Matte Black Vinyl Kit

Color Banding occurs when there aren’t enough tones available in the bit depth of an image to create a seamless transition two graduating areas of color, brightness and/or saturation.  Banding is often seen in images with a bright sky and can also occur with any smooth background such as with seamless paper or solid vinyl. Most frequently, the problem is seen in 8 bit images and in files that have been too heavily edited or compressed. When uploading to some sites on the internet that use strong compression methods, banding can occur in the converted image on the receiving end and that can be difficult to prevent. Here are some tips to avoid and fix:

In camera
Set your image quality to the highest available setting
Set your camera’s color space to AdobeRGB
Shoot in RAW file format (vs. JPEG)

On the computer
Edit in 16 bits per channel mode
Perform all post-processing in a PSD or TIFF file format before converting the final version to sRGB and JPEG format (which compresses the image data)

Here are two suggested approaches to correcting banding in Photoshop:

1) Blur method (effective on strong banding)
Work in 16 bit mode:  Image \ Mode \ 16 bits/Channel
Copy the background layer: CTRL/CMD – J
Make the layer copy into a Smart Object (so you can modify as desired): Filter \ convert for smart filter
Add a surface blur: Filter \ blur \ surface blur (won’t affect detailed areas as strongly as other blur modes)
Zoom into an area where banding is visible in the preview window
Adjust the radus and threshold values to the lowest values that resolve the banding. Threshold will have the most impact.
Add a black layer mask. Layer \ Layer Mask \ Hide All
Select the Brush tool. [B] Select a soft brush and set the opacity to 50%
Paint with white on the mask over the areas affected by banding.

2) Noise method (effective on mild banding)
Work in 16 bit mode: Image \ Mode \ 16 bits/Channel
Create a new 50% gray fill layer – Layer \ New \ Layer… then  Edit \ Fill… in “contents” field, select 50% gray
Change the layer blend mode to “Soft Light”
Add noise: Noise \ add noise
Choose Uniform, and tic the box for “Monochromatic”
Adjust the level until you see improvement
Add a black layer mask. Layer \ Layer Mask \ Hide All
Select the Brush tool. [B] Select a soft brush and set the opacity to 50%
Paint with white on the mask over the areas affected by banding.

Vinyl is more pliable than paper, and can be stretched a bit, showing waves or ripples much like fabric although to a lesser degree. Light vinyl backdrops straight on, versus at an angle, to avoid accentuating any waves. If your vinyl was inadvertantly creased when rolled up, leaving it down overnight can help, You can also try gently relaxing the crease with a warm hair dryer. Add clamps to the bottom hanging edge of the vinyl to act as counterweights, pulling the material taut.

If you are hanging these backdrops one at a time, we recommend our 12′ x 12′ Background Stand, which can accommodate larger backgrounds with ease.

Yes, it has a subtly textured matte surface that eliminates reflective glare.

Savage Infinity Vinyl Backgrounds will ship in a tube. The 10′ x 10′ and 10′ x 20′ are oversized cartons and must ship via freight.

We recommend storing your roll vertically to prevent sagging if left hanging for long periods of time.

We recommend purchasing our Aluminum Background Core to increase stability and eliminate sagging with the Savage Infinity Solid Color Vinyl Backdrops. Please note: This aluminum core slides snugly into the standard cardboard core all Savage Infinity Vinyl Backgrounds are wound on and serves as a great full-length support to keep heavy rolls from sagging if left hanging on a backdrop stand between uses. We have not found it to be compatible with most background wall mount systems that use expanding support inserts at the ends of the core to rotate the backdrop up and down. (The inner metal core may continuously slip against the outer cardboard core when rotating.) A user may choose to re-wind their backdrop to remove the cardboard core and replace it with the aluminum core to bypass this issue. We recommend using a durable tape to affix the top end of the vinyl material to the core.

*Aluminum Core measures 2.25″ wide and is only intended for use with the Savage Infinity Solid Color Vinyl Backdrops; it does not fit inside the standard cardboard core Savage Seamless Paper Backdrops are wound on.

Because of the weight of a heavy solid vinyl backdrop, sagging can occur if left hanging over time on a backdrop crossbar support. To prevent this from happening we recommend purchasing our Aluminum Background Core to slide through the vinyl’s standard cardboard core. This will offer additional support to the cardboard core and decrease the probability of sag over time.

The surface can be easily sprayed, disinfected and wiped or sponged down for easy clean-up. Please check out more tips for vinyl maintenance here.

Vinyl and paper are both popular backgrounds, but differ in several ways. Check out our blog: Vinyl vs. Seamless Paper.

No, the vinyl is attached to a cardboard core along the top width of the material, for easy mounting and vertical unrolling.

We offer a variety of sizes ranging from 5′ to 10′ wide. The size depends on your studio space, amount of photo subjects and desired portability of your roll.

Because the vinyl is a heavy-duty material, we recommend purchasing the Multiple Polevault Stand since it can support up to 33 lbs.

5′ x 7′ – 8 lbs
5′ x 12′ – 13 lbs
8′ x 10′ – 15 lbs
8′ x 20′ – 22 lbs
9′ x 10′ – 18 lbs
9′ x 20′ – 29 lbs
10′ x 10′ – 21 lbs
10′ x 20′ – 32 lbs