Build a Cheap DIY Lightbox
Updated October 2026
A lightbox (also called a light tent) is a box with translucent sides. You shine lamps through the sides, and the item inside gets soft light from every direction against a clean background. It's handy for small items and for nights when there's no daylight to work with. Big items don't fit, so for those stick with a window.
You can buy a folding one, and they're not expensive. A cardboard one works just as well, though, and you probably have most of the parts already.
What you'll need
- A sturdy cardboard box, a bit bigger than the biggest thing you'll shoot in it
- A box cutter and a ruler
- White tissue paper, baking parchment or thin white fabric
- Tape
- One sheet of white or light gray poster board
- Two lamps with identical daylight LED bulbs. On the package, look for about 5000K and a CRI of 90 or more. CRI tells you how accurately the bulb shows color.
Building it
- Turn the box on its side so the open end faces you.
- On both sides and the top, mark a border about an inch or two in from the edges and cut out the middle. You're making windows.
- Tape tissue or parchment over each window. One or two layers is plenty. More layers soften the light but make it dimmer.
- Cut the poster board to the box's width. Tape one end to the top back edge and let it curve down across the floor of the box. Don't fold it. The curve is what makes the background look endless.
- Set a lamp outside each side window, the same distance away. A third lamp over the top is optional.
- Put the item in the middle, set the phone up in front, turn off the room lights and take a test shot.
If one side looks brighter, move that lamp back a little. If the background looks gray instead of white, tap the item on screen and nudge the exposure up, or aim the lamps a bit more toward the back.
Use matching bulbs from the same pack. Two "daylight" bulbs from different brands can be noticeably different colors. And stick with LEDs, since they stay cool next to paper.