How to make product photos from an STL file
STL PhotoStudio is a photo studio for 3D models: put your STL on a backdrop, light it with softboxes, give it real materials and take the shot, the way you would photograph the printed part. It runs in your browser, so there is nothing to install, no sign-up, and your model never leaves your computer unless you save it.
Open STL PhotoStudio — it’s free
Make a product photo in 5 steps
Drop your model
Drag an STL, GLB, OBJ or 3MF file anywhere onto the page, or use Add Model. STL files are turned upright automatically. Check the size, orientation and scale in the Model tab.
Header › Add Model · Model tabSet the scene
One click on a Scene preset gives you a finished look. Or pick the Backdrop in the Scene tab: a seamless Cove or a Flat wall with a table (any colour, gradient, texture or your own photo), an HDRI photo of a real place, or a Cut-out on transparency or green screen.
Bottom menu › Scene presets · Scene tabLight it
Start from a rig: One, Two, Three or Four light, Clamshell, Dramatic or High key. Then drag the lights around the light plan, or grab them in the viewport, and set each one’s power, size and colour temperature.
Light tab · Light plan (top left)Give it real materials
Choose matte, glossy, metal or translucent materials with print lines, grainy, textile or glitter textures, so the model looks like the real print. Paint parts colours regions of a single-colour STL.
Materials tab › Paint partsFrame the shot and render
Orbit and zoom, set the lens and the aperture for a soft background blur, and turn on a viewfinder frame for the aspect ratio you need. Then Render photo: Fast preview in a moment, or Path traced for photorealistic light.
Camera tab · Header › Render photo
Every tool
Features marked PRO are part of the Pro plans.
Models
- Load a model with Add Model or by dropping an
.stl,.glb,.objor.3mffile anywhere on the stage. - Move, rotate and scale it from the Model tab, or drag it across the table with the Move tool (bottom left).
- PRO Duplicate a model to build a composition of several — each copy keeps its own paint, materials and placement.
Painting parts
- Paint parts (Materials tab) opens the paint tools: click regions, brush freehand, or box-select faces.
- Pick one of the Materials used or Materials available, then paint. Undo and redo cover every stroke.
Materials & textures
- Build materials in the Materials tab: colour, roughness, metalness, clearcoat and translucency.
- Add a texture — Print lines, Grainy, Textile or Glitter — each with its own controls and blend mode.
- PRO Keep your materials in the bottom Materials drawer, for every model and every visit.
Scenes
- The Backdrop first: Cove (a seamless sweep), Flat wall (a wall and a table), HDRI (a 360° photo of a real place) or Cut-out (no backdrop).
- Cove and Flat wall take colours, gradients, texture overlays and your own images (Cover, Fit, Stretch or Tile), a curve and a wall distance.
- PRO Images and textures you upload stay in the bottom Scene images drawer, ready for every scene.
Lights
- Five types: Softbox, Spot, Bulb, Directional (sun) and Ambient. A bulb can sit inside a translucent lamp model.
- Move lights on the light plan (top left) or grab their fixtures in the viewport; aim them at the selected model in one click.
- Environment light (bottom of the Light tab) adds soft light from all around and what shiny materials reflect.
- PRO Save your rigs in the Light setups drawer.
Camera
- Orbit, zoom and pan; the viewfinder frame previews the aspect ratio of your photo.
- Lens (mm), aperture and focus behave like a real camera — background blur included.
- PRO Save favourite framings as camera angles.
Render photo
- Fast preview renders what you see in a moment, up to HD for free.
- PRO Path traced renders physically correct light on your own GPU — soft shadows, reflections and translucency that look real — and photos up to 8K.
- PNG, JPG or WebP; a transparent or green-screen background comes from the Cut-out backdrop.
Saving & loading
- Scene presets keep a backdrop look — free for everyone.
- PRO Compositions keep everything — models with their paint, scene, lights and camera — in your cloud storage, and open on any computer.
- PRO Export a composition as one
.stlpscfile, or a painted model as.stlpsm, and import them back any time. - PRO Save current settings as default (your account) makes fresh visits start from your lights, scene, materials and camera — never models.
Tips for better shots
Transparent or green screen
Pick Cut-out as the backdrop (Scene tab) for transparency or a solid chroma colour. The model keeps its contact shadow.
A whole turntable
Turntable photos in the Camera tab renders 12 shots all around the model and downloads them as one ZIP.
Same look every time
Save your light setups, materials, camera angles and scene images once and reuse them on every model (Pro).
Come back to it later
A composition keeps everything: models, paint, scene, lights and camera. Save it to your cloud storage or export it as a .stlpsc file (Pro).
What people use it for
- Product listings for 3D-printed items on Etsy, eBay, Amazon or your own shop, before the first one is even printed.
- Colour variants: paint the same model in every colour you sell and shoot them all with the same light.
- Crowdfunding and social posts: clean hero shots, cut-outs and turntables of models you are still designing.
- Selling STL files: show buyers what the printed part looks like, in a material close to the real filament.
Free and Pro
Everything you need to style and light a shot is free. Pro is for final, high-resolution photos, bigger compositions and saving your work in the cloud, from $10 a month or $100 a year — a year costs 10 months. Every plan unlocks every Pro feature; they differ only in cloud storage. Cancel any time.
| Plan | Cloud storage | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | 100 MB | $10 / month | $100 / year |
| Team | 200 MB | $15 / month | $150 / year |
| Agency | 500 MB | $20 / month | $200 / year |
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| STL, GLB, OBJ and 3MF import | Yes | Yes |
| Backdrops, lights, materials, painting, environments, camera | Yes | Yes |
| Fast preview photos (PNG, JPG, WebP) | Up to HD (1280 px) | Up to 8K (7680 px) |
| Transparent or chroma background, turntable ZIP | Yes | Yes |
| Path-traced photos | — | Yes |
| Several models in one composition | One model | Unlimited |
Export / import models and compositions (.stlpsm, .stlpsc) | — | Yes |
| Save compositions, models, light setups, materials, camera angles and scene images | — | Yes |
| Cloud storage | — | 100 MB to 500 MB |
Frequently asked questions
- Is STL PhotoStudio free?
- Yes. Loading a model, every backdrop, light, material, environment and camera setting, and photos up to HD (1280 px) with the fast renderer are free, with no account needed. Pro adds path-traced photos, sizes up to 8K, several models per composition, and cloud storage for what you save, from $10 a month or $100 a year.
- Do I need to install any software?
- No. STL PhotoStudio runs in any modern browser with WebGL2 (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari) on Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS. Open stlphotostudio.com and drop in a file.
- Is my model uploaded?
- Not unless you choose to save it. Your model is opened and your photos are rendered in your browser, on your own graphics card. Files are only uploaded when a Pro user saves a composition, a model or a scene image to their private cloud storage, and they are deleted with it.
- Which file formats can I use?
- STL (binary and ASCII), GLB/glTF, OBJ (with its MTL colours) and 3MF. STL files are turned upright automatically, so a model exported Z-up lands standing on the table.
- What is the difference between Fast preview and Path traced?
- Fast preview renders exactly what you see on screen in a moment, great for drafts and quick shares. Path traced simulates real light bounces on your GPU for photorealistic soft shadows, reflections and translucency; it takes longer and is part of Pro.
- Can I get a transparent background?
- Yes. Pick Cut-out as the backdrop in the Scene tab, or Cut-out when you render: you get a PNG with a transparent background, or a solid colour such as green screen, and the model keeps its contact shadow.
- Can I paint parts of a model in different colours?
- Yes. Paint parts in the Materials tab lets you click regions, brush or box-select faces and give them any material, so a single-colour STL can show a multi-colour print.
- Can I change or cancel my plan?
- Yes, any time from your account (your nickname at the top of the studio). Cancelling keeps Pro until the end of the period you paid for. A switch to another plan or between monthly and yearly billing takes effect at your next billing date. Payments are not refunded.
Ready to shoot your model?
Drop an STL and get a studio photo in a couple of minutes. Free, no sign-up.
Start shooting