20 Best Top For Black Backdrop (2023 Updated)

I now understand all those reviews that I’ve read, referring to how thin the muslin can be with some of these budget backdrops. I won’t, however, speak too poorly of the product or call it useless because it actually does work.

It’s just not ideal. For me, it’s worth the $40 to be able to fold it up and carry it from place to place which is something that I simply cannot do with my seamless paper roll. It’ll do until I can do better.

I don’t know if I’d recommend that a product like this be used with constant lights. I took a few test shots of my daughter standing in front of the backdrop both in ambient and with flash. I could definitely see through to the other side in the ambient light setting but this could easily be fixed by setting up the backdrop in front of a wall or letting the fabric hang over both sides of the backdrop stand or just placing something solid or some other fabric, such as a sheet, behind it.

The product is of reasonable quality and useable.

Nice size of backdrop cloth. Personally I have two the same size and use them in a curtain style with either a white or black cloth behind, but have also used both as one complete backdrop. The size I bought is good too, easy to fold, handle and wash when required.

I will buy a third one at some point.

Nice cloth and shade (medium grey), neatly hemmed but seamless. It arrives folded up, thus it has wrinkles; they disappear when the cloth is hung and sprayed with water.

I was initially disappointed, as the sheet is not as rich as they say. The black is more of a very dark blue. But that was not the primary issue. The primary issue was the two holes directly in the middle of the sheet.

And I’m not surprised, as the quality seems fairly low. The cloth is thin, and feels quite fragile.

This is the second purchase I have made of a Westcott fabric backdrop. The first was a 9×12′ Chroma-key green and now this smaller 5×7 neutral gray. The material accepts a pole/rod on top and has grommets.

It is easily stretched with minimal effort and a few clamps. I use this small one over a collapsable 58×78 backdrop using a handful of binder clips. The fabric is non-reflective and a nice shade of gray.

I would purchase again.

I was skeptical but got this because of a recommendation from someone who had used it before. I always use paper backdrops and the only reason I decided to try it was because I was doing a type of shoot I’m not used to.

I see no reason for this backdrop whatsoever. I’ve got weeks worth of backdrop edit fixing in post to do now thanks to this stupid thing. There’s creases everywhere, does not photograph well. Save yourself a headache and time and just get paper.

Just got this recently, so I don’t have a ton of experience with it yet. It appears quite durable, with heavy-duty grommets & a well-sewn pole sleeve. Overall, it will do the job it was meant for quite well.

My frustration comes from the wrinkling in the fabric. Even after running it through a dryer on wrinkle-reduction setting, and then ironing it thoroughly, it is still quite wrinkled. Throwing a light on the backdrop means having to be careful about lighting the wrinkles.

Also, while it is indeed black, it is not the deep black I hoped it to be. Overall, I think it will perform admirably, but in the future perhaps I will return to my previous program of purchasing materials from a fabric store and creating my own (for about 1/5 the price).

put it together once to test before shoot. took it apart. was stoked cause it seemed pretty decent and had a nice compact case and bag for things. the fabric thickness slash opacity seemed about right for what i was paying while folding up pretty small still.

the hardware seemed well made enough. standard decent gear. put it together at the shoot i bought it for. did the trick. tried to break it down and support rods no longer come apart. guessing they connections spin freely inside the tubes.

not sure how to trouble shoot it without breaking it. guess the rods are like that now. no longer fits in case. i tried not to buy the cheapest thing out there to avoid this. small frustration in the overall scheme of things.

you might get one that doesn’t do this. forewarned to make sure the internal connectors are firmly seated before you use.

I am a hobby photographer and I sometimes turn my living room into a small studio for fine art shots with models. I bought this backdrop to hang over my large balcony door and window to reduce ambient light for low-key shots (My studio flashes are inexpensive and do not put out enough power to satisfactorily compete with bright sunlight leaking through the window blinds on low-key portraits).

The backdrop is fairly heavy, but it is thin enough that some sunlight does come through the black fabric. HOWEVER, I have found this to be of almost no trouble for my purposes. First, positioning a flash or continuous light to shine on the front of the backdrop effectively eliminates all visual evidence of spill-through from behind, and it appears just flat black.

Also, since I am using this to help with low-key shots, by definition the background is blackened out and not seen — this backdrop stops more than enough sunlight from coming through for me to easily obtain that inky black background that low-key shots are all about.

If the fabric is not thick enough for your purposes, you could easily purchase two of these and double them up — for the price, that is certainly a feasible option. P. S. My backdrop came quite wrinkly out of the package — as you would expect, given how small it is folded.

This does not effect my low-key shots, but if you actually want to see the backdrop in your photos, I suggest steaming the wrinkles out of this one.

I use the backdrop for professional portrait situations. I wish the material were a bit thicker, that would enable it to be stronger, more seamless looking, and less bed sheet looking. The material isn’t bad but I feel it could be of a different grit than bed cloth/sheets; which it certainly can physically feel like at times.

This is supposed to be a professional backdrop!? Your engineers or in house staff didn’t consider the grades of fabric, texture, and material that could enhance the quality levels and utilization of such a backdrop in professional activity? I feel I could make the backdrop myself for less.

On set, I put another backdrop behind it so that the white can stand out more and be thicker looking. And then I still have to get the creases out which a steamer, which can be annoying but comes with the territory.

Overall not bad, but not worth the price at this time. It should be more like $- dollars max.

For a quick and easy backdrop, this is definitely something worth considering. I used to use the folding backdrop (I think also from Westcott) for headshots, but as soon as I needed a full-body it wouldn’t work obviously.

This sets up seriously in 1. 5-2minutes and is plenty large and stable. You could perhaps get 2 people side by side as long as you shot narrow enough, but it’s essentially made for one person, full body.

The backdrops themselves are made of a strange, almost wooly material, which seems to be non-reflective, and doesn’t show too many small folds, but will make shadows if you don’t adjust the upper arms well upon setup.

Overall for 200 bucks? Definitely worth it – especially considering how many 1st and 3rd party backdrops are available for this system!.

Several of my pro headshot friends said they have this X-Drop and love it. I put off buying it for about 2 years because I had been using one of those pop up backdrops made by a different manufacturer.

After my pop-up backdrop snapped/broke, I finally bought the X-Drop and I am SO HAPPY with it. First of all, it’s super easy to travel with — I stuck it in my suitcase when I traveled across country for a shoot.

I could not have done that w/my prior pop up back drop. Secondly, it assembles QUICKLY (I watched Westcott’s quick guide YouTube vid). Lastly, I love that the legs can be adjusted so that backdrop’s footprint is small/narrow and fits even the tightest of rooms.

Definitely recommend this great backdrop!.

I ordered this for headshots when I’m not using a full portrait studio. I’m able to fit this in my suitcase and travel all over the country for headshots. The stand itself is a bit on the cheap side so be very careful when putting it together, that you don’t break anything.

Even though the backdrop wrinkles, depending on how you pack it up each time, when stretched out, the wrinkles disappear. I would recommend getting other colors or styles to add options to your shooting.

It takes up little space and allows for so much flexibility with your shoots. I highly recommend this to anyone doing headshots.

I purchased this background to replace the paper backgrounds I previously used. I am much happier with the fabric background. I purchased a steamer to help with the small wrinkles, but this will be minimal work as these backdrops will be hanging in my studio.

Exactly what I was looking for.

This backdrop is quite lightweight, but yet opaque enough for studio portraits. Very small once folded in its bag, but HUGE when unfolded! It makes it hard to manage in smaller places and hard to manage when you need to iron it.

Had some troubles to get all the wrinkles off after washing it. Will consider to buy a smaller size next time.

This background is a good staple back drop. I was a little dissapointed in the material thickness. If you hold it into the light, you can see the light through it. It is not a heavy fabric. That being said, it was also a decent value.

When photographing with it, the background appears to be flat – leaving no shine or reflection.

I appreciate that products I buy from B&H are always quality items that so the job intended and are reasonably priced. Love this business.

I own a movie studio/ event space I use the certain to project light shows. I love it I create a romantic setting for my event space.

I consider myself a hobbyist photographer primarily focused on landscape, wildlife and street photography. Unfortunately, due to the COVID pandemic my outdoor photography has been very limited so I decided to setup a small in-home studio.

My intent was to learn still life, tabletop and macro photography. I used the online B&H Explora section as guide to setup my in-home studio. I ordered several rolls of the Savage seamless Background Paper in different colors to use as a background.

The paper is high quality, handles light well and is inexpensive. The 36′ roll of paper lasts quite a long time. I will say that using black seamless paper can be tricky with lighting because paper does not absorb light as well as fabrics.

I typically move my off-camera lighting further away from the black background and/or use some type of diffuser.

I love the flexibility with it being a pop out plus having the extension. Only need one stand and it doesn’t “potato chip” at all. The thing does come very wrinkled. But that’s what steamers are for.

They are probably heavily compressed during the long journey to you so a simple steaming and it’s all good. My only issue is on one side where the extension meets the black border. It is ripped and the fabric is very easily ripped so I will have to strengthen that somehow or some way.

This is the reason I deducted one star.

I do a lot of green screen on location, and this works very fast as far as setting up. Folding away is easy once you know how. You have to make a taco shape and then fold away. google this because seeing is better than me trying to describe it.

I have had 3 of these, and yes, they wear out, but I give them a LOT of use.

I purchased this for on location head shot sessions. It was super easy to setup and take down. I had to watch a YouTube video and practice breaking it down before using it at my session to be sure I knew what I was doing.

It’s pretty easy once you have the hang of it. If there were one thing that I’d change it would be for it to have a wrinkle resistant fabric. Other than that it’s worth every cent!.

The item in overall is very nice at given price with big discount. But it might be thinner than expected. Some people mentioned one may need extra item to be placed behind because of transparency. It looks like cotton.

Light, easy to carry. The carry bag is not in tripod bag shape as shown on the photos. It is wide, longer and flat shaped.

It very nice for the price, is lightwaight, not too bulky and easy to carry arround. The only 2 downsides for this is that of course, that you’ll need to iron it first because the foldings are marked, and second, because of the lightness of the product, its quite easy to see through it.

This has not bothered me since once you put a flash on to it you will not see thrugh the fabric. But over all, its very easy to use once you iron it.

I haven’t had the pleasure of using it yet. But I did set it up to see if it functioned well. The height and width is phenomenal. But if you decide to extend it to maximum height, it becomes unstable.

The case is nice. But it clearly needs more than 2 clamps to hold up the FREE backdrops ( white/black- flipside ) at maximum width. I recommend getting weights for stability(not included) and two or more additional clamps.

Lastly, although the backdrop is two sided, the material is mediocre, thin, and transparent. Therefore, its future of longevity isn’t practical. I speak from experience being that I purchased a backdrop (another company) a year ago which is exceptional compared to the one included with this purchase.

But for the price. it’s difficult to complain about that feature. Overall, I expect it to suffice for our upcoming celebration in July.

Let me start by saying the this stand is great. It gets the job done, and does it well, inexpensively. Looks professional enough to impress your clients and is lightweight enough that it is not a pain to breakdown and take around.

The one exception that you need to know is that with the price the trade off is the poles are susceptible to bending. One if the connecting rods that I received was bent and needed to be pounded out to fit.

Also, with heavier seamless paper you may benefit from weight on the stands, they are lightweight but that doesn’t work in your favor when it is top heavy. The white backdrop isn’t really the best in my opinion, but if you’re just starting out it can be usable for you.

Great purchase overall and recommended, just know what you are getting with this product.

I like the back drop stand would of been better if it came with two extra clamps. As for the two free back drops I did not approve as they were very cheap cloth. So not worth paying the extra when I could of just ordered the back drop stand by it self for $20-$30 less.

Easy to put up and put away.

I bought the sand backdrop and the ocean backdrop. They are so much fun! I fashioned my backyard into a “beach theme” for my 75th birthday and my “young” friends loved it! I floated a inflated shark in my spa, which was a hit!.

30 ft roll give’s you the ability to design a mood inside your home office or business. The colors are great for putting your guests in the mood for partying. In this stressful world we need and escape and these plastic rolls do a good job.

We’ve been buying them for years, started out with 50ft, for only about $5. to $10. I will say I think they could be a little cheaper. Sometimes I have received rolls with defects on the ends like small holes, but for the most part a great way to decorate.

We put two pieces together to cover the whole wall.

Very please, I was cautious in ordering fearing this would have been cheap and flimsy plastic. Not at all! Well worth of $ it’s sturdy and thick plastic. After my event I folded it up for future use.

Glad to have high quality backdrop. Used it for a middle school Galaxy party and everyone raves how great it looked. Added Mini Christmas lights around it. really enhanced the evening scene.

I first bought this backdrop when was branded Lastolite by Manfrotto. It was my most popular backdrop request for headshots. I had an accident and ruined it so I purchased another one, now rebranded as Manfrotto.

It looked like it was the same, but this one shows creases all over and inconsistencies in color (like stripes) all over. The old one was much smoother and easier to work with. This one creates more work when editing.

I am a huge Manfrotto fan, but I have to say I’m a little disappointed with this product.

I bought this background three years ago and used it off and on. a few months ago I was folding it up and the steel rim snapped and came through the cloth. I went looking on the B&H site to see how much a replacement was going to cost me when I noticed that Lastolite has a lifetime warranty on the steel rim.

I contacted them and they requested a copy of the original invoice (which I was able to download from the B&H site) and a picture of the damage. It took them a few weeks but Lastolite responded and sent me a new background replacement under the warranty.

I know as photographers we all have a few pieces of Manfrotto/Lastolite equipment but I will be a loyal customer for life thanks to their excellent customer service. This is why it pays to do business with authorized dealers like B&H.

You may find what seems like a better deal on Amazon but you really don’t know who you’re dealing with and if you purchase an item from an unauthorized dealer, the manufacturer may not honor any warranty claims.

Lastolite products may cost a little more but the quality and the fact that they stand behind their products makes it worth the extra dollars.

Would give it ZERO stars if I could. Terrible product. You have to have at least 10 people in order to unroll it without getting creases in the paper. And once you have creases it, is unusable and worthless as anything you do will have the creases.

Only buy if you have at least 10 people to unroll it and lay it out to use! Otherwise, it is a complete and utter waste of money for you.

I used this to paint a “mural” in my nursery when we were renting. Now that we own a house, I had always thought I’d paint directly on the walls. No way, this paper is almost as good as a mural straight on the wall.

I actually took the rental house mural and put it up in the new house. My husband nailed trim around it so it looks like a mural on the wall surrounded by wood trim. It’s awesome. I used watercolor – it looks great but did wrinkle a little.

In future I will do oil pastel murals and it will be awesome. The sky is the limit with this stuff if you use common, art-school sense. Highly, highly recommend for the price. Can’t beat it. If you really want to make a statement with your art, this stuff is basically large-scale-sketch-book.

The exaggerated scale of the final watercolor is just so fantastic. I can send photos if you want. The paper would be better if it were slightly thicker, as it slightly wrinkled, but you simply cannot have that for this price.

I’m still awestruck with the job it did.

I needed large paper to create a map for a school wide celebration. This paper was perfect! It’s long and thick, so it could be hung on a wall. Keep in mind that this roll is over 8 feet long, so it’s definitely a two-person job to unroll and get it ready.

I looked on various websites, and for the price and amount of paper you get, it’s definitely worth it!.

This is like a very large black cotton bed sheet, with a pocket for the background pole to go through. It is thin so if you had a bright light behind then this might be an issue, but shooting at a shutter speed of 1/200th it was completely black.

Using a steamer on it got the creases out in a few minutes. Great cheap background. Think I’ll be getting the white version too.

My online company went all tech on me. Get a green backdrop they said. So I did and the tech thing worked. Quality non woven fabric. Very lightweight. Perfect for what I need as it hangs well and is light enough to take down & fold away if required.

Its great value for money… but always be aware that it might tear if not treated respectfully. A lovely emerald green – just right for filming green screen.

I had a customer who wanted her very dark art pieces shot with a pitch black background. This is easily the blackest background I’ve used. In storage/shipping however, the first of the 2 rolls I bought had “crush” marks on about 1/3 of the roll.

The second roll (B&H sold me the second roll for half price, thanks!) had marks on the first 3 feet. So be ready to throw some away. Still the best stuff out there-essential for shooting dark subjects with a black background.

We use this for photographing objects on black. It’s wonderful as it sucks up the light. most of the time. This last order we got a roll that was a touch lighter and had a hint of red in it that was less than ideal.

We’ve used this product for a couple years and have bought a couple rolls and this is our first bad roll, but it is disconcerting to have such variation. When you do get a good roll, it is absolutely wonderful.

Nice light absorbing material that I have used for years. Does what it needs to do !

As noted in other reviews, the first thing I noticed was a hole in the bag. This came from the tip of one of the stands. This is easily avoidable with cheap caps for the tips. Okay, not a big deal. The stands and cloths are of good quality and fit my needs.

These are my first backdrops so I was surprised the the 8×10 stand dimensions mean 8 foot wide and 10 foot tall. Why do I you need 10 foot tall stands? I’d rather have 10 foot wide stands. This is especially true when you consider the kit includes 10 foot wide backdrops! If you want to pull them tight you have 2 feed to pull back and clamp.

Another minor thing is that the cross beam just sits on top of the stands. It is not secured in any way. Would I buy them again, yes. Just a few minor surprises.

Good material. I don’t know if it’s scotch-guarded, but I recently did a newborn shoot. We set the baby down for two seconds, and guarantees, she peed. But a paper towel wiped it dry in seconds. An unexpected little surprise, and got us through the shoot.

Stands are lightweight and sturdy. Good traveling background set.

Bought this kit because I needed a better background system for my classes. It’s kind of heavy but it is sturdy so a good trade off there. The muslin is nice for simple portrait work and good quality.

Only downfall is that the small carrying bag is only big enough for the supports and not for the whole thing. Will have to find another bag too carry all of the muslin together.