DIY Product Photography with a Light Tent: Setup & Automation Guide

DIY Product Photography with a Light Tent: Setup & Automation Guide

If you run a small business or like showing off your handmade products online, great product photos can make a huge difference. This guide shows you how to set up your own DIY product photography studio with a light tent, and how to automate the boring stuff (like editing and sharing) so you can focus on what you love—creating!

Why Automate This?

Okay, so you made your light tent, set up your camera, snapped a bunch of awesome photos. Now what? If you upload lots of product photos, you know editing, background removal, and posting can eat up precious hours. Automating these steps means:

  • You save time and avoid repetitive work.
  • Your photos look consistently professional.
  • You can instantly share new shots on your social channels or store.
  • You’ll have more time to focus on your business, not your laptop.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Build (or Buy) Your Light Tent

This handy box diffuses light evenly around your product, cutting down harsh shadows. You can make one with PVC pipes and a white bed sheet, or even a cardboard box and tracing paper—$10 to $50 tops.

  • Pro Tip: The light tent should be big enough to fit your product, with some space on each side for lighting.
  • Example Visual: Imagine a soft-glow cube on your desk, with your product inside and bright lamps shining through the fabric or paper at three angles.

2. Camera and Tripod Setup

Either a DSLR or a smartphone works! Use a tripod for sharp, steady images. Good settings: aperture f/8–f/11 (if your camera allows), shutter speed around 1/125, and ISO 100–200. On a smartphone, set auto white balance, lowest possible ISO, and enable the grid for level shots.

  • Pro Tip: Always use the same spot for your tripod. Consistent angle, consistent photos!

3. Lighting & White Backdrop

Use daylight LED bulbs, or just cheap clamp lamps. Place two lights at 45º from either side of your tent, and one on top for zero shadows. The white backdrop gives a distraction-free, clean look.

  • Example Visual: Two clamp lights pointed sideways and slightly down at your tent, one lamp above. Product sits centered on a white sheet inside.

4. Snap, Upload, and Automate Editing with n8n

Now for the fun part—making automation do the heavy lifting. Here’s a simple workflow: you upload your photo to a folder (like Google Drive), n8n sees the new file, sends it to an API to remove the background, crops it, and uploads the edited version to your storage (like Amazon S3 or Dropbox). You can even have it post to Instagram or Slack for you.

Sample Workflow Description:

  • You drop a new image in Google Drive.
  • n8n detects the new file (trigger).
  • The image gets sent to Remove.bg or PhotoRoom API (for background removal).
  • (Optional) n8n crops/resizes the image using the Edit Image node.
  • Final image is uploaded to S3, Dropbox, or posted to your social profiles.
{
  "trigger": "New file in Google Drive",
  "action": [
    {"remove_background": "PhotoRoom API"},
    {"edit_image": {"crop": true, "resize": "1200x1200"}},
    {"upload": "Amazon S3 bucket"},
    {"notify": "Slack channel"}
  ],
  "input_example": {
    "file_name": "red-mug-01.jpg",
    "file_url": "https://drive.google.com/file/d/abc123"
  }
}

Customization Tips: You can change the image size, use different background colors, or auto-generate product captions and hashtags if you’re feeling fancy (using AI tools connected to n8n).

5. Auto-Share New Photos on Instagram/Slack

Take your edited photos and post them straight to Instagram, or send them to your team’s Slack! n8n makes this possible with built-in integrations. For posting to Instagram, you’ll need the Meta/Facebook API; for Slack, just connect your workspace.

{
  "image_url": "https://my-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/red-mug-01.png",
  "caption": "Handmade Red Ceramic Mug – Now in stock!",
  "channels": ["Instagram", "#product-launch"]
}
  • Tip: Set up a template for captions, so every new product gets a consistent, branded post.

Real Example: From Tent to Instagram in Under 5 Minutes

Let’s say you make custom mugs. Here’s your workflow:

  1. You take photos of your newest mug in the light tent with your phone, using the white backdrop.
  2. You upload the photos to a Google Drive folder called “Mugs 2025”.
  3. n8n instantly grabs the new files, removes backgrounds using PhotoRoom or Remove.bg.
  4. The images are cropped and resized automatically, then saved to your Dropbox.
  5. n8n posts the finished images to your Instagram feed and shares them in your Slack channel to let your team know it’s live.

Total human effort: About a minute to upload. The rest is handled by automation!

Tools You’ll Need

  • Light Tent: DIY (PVC + sheet) or store-bought
  • Camera: DSLR or smartphone with decent lens
  • Tripod: For sharp, steady shots
  • White Backdrop: Bed sheet, poster board, or foam board
  • Clamps/Lamps: Daylight LEDs or clamp-on work lights
  • n8n.io: Free, open-source workflow automation tool (host yourself or use cloud)
  • Background Removal API: Remove.bg, PhotoRoom, or other (most have free trial credits)
  • Cloud Storage: Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon S3
  • (Optional) Social Integrations: Instagram (via Meta API) or Slack

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Final Thoughts

You don’t need a fancy studio to create great-looking product shots. A light tent, your phone or camera, and a dash of automation can take your product photos from “meh” to “wow.” Try automating the editing and sharing steps—once it’s set up, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. Happy shooting!

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