Superlite® Neutrals Backdrops (Backgrounds) Tested!

Review by Pam Farr...

What’s “Not Your Normal” and not black or white?... it’s the Superlite® Collection of Neutral Backdrops!

While my preference has always been using either a white or black backdrops for photographing people and pets in the studio, I am certainly not opposed to using other backdrops, and always interested in experiments. Since I've had good results with the Superlite® White Backdrop, when I discovered there was a series of Neutrals that used the same material it perked my interest...

The Superlite® Advantage

Traditional backdrops like seamless paper and muslins tend to be bulky and hard to store, especially if you have a home studio like we do. Not so with the Superlites — these reusable backgrounds crunch up small and fit into an easy-to-store-bag, yet they “snap smooth” when needed.

With the Superlites, you can have a nice arsenal of backdrops that are affordable, functional, yet store and travel well.

For more on the advantages of the Superlite backdrops — and a few helpful tips on using them — see the Superlite White Backdrop Review. All of the good qualities of the white Superlites are present in the neutrals ~ but ~ the real question is, how well do they photograph?

Lighting Set Up For The Test

As with any background, the exact color and shade will depend on how it is lit. Therefore, the following examples have two side-by-side color swatches for reference.

The first sample swatch on the left shows how the backdrop looks taken “out of the bag” as the naked eye sees it in ambient daylight.

The second sample swatch is how it photographs using the “Set It And Forget It” lighting setup (Setup #2) described in the Not Your Normal Studio Photography Course.

For those of you who haven’t taken the course yet (yikes!... what are you waiting for???), the set up is basically one main light in the front with an umbrella, and 2-3 diffused lights on the backdrop. Very simple, very easy, set it and forget it.

Special note — The color swatches shown at the top of the page are also lit using the “Set It And Forget It” lighting system. Different lighting may yield different results, which is all part of the fun!

What do they look like? And, how well do they photograph?

The Superlite® Neutral backdrops are available in four “One Color Designs” and two “Two Color Designs.” Let’s take a look...

ONE COLOR DESIGNS

First up, is Gray Mist — A softly textured warm tone of grays...

A 10x10 foot backdrop — weighing in at only 1 pound 2 ounces — was used for testing...

My first impression was that this color would be extremely beneficial as a terrific source for photographing pets. Since the majority of pets are shades of white, black or brown, this gray tone would suit almost any animal you want to photograph (including humans!).

Special Note — When I was making these test shots I didn’t have any humans or pets available to work with so I started grabbing things around the house that I could use for demonstration purposes.

As you can see from the photo above, white against the gray tones looks really nice, very pleasant. Even brown tones, such as shown on the chair frame, is a nice contrast to the gray background.

And in the next several photos, the Gray Mist looks elegant with a variety of subjects.

Note: The white material used to drape over my stool pedestal used in many of the photo examples, was the Superlite® White floor runner that's included with the 10x20 Superlite® White Backdrop Complete Kit. Very handy!

I was really pleased with the outcome! The Gray Mist was a very big hit with me, a terrific versatile addition!

~ ~ ~

With the rest of the photo examples, I had much smaller sample pieces to test, about 4 1/2 feet squares, but they were large enough to get a good sense of how they look and photograph.

Gray Smoke — Dark and rich smoky texture, much darker than “Gray Mist”

When I originally shot the photo directly above, I overexposed the subject. However, by adjusting the photo in Photoshop using Levels, I was able to really pop the subject to its rich colors. You’ll notice that it also darkened the backdrop a lot, making it look like how the backdrop looks when taken out of the bag before it is lit with studio lights.

Technical Tidbit — I also wanted to point out that, in the above photo, I was using a zoom lens known for having a great bokeh, which is the quality of the out-of-focus or blurred areas of an image. So when I really zoomed in on this subject, notice how smooth the background looks.

Cool Caramel — Light and airy beige/brown tones

What would a series of neutral colored backdrops be without a beige/brown color? “Cool Caramel” really looks beautiful as a background — soft and subtle. It would especially make a lovely backdrop for bridal gowns and the like, as well as a variety of pets. It also has a lovely sepia tone.

Dusty Blue Mist — Technically not a “neutral” color, it is, however, a very pretty and pleasant shade of blue.

The photo directly above used “Blue Gray Cloud” as
draping material over the stool pedestal.

TWO COLOR DESIGNS

I’m not usually enamored with multicolored backdrops but these “two color designs” are just gorgeous! The colors blend extremely well with each other and photograph beautifully.

Blue Gray Cloud — Cool tones of dusty blue and gray clouds with white accents

The photo above used “Dusty Blue Mist” as draping material over the stool pedestal.
The photo below used “Gray Mist” as the draping material.

Caramel & Silver —Warm tones, a soft blend of beige/brown tones and light gray

The photo below used “Cool Caramel” as the draping material over a stool pedestal.

The following two photo props were chosen to represent typical clothing color choices that many clients like to wear during photo sessions — plain white shirts or t-shirts with khaki or jean pants. Those choices look great on this backdrop.

So, what do I really think of the Superlite® Neutrals?

All of these backdrops photograph beautifully and I am glad to have these on hand as an alternative to the black and white backgrounds. Will they replace the black and white? No, the majority of my studio work will still be done with mostly white, but now, in addition to the black, I’ll be using the neutrals to add a little variety.

Special note — you can add even more variety to your photographic arsenal by draping the Superlite® backdrop instead of using it smooth (in addition to the general care instructions, each backdrop comes with an illustrated guide to draping ideas). These backdrops can also be gelled easily which gives you a nearly limitless background palette to experiment with.

Bonus Ideas

If you enjoy turning your photos into sepias, any of these backdrops work amazingly well for that purpose. The subtle texture of the backgrounds compliments that “old timey” feel.

After turning the first photo shown below into a sepia, I then brought back the subtle color in her face, hair, neck and hands as shown in the second photo.

As with the sepias, these backgrounds also work well if you want to turn your color photos into black and white.

The only touch of color I used in the second photo was bringing back the color of the wolf's eyes. Then adding some saturation to the color and dodging it slightly creates a hint of provocative interest.

Bottom Line

I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked the results of my testing. All of the Superlite® Neutrals are hand-painted using the patented Superlite® material and this creates a subtle blend of colors that I found very appealing and pleasing. The neutrals are a lot of fun to work with and handy to have available. And since they are so lightweight and come in their own bag it’s easy to have a variety of backdrops easily on hand. I highly recommend these backdrops as a welcome addition to your photographic resources!

Learn more / purchase Superlite® backgrounds and accessories