Assemble the brackets to fit your camera.	The thumbscrew can be moved to another slot to align with your camera.	Position the lens over the top opening and tighten thumbscrew.

Position the object that you want to photograph under the dome.	Add supplemental lighting if needed, and take your image.	Presto!

TAKING PICTURES WITH THE CLOUD DOME

SET-UP

1. Attach your bracket to the top of the Cloud Dome (for additional information, see your instruction manual).
2. Attach your camera to the bracket.
3. Wrap the silver & gold foil collar (optional) to your dome. The collar is wrapped around the outside of the dome, with the smaller diameter opening at the base of the dome & the larger diameter at the top of the dome. This will help to bring in additional light and will help to highlight gemstones. Silver will reflect pure white light into the dome. Gold will warm your object with a gold tone.
   
4. Decide on the background for your object – this can be plain white paper, frosted Plexiglas stands, black velvet, etc. It is a good idea to keep your background simple (i.e. black or white); other colors may distract from the object. The frosted Plexiglas stands are a great tool for photographing jewelry with gemstones; the frosted stand in combination with white paper on your work surface will allow for additional light from underneath & will help to illuminate your object. Drilling small holes into your Plexiglas stand may be useful for photographing earrings.
   
5. Set up your object on your stand and/or background.
   
6. Place the dome on top of your object; you are now ready to take a photograph.

PHOTOGRAPHY

1. Make sure your white balance is set; with most digital cameras, “Auto” is the best choice. Refer to your camera’s operating manual for additional information.
   
2. Turn your flash off.
3. Set your camera at the highest image quality that is possible (typically this is “Fine”). This will make for a good master. The higher resolution, the better the picture. You can always bring the picture down in pixels, but not up. So, it is better to start with the best resolution.
   
4. Use the preview screen on your camera to center your object.
   
5. Select the “Macro” mode on your camera. This is typically represented on our camera as a flower. For the best results, use the zoom on your camera. When you zoom, the Macro flower should turn from white to yellow, indicating that the camera is now in Super Macro mode. This will provide the best picture possible.
   
6. If additionally lighting is necessary, we recommend using an Ott Light or a natural daylight spiral light bulb (for best results, use with a goose-neck desk lamp). Look at object in the view finder on your camera. Move the light around to find the best placement for your object. Different placement of light will produce different results.
   
7. Set the timer on your camera while holding your light in position.
   
8. Voila! You have just completed a fantastic Cloud Dome picture!

USING PHOTOSHOP TO EDIT YOUR PICTURES

1. Download pictures from camera to computer.
2. Open in Adobe Photoshop.
3. Select Image , Adjustments , and Color Balance to adjust the color levels in your photograph.
4. Select Image , Adjustments , and Levels to adjust the brightness and contrast in your photograph.
5. Select the Crop tool to crop your photograph to the correct size desired.
6. Once satisfied with the new photograph, save image as a .jpg for the web.

To view further indepth detail on using you camera and Photoshop editing,
feel free to download this helpful tutorial!
Digital Reference Guide (2.1 MB) Adobe Download