360° product photography turntables: how a turntable shoot works

A 360° product photography turntable rotates an object in equal steps while the camera stays fixed, taking one photo at each step. Played back in sequence, the photos let a viewer drag the object round on screen. A motorized turntable times the steps and fires the camera for you.

How a turntable shoot works

1. Fix the camera on a tripod, level with or slightly above the object, and fix the focus and exposure so frames match.
2. Centre the object on the turntable, so it turns on the spot instead of swinging across the frame.
3. Choose the step. More steps give a smoother spin and more files. Decide before you start, because every frame must use the same angle.
4. Light evenly from fixed lights, so shadows and reflections move with the object and don't flicker between frames.
5. Turn and shoot one full revolution. A motorized turntable times the turn and triggers the camera; with a manual one, use marked positions.

The frames are then assembled into an "object movie" with dedicated software, for example Garden Gnome Software's Object2VR, which can also drive a turntable.

For a 360° view of the room or scene around the camera instead, a one-shot 360° camera such as the Insta360 X5 records the whole sphere at once, or a panoramic head builds it from several frames.

How many frames

A single-row spin is most often made of 36 photos, one every 10°. Fewer frames make the turn look jumpy; more make it smoother. Spins of 72 or more frames, one every 5°, are becoming more common as bandwidth grows and costs fall. Every extra frame is another file to shoot, edit and load, so match the count to how closely buyers need to inspect the object.

Single-row and multi-row spins

• Single-row spins turn left and right only. One row usually gives a lifelike impression, and they are the easiest to make.
• Multi-row spins, also called 3D spins, add rows shot from higher or lower camera angles, so the viewer can tilt the object up and down as well. They can cover the top half of the object (hemispherical) or the whole sphere. They take more time to shoot, so they suit products worth seeing from above or underneath.

Specialist studios sometimes use robotic arms that move the camera up and over the object to shoot multi-row spins quickly.

The finished frames can be shown as an interactive spin that the viewer drags, or exported as a looping animation or video.

Motorized turntables

Seitz sells its Roundshot VR Drive in a turntable kit for object movies.

For the German guide to 360° product photography, see 360-Grad-Produktfotografie mit Drehteller.