Benefits of White Background Product Photography | Omi.so

Nov 25, 2024

White background photography: a guide | Omi.so

A pure white background is largely considered the gold standard of product photography in eCommerce. It subtly removes distractions to give customers a perfect view of your products. A clear background is also necessary for listing on certain marketplaces, like Amazon.

The good news is you no longer need to go to a physical studio to take professional product shots (whether you want white or colored backgrounds). Instead, you can use new tools to generate photorealistic images in a virtual studio setting.

Discover why you should use a white background for your product photography and how to get these types of shots without having to step foot in a photography studio.

Why white backgrounds are essential for product photography

White backgrounds emphasize products while minimizing the noise around them. They help you create a clean professional look, which makes it easier to use the image across various platforms and channels.

Here are a few reasons why they bring out the best in product photos.

Showcasing your product against a plain background lets potential customers focus on the details without any distractions. This may help the eCommerce audience make a purchase decision.

They look clean and professional

White background product photography allows your product to take center stage without distractions. Crisp and clear photos that exude professionalism don’t just look nice – they create more transparency around what customers are buying, meaning they’ll trust you more as a business.

“Cleaner product images allow you to accurately communicate important details of your product that may get lost in a busier image,” states Tori Ewald, former marketing content manager at ABLE and founder of the upcycled clothing brand Delicate Cycle. “Without busy visuals interfering with their browsing experience, customers are able to focus on the breadth of options your brand offers and easily find the product that is right for them.”

They contribute to consistency across platforms

Product images with a white or neutral background act as a starting point for consistency in your visual communication. After capturing or creating the images for the first time, you can adapt them to share across your product pages, social media accounts, and other advertising channels.

“Photographing products on a white background helps maintain cohesion throughout collection and product pages,” says Tori. “It’s also beneficial when promoting products through a variety of channels, such as dynamic product retargeting campaigns, Google ads, and product features in email marketing.”

So whether you want to generate product photos for social media engagement, brand assets for your website, or enticing imagery for eCommerce listings, a white background allows you to modify the same product shots for varied use across platforms.

More details, fewer surprises = better conversion rates

White backdrops isolate the product and allow for greater focus on the design and details, meaning it’s easier for people to get a clear look at what they’re purchasing — which helps with conversions.

Think of eCommerce product packshots on Amazon. The first image on every listing must feature the product on its own with a white background. Getting a distraction-free snapshot right away helps people see the details so they can make an informed decision on whether to explore the listing.

“During my time at ABLE, our team overhauled all jewelry product photography so that every product was photographed on a white or neutral background. Customers commented that after this change, they had an easier time navigating jewelry options to find the right piece for them. They also noted that the quality of the material and details of the designs were easier to see, meaning it was easier for them to make an informed decision before purchasing.”
—Tori Ewald, former marketing content manager at ABLE and founder Delicate Cycle

How Omi speeds up white background photography

Traditional product photography requires a physical setup with a pure white backdrop, lighting rigs, and multiple shots to get the perfect visual. The process tends to drag for weeks and weeks, not to mention post-production… And all this for some basic white background pics?

Here’s a taster of how Omi removes the headaches and even improves the results.

The Virtual Studio lets you interact with objects in 3D. Change anything — like background colors, products, or camera angles — in just a click!

One-click changes

Omi’s Virtual Studio requires zero physical setup. Once you have Digital Twins (aka 3D models) of your products, you can more or less one-click your way to white background photos.

To order 3D models or learn about how we can help you with your product photography, book a free strategy call!

Just like with changing backgrounds, the easy-to-use 3D Scene means you can also change (virtual) camera angles in a jiffy. That means you can easily expand your product listings, demos, launch promotions, and creative social media content with new looks — with almost no effort. And yes, the virtual environment means you can add movement effects to the camera, objects, or the light to make videos in minutes.

Guaranteed photorealism = no post-production delays

With Omi, setting the (virtual) scene is like setting the dinner table. Just move stuff around until it looks good. In doing so, you’re basically previewing your photo-to-be in real time. There won’t be any need to “fix it in post.” Rather, you will already know how the shadows fall, how the light glints on plastic and refracts through glass. And when you’re happy you hit CLICK and snap your pic.

The point is that post-production is kind of done already. Sure, feel free to adjust colors and contrasts and whatnot before you download the image from the platform. But nobody will ask you to.

Flexibility

Need a snowy backdrop for your seasonal product launch? Or a pop of color that fits with your Instagram grid? In Omi’s Virtual Studio, you can switch product backgrounds in seconds and export visuals for any channel — without needing to reshoot or request specific image dimensions.

Let’s say you want all your products to have the same background. No sweat. Within your Virtual Scene, just hit ‘swap’, add a new product, and export. Repeat for every product, and you’ve created an entire product catalog in a fraction of the time it would take with traditional studio photography. Why stop at swapping? Add more products to your scene to create bundles — perfect for holiday gift sets.

Replace white background photoshoots with Omi's Virtual Photo Studio

The free version includes everything except a 3D model of your product

Explore the Virtual Photo Studio

Benefits of using Omi for white background photography

Achieving a flawless white background for your product visuals isn’t the only benefit of using Omi.

No need to anticipate content needs in advance

You will start producing product content much closer to when the need arises, rather than to weeks in advance. Why? Because with Omi, product photography is no longer a big project, a hassle, or a serious expenditure. Your colleague will just say “Help me freshen up the listing for Product X with some white background pics please!” and you will just do it, in minutes, not weeks.

That way you’ll meet the demands from campaigns, channels, or stakeholders, as they come. All you need to do is create or modify a Virtual Scene and export the photo. White, blue, textured, contextual, in the snow or in the desert — you can set your Omi scene anywhere.

In fact, anyone from a marketing intern to a creative director can create studio-quality product shots in minutes for your campaigns and social channels.

Every part of Omi’s process is quicker than with traditional photography, whether you need to conceptualize a scene or tweak a detail for a different platform.

“Today, we have great freedom for feedback and are very flexible thanks to Omi, which greatly facilitates exchanges between teams. We can adjust visuals immediately, it's flexible and our creativity is not limited. Projections are also simpler because there is an instant preview of the work done, unlike traditional photography, where you have to wait for retouching to appreciate the work... We achieve the expected result much faster.”
—Alexandra Fièvre, Mélania Ricard, and Leila Amanzougaghene, @Daan Tech

Ensure brand consistency

No matter who works on your visuals, there will be harmony across all your channels. Our tools allow you to apply white backgrounds consistently across all of your product lines and ensure every shot aligns with your brand’s guidelines. You can also add standardized colors for everyone to find and re-use in a click, whether it’s plain old white or your brand’s signature shades.

This makes it easy to ensure consistency when coming out with a new line of products, running a seasonal campaign, or putting together a catalog. You get the same background, lighting, and angles across all your products for a consistent, professional look.

Feeding all channels with content without effort

You can export your product visuals in any format with a single click. Need that perfume bottle for Instagram Stories, website banners, and product thumbnails? Done — no extra cropping needed.

For eCommerce sites that require transparent backgrounds, PNGs are a great option. This format allows your products to seamlessly blend into different backgrounds while maintaining sharp details.

When it’s time for print, Omi’s high-resolution export formats mean that your perfume bottle is ready for everything from digital catalogs to Times-Square-worthy billboards.

Why brands are switching from physical product photography to Omi’s Virtual Studio

Product photography has traditionally been a complex and time-consuming process, especially when creating consistent white background images. Omi revolutionizes this approach with its 3D studio, giving you complete control over your product visuals without the constraints of physical photography.

They create white background photos with just a few clicks

Traditional white background product photography requires the perfect lighting setup, post-production edits, and multiple retakes to get a product visual exactly right.

Omi eliminates all of these challenges by letting you create studio-quality white background images with just a few clicks in a Virtual Photo Studio that requires no technical knowledge. Simply choose the camera angle you want, pick the lighting that suits your vision, and add a white background. Easy as that.

They can avoid accidental shadows and glare

Traditional studio lighting often produces unwanted shadows, glare, and reflections that take away from the effect of the visual — and that are darn-near-impossible to change in post production. This isn’t a problem with virtual lighting, which gives you full customizability right away, eliminating both unwanted elements and the need for this kind of post production.

They get complete control

With Omi, you can adjust brightness, contrast, angles, lighting, elements, and so much more right in our Virtual Studio. If something doesn’t look right, you simply adjust it. There’s no need to call the photographer or designer for a reshoot and then wait for them to take action, and then wait some more for the results.

DIY editing = team autonomy

Adding a plain white background with Omi is so simple that anyone in your organization can do it. Most Omi users aren’t designers, yet they create hundreds of professional, brand-aligned visuals in a week for all their channels. You can start from scratch or choose from hundreds of scene templates, including season-specific templates

Use cases: when and where to use white backgrounds

They might not be sexy, but white backgrounds are important in all kinds of product marketing contexts:

Product listings, packshots, and shopping carts

Clean, professional photos are an absolute must for eCommerce platforms like Amazon and Shopify. Not only do visuals like this put your product in the spotlight, but many platforms require a pure white background to list it.

Omi offers a Shopify integration, which auto-syncs all your Omi images to your Shopify backend. You can then select the images you want and easily add them to your listing.

Marketing campaigns: ad creatives and product launches

A detailed product image on a plain white background is a great place to start when designing and launching a marketing campaign. Team members can easily customize the visuals by adding branding elements, text overlays, or other creative assets without distracting from the product. ‘White vs. Not white’ also makes for a solid ad creative hypothesis to test.

Social media engagement and lead generation

White background product photography makes the item you’re showcasing pop without any distractions. And clean product photos for social media (whether with a white background or not) often stand out among all the busy imagery — and get users to stop scrolling and start taking an interest.

Considering that seven out of ten online shoppers buy directly through social media networks, professional-looking, eye-catching images are vital for increasing conversions and revenue.

Keep in mind, Omi offers more than just backgrounds — with over 1,000 free accessories you can place your product on pedestals, add decorative elements, or style complete scenes.

Switch to Omi for your white background product photography — scale your product content!

Whether you need a white background or something more creative, Omi makes it super simple. Drop your product in front of a white background, adjust the lighting until it's Amazon-ready, and capture your perfect product shot. Need lifestyle content later? That same bottle can sit on a marble counter or float in a summer scene — all with the power of Omi’s Virtual Photo Studio.

Your finance team will be happy too — Omi lowers the cost of photoshoots by up to 90%.