Photography Lighbox Made Out of Cardboard
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Photography Lighbox Made Out of Cardboard
![IMG_20200408_200203.jpg](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FJC/TW1V/K8OODGEO/FJCTW1VK8OODGEO.jpg&filename=IMG_20200408_200203.jpg)
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Have you ever been in situation where you had to take a perfect photo of something and you didn't have perfect lightning or nice background ? Are you into photographing but you don't have lot of money for expensive studio equipement ? If so, this is perfect DIY project for you.
Supplies
- Cardboard (pieces or box)
- Ruler
- Pen
- LED strip/s
- Colored paper
- Tape
- Knife or scissors
- Soldering supplies (not necessary if you bought pre-wired led strip)
- Power supply (voltage depends on your LED strip)
- LED strip brightness regulator (optional)
Make Decision About Size of Your Lightbox.
![IMG_20200408_200731.jpg](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/F7D/X6V2/K8OODI21/F7DX6V2K8OODI21.jpg&filename=IMG_20200408_200731.jpg)
![IMG_20200408_181510.jpg](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/F7T/LH4L/K8OODGFN/F7TLH4LK8OODGFN.jpg&filename=IMG_20200408_181510.jpg)
![IMG_20200408_181529.jpg](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FST/7C2A/K8OODGGC/FST7C2AK8OODGGC.jpg&filename=IMG_20200408_181529.jpg)
The dimensions of my lightbox are based on the size of colored paper I had at home. My paper is 34 cm long and 24 cm wide.This was the factor why my box is 24cm wide.
What about the depth and height?
I decided to use 20cm depth and heigh based on my formula which i created: length of colored paper devided by two and then I added few centimetres (in my case 3cm) because there will be spots which won't be visible by camera.
This means my final dimensions of my light box are 24cm x 20cm x 20cm .
Cut the Cardboard to the Length.
![IMG_20200408_181035.jpg](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FIP/79PF/K8OODGEW/FIP79PFK8OODGEW.jpg&filename=IMG_20200408_181035.jpg)
![IMG_20200408_183251.jpg](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FSC/7F8F/K8OODGH6/FSC7F8FK8OODGH6.jpg&filename=IMG_20200408_183251.jpg)
![IMG_20200408_211115.jpg](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/F50/82KZ/K8OODKWC/F5082KZK8OODKWC.jpg&filename=IMG_20200408_211115.jpg)
![IMG_20200408_183932.jpg](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/F61/1ZAF/K8OODGH8/F611ZAFK8OODGH8.jpg&filename=IMG_20200408_183932.jpg)
- Get the cardboard
- Use pen to mark locations where you need to cut
- Cut the cardboard to the desired pieces (you can use ruler as a guide for the knife)
Line Up the Pieces and Use Tape to Put Them Together.
![IMG_20200408_184717.jpg](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FES/YG7D/K8OODG7S/FESYG7DK8OODG7S.jpg&filename=IMG_20200408_184717.jpg)
Cut Small Piece of Cardboard and Use It As a Stopper for Colored Paper Background, Testfit the Paper in the Box.
![IMG_20200408_185218.jpg](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FS1/0G1L/K8OODG8Z/FS10G1LK8OODG8Z.jpg&filename=IMG_20200408_185218.jpg)
![IMG_20200408_191112.jpg](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FP2/FHJB/K8OODG9O/FP2FHJBK8OODG9O.jpg&filename=IMG_20200408_191112.jpg)
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![IMG_20200408_194453.jpg](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FM3/PYON/K8OODGBR/FM3PYONK8OODGBR.jpg&filename=IMG_20200408_194453.jpg)
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![IMG_20200408_194833.jpg](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/F8N/UVY1/K8OODGD2/F8NUVY1K8OODGD2.jpg&filename=IMG_20200408_194833.jpg)
![IMG_20200408_195200.jpg](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FWO/2A64/K8OODGDA/FWO2A64K8OODGDA.jpg&filename=IMG_20200408_195200.jpg)
- Cut LED strip/s to the size (mine led strips are little bit smaller than width of box - it's because LED strip can be only cut by the segments and when the strip is a bit shorter that means you have more space for wires)
- Solder wires to LEDstrip/s as shown on the picture and test the led strips
- Use double sided tape to stick the led strips on the inner side of top piece of the box
- You can use electrical tape to fasten the wires in the place
- Complete the box
Connect LED Strip/s to the Power Supply and You Can Enjoy Your Lightbox :)
![IMG_20200408_195450.jpg](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FCV/6368/K8OODGDB/FCV6368K8OODGDB.jpg&filename=IMG_20200408_195450.jpg)
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I used arduino with transistors to separately control brightness of warm white LEDs and cold white LEDs. This is not necessary but it provides better control over the photos you make.
I highly reccommend adding connector to the wires. I haven't added it yet, because i couldnt get one, because all the shops are closed due to the pandemia.