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The SoftBox - Setup Instructions

One of the most beneficial lighting accessories ever invented is the softbox. The soft, mellow, virtually shadowless light caresses and beautifies your every subject - be it person or product! On people, the soft light of the softbox hides the lines and wrinkles on the faces of portrait clients, making them look younger and more vital than they really are (that's why folks pay photographers, y'know:). And for objects and products, the magnificent softness of the light envelopes products, bringing out delicate, beautiful, details, and reduces any reflections or "hot spots" on shiny or reflective surfaces. Truly fabulous lighting for jewelry, clothing, cameras, and virtually any other item you can think of. However, setting up a new Softbox - while a quick and easy task for the pro, beginners often find their very first attempt at assembling their new softbox can be a real challenge. So we've posted these setup instructions to help new photographers get their new equipment up and running.

First, unpack and lay out the contents of the Softbox Carrying Case, and follow the instructions below.

Step #1: Unpack your new Softbox and find the ring that serves as both the part that attaches the Softbox to your light, and as the holder of the four metal rods that serve as the form to stretch the Softbox fabric over. So set the ring on the ground as illustrated above, and place one metal rod into each of the four sockets on the ring as illustrated above. Be sure to insert the rods with the plastic rod covers pointing up. Back to Help Center

Step #2: Place the Softbox fabric over the ring as illustrated above, and put one metal rod into each of the four "pockets" sewn into each corner of the Softbox fabric. The illustration above shows only two rods properly inserted into the fabric, but put one into each of the four corner pockets.

Step #3: Now here's the part that most folks have trouble with; once the rods have been inserted into all four corners of the fabric, you must them push each of the four sockets on the attachment ring down until it is parallel with the ground. As you push the rod sockets down towards the ground, you'll hear and feel a "click" that signals that the socket is locked into place. This will stretch your Softbox fabric tightly over the rods, and once all four sockets are locked into place, as illustrated above, your new Softbox is assembled and ready to go! When disassembling the Softbox, pull each socket on the ring outwards, which will unlock them, and allow for quick and easy disassembly.

Once the Softbox has been assembled, attach one or both of the white fabric screens, and attach the Softbox to your light. See the section below for a view of the inner workings of the Softbox. Back to Help Center

And finally, here's a view of the Softbox showing how to use the two included fabric screens. You can use the Softbox with only the outer screen attached, or, as shown here, with both the outer screen and the optional inner screen. Depending upon your needs, you can use only one screen, or both screens. Now go make some wonderful images or videos with your new Softbox!   Back to Help Center

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