Flat Lays – How to Jazz Up any Product Picture

Okay, DIY-ers! If you take a lot of product pictures, you have probably heard about flat lays. Flat lays are simply boards with different patterns on them that you use for the backdrop of your photos. You can purchase these online, but I usually come across one of two issues:

• The good quality wood board flat lays can get expensive, especially when you want multiple patterns.
• The inexpensive paper flat lays are literally rolled up paper which means they don’t look high quality and they don’t last very long.

So what can we do?… We can make our own! This is an affordable, simple, and fun option and you can get a lot of different designs without spending a lot of money.

Here’s how I did it!:

Materials:

Foam Boards:

These will be the foundation of your flat lay. They are not as expensive as wood, but are more versatile and durable than just paper. I like these foam boards as they are big enough for my needs yet small enough to easily move around. This is a two pack and I used both sides for different patterns to double my background options!

If you want to purchase more, here’s a pack of 15 boards.

Adhesive Wallpaper:

Next, you’ll want to purchase adhesive wallpaper. These sticky wallpapers have been all over the place lately, and this is just another great use for them! They’re inexpensive and there are so many options for different patterns and sizes.

I chose a dark wood, a black wood, white brick, and white marble for different style options and combinations!

Some other options that caught my eye (round 2, anyone?) are these modern stripes, this white wood, and these gold hexagons.

Pick your favorite patterns and you’re ready to get started! It will definitely make things slightly easier for you if you choose a size that is in line with the size of your foam board, but it’s not necessary. I had to overlap the smaller papers and it was not noticeable in the photos.

The final thing you need is a pair of scissors!

Create Your Flat Board:

Once your boards and adhesive paper arrive, roll out the paper so it’s big enough to cover the board. I’ve had enough experience with cutting wrapping paper too short at Christmas, so I overshot the amount of paper I needed to cover the board and then simply trimmed off the ends.

Go slowly here to avoid getting big air bubbles and be patient.

This is literally all you have to do for these easy and affordable flat lays. No dry time, no weighing down rolled up papers so they lay flat, no need to purchase multiple expensive wood boards, just cut, peel, and stick.

Now you’re ready to take better pictures at home!