdy Background

Sturdy backgrounds come in varieties such as slate, wood, concrete, subway tile, shiplap background, marble background, brick background, etc. This background provides a solid and textured setting in the product photography. Sturdy backgrounds signify stability, durability, and permanence. They contribute to creating the right mood or to the product images.

Pros

• Durable and resistant to stains, creases, liquids, dents, etc.
• Ensures a consistent background
• Offers a non-distracting foundation

Cons

• Heavyweight and limited flexibility

Suitable Products: Jewelry and luxury goods, home and lifestyle products, and handmade products.

15. Textured Background

Textured background features distinct surfaces with patterns, including wood grain, stone, fabric folds, and tactile surfaces. It adds visual components to the images, making them seem more consistent with the main subject. Use them strategically to enhance specific areas of your product image, make a flat surface appear 3D, or develop a retro style.

Pros

• Adds visual interest to product photos
• Contributes to storytelling to complement the subject
• Creates professional and artistic-looking images

Cons

• The background might look too busy

Suitable Products: Organic products and luxury items, tech gadgets and metal objects, and handmade goods.

16. On-Location Backgrounds

On-location backgrounds are shot outside of the studio, often recommended by clients, as they prefer to have their products shot in a specific setting. It can be a workplace, a vacation house, or any of the convenient settings where the product is used or displayed. On-location backgrounds offer authenticity and personalization about the product, making it more relatable.

Pros

• Cost-effective than a whole studio setup
• Offers creative freedom on product display
• Allows for an interactive and meaningful environment for context development

Cons

• Less control over the environment, distraction, lighting, etc.

Suitable Products: Adventure gears and automobiles, lifestyle products, and food photography.

17. DIY Background

A DIY (do-it-yourself) background is a house of creativity. You can use household items, from fabrics to plastic flowers, as your photography backdrop. DIY backdrops display an organic and personalized touch on the product images. It is mostly used by solopreneurs who sell handmade items, entrepreneurs, and dropshippers.

Pros

• Easy to create and cost-effective
• Allows full control over the background setup
• Easy to adjust and match personal styles

Cons

• It might feel like an amateur setup

Suitable Products: All types of products.

Why is Background in Photos Important for Product Photography?

Background in photos for product photography is important to accentuate product features, eliminate distractions, develop photography concepts, stick to e-commerce and brand-specific guidelines, and enhance product visuals to boost sales. The right background makes the product look professional and trustworthy, resonating with buyers’ needs. The benefits of product photography backgrounds are as follows.

To Highlight the Product’s Features

Product photography background highlights the product, design, color, texture, materials, its benefits, and key features to the audience. When you choose a simple, complementary, or contrasting background for a product, you can guide and hold viewers’ attention to the product, enhancing the product’s visibility.

To Eliminate Distractions

The right background makes your product stand out and draws viewers’ attention to the presentation. It prevents the product from blending with the busy background or any other flaws, ensuring a pristine product looks ready to publish on social media, websites, and e-commerce product listings.

To Contribute to The Photography Concept

Background colors have an impact on viewers’ psychology and perception of products. For example, warm colors (red, orange, and yellow) are associated with warmth, energy, urgency, etc. Cool colors (blue, green, and purple) are connected with evoking feelings of tranquility, reliability, trustworthiness, and safety. Neutral colors (black and white) are used for branding, and are often used for representing luxury (black), purity (white), etc.

You can develop the storytelling, set the right mood, or display the product’s charm with a minimalistic approach to aid the concept in building brands.

To Follow E-commerce/Brand Guidelines

Prominent e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and eBay have outlined for the sellers to use a white background for pristine and clear product presentation. Besides, established and reputable brands often stick to their brand color while publishing products in social media and online ad campaigns to maintain brand consistency and professionalism.

To Ensure the Product’s Visual Consistency

Applying the same backgrounds across all your product photos creates a uniform and cohesive look and maintains brand professionalism. Potential consumers feel assured, trust the brand, and thus contribute to expanding brand identity.

To Convert Viewers to Paying Customers

Well-executed backgrounds make product images appealing and trustworthy, and that resonates with viewers’ needs. Buyers feel convinced about the products, their quality, and benefits, and decide to purchase them over the competitor’s product.

What Background Colors to Consider for a Product Photo?

The background colors to consider for a product photo should be based on the product type, their purposes, and the publishing requirements. A soft color palette is always the preferred choice due to soft neutral and pastel hues, viewers concentrate on the product. Use any complementary or contrasting colors that don’t outshine the product, except for the e-commerce platforms. Different background colors you can choose for shooting product images are listed as follows.

Colors	Significance in Commercial Perspective
White Background	Pristine, Professional, and Minimal Look
Black Background	Luxurious, Mysterious, and Elegant Look
Vibrant/Colorful/Pattern Background	Fun, Creative, and Dramatic Background
Red Background	Urgency, Excitement, and Passion
BlueGreen Background	Reliability, Serenity, and Professionalism
Neutral Background	Clarity, Professionalism, and Versatility

When you have taken shots of your products in different backgrounds, perform professional photo editing. Adjust saturation, brightness, exposure, contrast, sharpness, and shadow placements to ensure the online view looks similar to the physical set view. Use any website builder to preview how the product looks when published with product description (name, price, info details, and CTA).

What is the Difference Between Product Photo Background and Backdrop?

The main difference between a product photo background and a backdrop is perceived tangibility. Backdrop stands for a solid object that has existence and is touchable, whereas background can be both existent and non-existent, tangible and intangible. Anything placed behind an image is a background, but a backdrop is a solid surface. Other differences between backdrop and background for product photography are as follows.

Topic	Background	Backdrop
Definition	Anything that stays behind the main subject is the background.	The solid and artificial surface behind the main object is a backdrop.
Format	Background comes in natural and artificial forms.	Backdrops are man-made and artificial materials.
Tangibility	Background is anything from natural elements to artificial backdrops.	Backdrops are touchable products available in the market.
Relatability	All backdrops are considered background.	All backgrounds are not backdrops.
Price	Backgrounds are available in both the free and premium versions.	Backdrops need to be bought from online markets.
Use Cases	Backgrounds are used in professional and creative photography from studio to outdoor, commercial to individual usage.	Backdrops are used in indoor, studio, and controlled-environment photography.

Where to Get Product Photography Backdrops?

To get a product photography backdrop, check out e-commerce platforms such as Amazon or specialized platforms such as Savage Universal, Kate Backdrop, Background Town, and Backdrop Express.

1. Amazon

Amazon is the largest marketplace that offers a wide variety of backdrops, including paper, fabric, boards, canvas, etc. Materials, size, design, and budge-it offers backdrops for all-level photographers. It offers fast shipping and frequent deals for people. The downside is that Amazon’s ordering process isn’t available in some countries.

2. Backdrop Express

Backdrop Express is a reputed online retailer with diverse photography backdrops which range from vinyl, polypaper to floormat and fabric. Designs, sizes, or customizing options, whatever background you need, the platform offers a solution for amateur and professional photographers. Full payment is required to process your order.

3. Savage Universal

Savage Universal is a reputed brand that is dedicated to fulfilling photographers’ needs. It sells studio equipment, photography gear, and backdrops. The backdrops are made of professional-grade and high-quality material in various color ranges, but the pricing is somewhat expensive.

4. Kate Backdrop

Kate Backdrop features diverse categories of artistic, unique, and printed fabric backdrops such as wood, brick, and scenic designs. Their reputation for wrinkle-resistant material backdrops makes them easy to store. The only downside is that the store doesn’t have as many options as the major retailers.

5. Background Town

Background Town specializes in providing backdrops of different themes, such as family portraits, fine art, children, and other photography needs. You will get designer collections and custom designing options as well. It offers fast shipping and on-demand printing to meet global photographers’ needs.

How to Make Your Product Photography Backdrop?

To make your product photography backdrop, use items like a piece of cloth, textured or plain paper, poster boards, foam boards, wooden planks, or any solid surface. If you are using a sheet, curtain, or other fabric, hang it with thread or clips against a wall for a clean look. Tabletops, tiles, or cardboard boxes can offer support if you want to use a solid surface. Refrain from using a paint board with matte colors as it creates glare.

Making your own background or DIY background is best for beginner photographers, budget-restrained photographers, hobbyist photographers, and small e-commerce business owners. These backdrops are simple and easy to set up. However, prepare your background considering goals, resources, and clients’ needs. Amazon-like marketplaces offer affordable photography backdrops. You can buy printed backdrops and necessary custom-made equipment at a designated photography equipment store. You can use green-screen backdrops to replace any preferred background through post-production. Here’s a video that shows different ways to make DIY backgrounds for product photography.

How to Make a Cheap Backdrop?

To make a cheap background, use the clothing material you have at home, a drape, a bedsheet, a tablecloth, or a scarf. You can use cardboard, tiles, cement, or brick walls as a cost-saving option for a product backdrop.

Can I Use a Sheet for a Backdrop?

Yes, you can use a sheet for a backdrop as a cost and time-efficient solution. While choosing the sheet, make sure the color emphasizes the product and its features.

What Can I Use Instead of a Backdrop Stand?

Instead of a backdrop stand, you can use tape, string or thread, a curtain rod, or glue, depending on the product. While shooting a big product, you can have people hold the backdrop.

What is the Best Material for a Backdrop?

The best material for a backdrop is the one that is easy to maintain, use, and store. In that case, paper and fabric are the best materials for a product photography backdrop.

Do Photos Look Better on a Black or White Background?

Photos look better on a white background for e-commerce product listing, capturing vibrant and dark products, a minimalist photoshoot, and a clear product presentation. Photos look better on a black background for luxurious and premium products, to create a dramatic and mysterious vibe, and for bold and artistic presentation.

Why Do Photographers Use Green Backdrops?

Photographers use a green screen backdrop to facilitate digital image editing for the product images. Editing improves image quality and resolution and puts focus on the subject. Green screen allows flexibility in virtual image sets.

Which Type of Backdrop is Often Used in a Photography Studio?

In a Photography studio, paper, fabric, canvas, printing, boards, and vinyl backdrops are often used. Large studio stores a diverse range of photography backdrops to serve clients’ requirements. Individual photographers, hobbyist photographers, and new studios mostly outsource professional background adjustment services to stay competitive and achieve professional-quality images.

What to Consider When Choosing Product Photography Backgrounds?

When choosing product photography backgrounds, consider the product, its characteristics, features, background colors and materials, lighting position, brand’s requirements, purpose, and budget. The right background highlights the product’s features, delivers the brand message, and resonates with the target audience.

1. Product

Consider the product, its features, characteristics, and physical traits (color, material, glossiness, size, etc) while choosing the background. Reflecting products look better on a background that reduces the reflection. Choosing a light background for dark or deep-colored products highlights the product’s visibility. Also, the background should complement the product, not overpower it.

• Cool colors for tech products.
• Warm colors for organic products.

2. Background Colors and Materials

Complementary backgrounds assist products in fulfilling commercial goals by evoking viewer’s emotions and building trust. A white background displays the product’s clarity and uniformity. Color backgrounds create the viewer’s interest. Neutral colors offer a professional look to products.

3. Lighting

Placement of lighting is important to prioritize the product photoshoot. Light’s interaction with the background should be smooth to avoid color casts or reflections. Glossy backgrounds, such as satin fabric or glass, reflect light. Matte finishing background works better to control the impact of lighting.

4. Brand Requirements

The product photoshoot background should align with the brand’s personality, style, and goals to appear different from the competitors. The right color, texture, and perspective help a brand establish its individual identity.

5. Purpose of The Photoshoot

While choosing a background, know where the photos are being used. E-commerce backgrounds are different from social media photo backgrounds. E-commerce photos are simple and minimalist. While taking product shots for social media, you can apply creativity, dramatic ambiance, or mystery in the photos, considering what the product’s consumers prefer. Or, if the client wants to publish them on his website, he may have certain guidelines. Understand the purpose and choose the backdrops for your setup.

6. Budget

Professional-grade backdrops come in low-priced to high-priced categories. High-quality and long-lasting backdrops cost more. While choosing budget-friendly backdrops, prioritize durability and quality as well.

What to Do if You Don’t Have a Seamless Product Background?

When you don’t have a seamless product background, use photo editing software such as Photoshop and Lightroom to digitally create a background. Digital addition, replacement, and removal of background offers control and flexibility. You get a clean, standard look for your product background. Hire expert photo editors to edit backgrounds and get professional results if editing takes time or if you are new to learning the ropes. It saves time and cost and ensures high-quality images.