How to Create Floating Product Photography: Top Floating Mockup Templates on Envato Elements

Floating product photography has become one of the most popular photography trends of the moment. Any object defying gravity is bound to turn heads – so it’s no surprise that floating product photography has attracted a lot of attention over the past few years. It adds playfulness to any project and is perfect for producing creative, eye-catching shots that make your products pop. 

Floating product photography is a technique that creates the illusion that products are floating or levitating. This trend instantly adds a touch of magic to any product shoot and creates a surreal, whimsical effect. Floating product photography can feature one or multiple products, often edited together with other floating objects and props post-processing. This includes removing unwanted elements or background objects, and adding a natural shadow in Photoshop to give the image depth.

Floating product photography is popping up everywhere, from graphic design and social media to high-budget advertising. This trend is perfect for adding a dynamic element to any brand or product, from food and fashion to cosmetics and technology. While it’s almost always eye-catching and effective, brands can utilize floating product photography for different purposes. 

For example, sportswear giant Nike has been using floating products for years to show their products from a 360-degree angle and display every last detail. Meanwhile, no-fuss skincare brand, The Ordinary utilizes this trend to inject some life and movement into their otherwise straightforward branding. 

Finally, the quirky cereal brand Magic Spoon uses the style to reflect its fun, vibrant personality. 

If you want to try the floating photography for your own products, there are a couple of methods for creating the floating product effect.

While floating product photography looks totally out of this world, it’s actually relatively easy to create at home without a ton of expensive equipment. All it requires is a little prep, some patience, Photoshop, and a dash of creativity!

The first step to creating flawless floating product photography is a good setup. Make sure your space is well-lit and features a plain background to make it easy to work with in Photoshop. Before introducing your products, take a few photos of the blank background in case you need to use them later in the edit.

Next, it’s time to introduce the stars of the show – your products. Arrange your floating products by rigging them to an overhead boom or placing them on a box or prop of some kind to create a levitating effect. Whichever method you use, keep in mind that it needs to be easy to edit out in Photoshop later. You can also add props to set the scene and enhance your products.

When photographing your products, you want to get the perfect shot – so take plenty. Ensure the lighting and camera angle creates depth, highlights your product’s best features, and creates an aesthetically pleasing composition. 

Import your best shots into Adobe Photoshop and edit out any unwanted objects or props. Once you have your clipped image, simply place it onto one of the blank photos of your background, add shadows for depth, and there you have it!

For a step-by-step tutorial on creating and editing floating product photography, check out this video by New York City-based photographer and director Tom Medvedich. He shows his rig and setup, the props, tools, and space required, and his complete process for shooting, styling, and editing photos using Capture One and Adobe Photoshop. 

Whether you’re a beginner or a photography expert, these tips should stand you in good stead if you want to try floating product photography for yourself.

If you don’t have the time, equipment, or expertise to shoot your own floating product shots, why not use a mockup template? Floating object product mockups are a great way to display your products in suspended motion quickly, easily, and affordably. 

Keen to see your products defy gravity? Try out the trend with these top floating product mockups from Envato Elements, available along with millions of other creative assets for a monthly or annual subscription.

And that’s a wrap! We hope you enjoyed immersing yourself in the floating product photography trend. Explore our deep dive into the Animation Trend for more trending design styles, or check out the top Graphic Design Trends of 2023.