I used AutoMontage. This was part of my previous job, so sadly the system isn't something I personally own.

How about lighting, mounting, etc. Any details would be appreciated. There are many users who could potentially benefit from this information.

The following applies for coleopterans. If the specimen is pointed I dissolve the glue in alcohol or water, depending on the type of glue that is used. I then place the specimen in a small dish of water (with a drop of liquid dish soap like Dawn to degrease) and heat on a hot place until it is sufficiently relaxed (usually when the water begins to steam). Then remove the specimen, rinse with water, and remount. As for lighting, I used two fiber optic lights. I always used vellum paper to diffuse the light. Finally, touch up the image with a program like Photoshop or Paintshop to remove the pin/point, dust, or background. Let me know if I can provide more information.

Yes, I'm pretty ignorant. Load me up!

What is the advantage of fiber optic lights? What size velum did you use approximately and how did you mont or position it? Is vellum something that is available through photographic supply houses? What is the background and how far beyond the specimen is it? Is this a color-substitution background (I don't know what that's normally called)? If the specimen is not sitting on the background, what is supporting it?

This may all seem commonplace to you but you could probably write a book about technique that would be full of information new to most bugguide photographers.

I'm sure other lights would work fine. I just used fiber optics lights at work because that's what I was given, but they are flexible and easy to reposition. As far as the vellum goes, I don't know much about the different types. The type I used was relatively thick. I'm not really sure where to get vellum either. Vellum is also used in scrapbooking, so you might find it at a craft store or an office supply store. I tape the vellum into a cylindrical shape and position it around the insect and pin. I also have a piece of vellum that is folded into three equal parts (sort of "C" shaped) for lateral photos. This particular specimen was pointed, but I removed the point in Photoshop. The insect is being supported by a point with a pin attached to it. The background was about 20-25 mm away. I removed the background using Photoshop, but not with a simple color replacement. I manually colored in the background. I used a large brush and colored in the larger areas of the background, and then I used a small brush and colored over the background near the outline of the insect. There may be easier ways, but that's how I did it. A color substitution might work fine as well, but I prefer a perfectly clean background. If the insect is pinned, I clip off the head of the pin. It makes it easier to photograph and edit in Photoshop. I hope that none of this sounds confusing! Let me know if I can be of more help.