Composition overlays are used extensively in the world of commercial food photography. If you’ve ever shot a magazine cover, or worked on a product packaging shoot, you’ve likely worked with an overlay provided to you by the client or an art director.
If you haven’t, you may be wondering what is a composition overlay?
Basically, an overlay is a transparent PNG file that depicts some sort of artwork. For example, text that will go on a magazine cover. An overlay can be used while tethering in Lightroom or Capture One, or any other tethering program that accepts PNG files to guide the photographer.
By bringing the overlay into the software, you’re able to see any image you shoot underneath. The overlay functions as a guide in helping you set up your composition.
Overlays in Product Packaging
In product packaging, it’s important that the text and any other design elements on the package do not interfere with the image and vice versa.
For example, in the image of the product packaging below, I shot several flavors of gluten free poppers. It was imperative that not only every element in the shot be composed in an attractive way, they also had to be placed specifically on the package to complement the design. Using an overlay was crucial in helping us determine exactly where the poppers and ingredients should be placed to complement the design and not compete with it.
In the image of packaging for dried blueberries, I was commissioned to shoot several images with different specifications in terms of aspect ratio. This gave the client some additional options in terms of using the image in different applications, such as trade show marketing collateral, but also the best composition for the final package.
My job was to ensure that the blueberries were not only lit to the client’s specifications, but also that the composition of the blueberries was dynamic rather than a monotonous pattern.
Overlays as Compositional Guides
Using overlays this way got me thinking, what if I could create overlays to help me set up my food subjects and props for other types of food photography—such as my editorial work?
Although the composition grids and guides available in programs such as Lightroom are helpful when you’re setting up your scene, I wanted to expand on this idea in some way.
I eventually created various sets of composition overlays for my own use, and to help other photographers create layouts that follow the principles of good composition.
For example, I created an overlay of a breakfast scene I shot for an editorial client. However, because the overlay is very simple, consisting of some basic props, it can be used for an endless variety of dishes and recipes. Really, anything that can be put in a bowl, such as soups, stews, curry or noodle dishes.
You don’t have to use the same size of dishes or use the exact same props, but the overlays will give you a guide for placing the key compositional elements that make use of principles such as the Golden Ratio, the Rule-of-Thirds, while also considering scale and line.
If the composition seems minimalist or too basic for you, you can always add napkins, bits of ingredients or crumbs on your surface, and additional compositional layers to your scene like a tablecloth. They key is placing the foundational compositional elements correctly.
The How-To of Using a PNG Overlay
The composition overlays and other PNG overlays can be used in Lightroom and Capture One, as well as any other tethering program that recognizes PNG files, but the process of using them can vary from program.
In Lightroom, you can use an overlay via the Loupe Overlay tool, but you cannot use it with Live View. You also can’t use it with Canon EOS Utility for example, as this program does not recognize PNG files.
PNG overlays work in Live View in Capture One, and Capture One actually offers you the best functionality when it comes to using any overlay.
Capture One offers premium tethering performance and is the go-to software for studio photographers. Not only can you utilize overlays in real time using Live View, you can also control their opacity, size, and use only a specific part of the overlay.
However, you don’t have to use Live View to use a composition overlay. You can set up your shot using the overlays as a guide, take a picture, tweak your composition, and then take another shot. In fact, this is how I use my overlays much of the time. As long as you don’t need the precision of a product packaging shot, this is a great way to work.
If you want to know more about how to use an overlay in Lightroom, check out my tutorial on Vimeo.
To Sum Up
If you want to work with commercial clients, then no doubt you’ll be asked to work with artwork overlays and should be prepared for that.
However, if you shoot mostly editorial work for your blog or social media platforms like Instagram, then composition overlays can be a great way to prompt your creativity, break out of a creative rut, and make sure you are composing your images with the principles of composition in mind.
