"Photo Gray" (Page 2): Thus the importance of accurate and comprehensive communications.... Photographic Grey Paint ....... Details............. :sm16: :sm16: :sm16:...

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

jerryc41 wrote:

Okay, I found an answer. It's "Photographic ... (show quote)

Thus the importance of accurate and comprehensive communications....

Photographic Grey Paint.......

Details.............

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Longshadow wrote:

Thus the importance of accurate and comprehensive communications....

Photographic Grey Paint.......

Details.............

Right. On the YouTube channel, it was referred to as "Photo gray." I had to search for "photographic grey" to find it online. I'm surprised that "photo" wasn't enough.

I don't plan to paint any locomotives, so...

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

jerryc41 wrote:

Right. On the YouTube channel, it was referred to as "Photo gray." I had to search for "photographic grey" to find it online. I'm surprised that "photo" wasn't enough.

I don't plan to paint any locomotives, so...

"...referred to as "Photo gray."
In what context?

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

The term "Photo Gray" or Studio Gray" pertain to tomes of seamless background papers made by Savage and possibly a few other manufacturers.

Savage makes 9 different gray models. The concept behind studio gray is that it can be used to create low, medium, and high key background tomes depen on the volume of background light and/or stray ligh from other lights in a setup.

Here is a link to the Savage website where you can find all these gray tones and their colour selection.
https://savageuniversal.com/products/seamless-paper/studio-gray-seamless-paper/

These products can be effectively used in product photography as well.

Theatre gray tomes are warm or cooler, some are m supposedly more applicable to television and video production, and there's one called "Fashion Gray'

Colr can be added to a background with the use of gelled lights.

I don't know if there are published specifications on these papers as to the percentage of reflectivity as in an 18% gray card.

shughes

"Photo Gray" was the name given to the first lenses used in eyeglasses what would darken when exposed to sunlight. It was invented by a German named Dr. Jurgen Meyer-Arendt. In his later years he was a professor of optics at Pacific University School of Optometry. Prior to that he had been a neuro surgeon in Germany just after WWII ended. He was also a mountaineer a climbing mentor of mine.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Context is important....

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

jerryc41 wrote:

Did you ever hear of "photo gray"? It's a light gray that is used to photograph products. This was briefly mentioned in a description of a product online. Being more observant, I've seen similar gray products being shown on the makers' websites. I didn't find anything online describing it.

Maybe they photograph it in gray so they can add any colors they want later.

Ideas?

Sometimes Jerry I am not sure you are still with us. Are you?

elee950021 Loc: New York, NY

Back in the day, my studio and lab used Savage 107" as well as 12' wide backdrop paper called "Studio Gray." Nowadays, a gray that's similar is called "Thunder Gray" which is closest to 18% gray. I still have a package of 8x10" Kodak 18% Gray Cards which were used to measure incident light in a studio situation.

For, eCommerce, a product is best isolated with a white background. This facilitates "dropping" it onto any other pictorial or colored background. Nowadays, it is pretty easy to remove backgrounds as this feature is offered with several software packages. There is even a website that will cut out your product for a few cents.

Be well! Ed

Alafoto Loc: Montgomery, AL

jerryc41 wrote:

Did you ever hear of "photo gray"? It's a light gray that is used to photograph products. This was briefly mentioned in a description of a product online. Being more observant, I've seen similar gray products being shown on the makers' websites. I didn't find anything online describing it.

Maybe they photograph it in gray so they can add any colors they want later.

Ideas?

Sounds like the ubiquitous 18% gray card to me.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

jerryc41 wrote:

.. It's a light gray that is used to photograph products. <snip>..

Here all along I thought cameras were used to take photographs.

I have been doing it wrong by using a camera. :(

MJPerini

Look up the Munsell neutral value scale (now owned by Pantone)
The Munsell Gray scale is a range of truly neutral grays from light to dark.
They are truly neutral -meaning no color cast, just pure gray, light to dark.
GTI the manufacturer of very accurate color matching light boxes actually sells latex paint by the quart or gallon i a couple different values.
I used a medium value for the wall behind my workstation. It is a pleasant gray and helps greatly in judging color.
The term Photographic gray normally means any gray that is truly neutral. I believe the Munsell scale represents reflectivity's of 0.5 to 9.5 (nearly black to nearly white.)

PhotogHobbyist Loc: Bradford, PA

I've always thought and believed that photo gray, photographic gray was the same as middle gray in reference to the Zone System as described by Ansel Adams. Most articles and descriptions I have seen or read indicate that photo gray is 18% gray or zone 5. Truthfully I expected to see that as a response to this thread but only Alafoto mentioned it.

MJPerini

Re Photographic Gray Cards, either the Traditional 18% or the 36% reflectivity that some prefer SHOULD be a true photographic Gray. They weren't always, lots had a slight color cast--not enough to make a difference in B&W film photography, but with the arrival of digital they began to be used for White Balance targets and many were found lacking, thus digital gray cards arrived at 4x the price. (But they were more neutral)
It has also been pointed out that seamless paper had a couple of classic grays--Studio Gray or Thunder Gray
I preferred the darker Thunder Gray. But none of those were 'calibrated' although generally close enough for most work. So definition of Photographic Gray, depends a bit on how precise one wants or needs to get , a modern "Gray Card" is pretty close, although the truest photographic gray for reflective surfaces is described as the range of the Munsell gray scale.

Timmers Loc: San Antonio Texas.

jerryc41 wrote:

Did you ever hear of "photo gray"? It's a light gray that is used to photograph products. This was briefly mentioned in a description of a product online. Being more observant, I've seen similar gray products being shown on the makers' websites. I didn't find anything online describing it.

Maybe they photograph it in gray so they can add any colors they want later.

Ideas?

"photo gray" to any photographer is what is also known as 18% gray, is the mid point on the charestic scale. The term has been around sense Hurder and Driffield and the introduction of sensitometry. But, this is "modern digital internet times", where all manner of standards have left the room, sort of like Elvis.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Longshadow wrote:

"...referred to as "Photo gray."
In what context?

Steam engines, generally in England, hence "grey."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_grey