Why is editing important for clothing photography?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Post-processing is essential even with perfectly styled garments<\/a> and the right lighting<\/a>. Photos fresh from the camera rarely do the products justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Small editing tweaks can make a big difference for online shoppers. Seeing a realistic depiction of the clothing they\u2019re buying means they can find items that look great and fit well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some common edits brands need to make to apparel photos include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It all comes down to making your clothing products appealing and professional with crisp, clean photos that fit your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For ecommerce sellers, pure white backdrops are a must-have, with top ecommerce sites like Amazon<\/a> and eBay requiring white backgrounds for product photos. But even beyond seller requirements, a clean white backdrop helps garments pop like in the example below, whether you\u2019ve shot a model photo or the garment alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Removing the background<\/a> also opens up creative options, allowing you to repurpose product images<\/a> in different ways. For example, you can add a transparent, colorful, branded, or lifestyle background. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve cut out the background, you can leave it on a white background or create another copy with a transparent background<\/a>. Clothing with transparent backgrounds will work on websites with a custom color scheme, so your product shots can match it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alternatively, you can choose a slightly darker shade of white, like the sustainable fashion brand People Tree<\/a>. By doing this, individual listings stand out against the background of a white online store. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Do your cut-out clothing photos look a little lifeless on a plain white background? Adding a subtle shadow<\/a> can create a more appealing and natural look that\u2019s still fit for ecommerce marketplace requirements, like the example below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adding a shadow in post-production lets you control its direction, regardless of the lighting conditions during the shoot. That way, you can fully focus on ensuring the garment is composed and lit correctly during the shoot and add a shadow later during post-production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If there\u2019s one thing that makes a clothing photo look unprofessional, it\u2019s wrinkled garments. No matter how much steaming or ironing you\u2019ve done, there\u2019s almost always an inevitable wrinkle or crease. Make sure your photos are wrinkle-free before uploading them to your online store. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can fix fabric wrinkles during post-processing in Photoshop using a couple simple methods:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stains, dust, hair, and other imperfections on clothing aren\u2019t always avoidable. For example, sweat and liquid drops may add realism to some photos, but the result may not be appealing for customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Below, the unedited photo on the left shows stains in authentic context. To enhance the t-shirt’s look for ecommerce, we edited the version on the right, removing damp marks while maintaining the outdoorsy feel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fixes like these are straightforward in most cases. As mentioned above, you can use Spot Healing Brush<\/strong> or Clone<\/strong> Stamp<\/strong>, depending on the size and type of imperfection you need to remove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also try the Patch<\/strong> Tool<\/strong>, like in this YouTube tutorial<\/a>. Using this method works well for fixing larger imperfections and for more control over the resulting texture or pattern of your garment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Natural light can make your studio setup and clothing appear different in the images than when you shot them. The camera picks up colors you might not even notice with your naked eye. As an example, the photo might end up with a light cast from other sources around your studio, a more blue hue if you shot during daylight, or a warm yellow hue if you shot at golden hour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n All of these factors will contribute to showing an inaccurate garment color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To fix it, head into Adobe Lightroom. First, make sure your photo is bright enough using the Exposure<\/strong> slider to select a suitable brightness. Then, adjust the color temperature and tint to a neutral result. You can do it using the following methods:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adding some lifestyle context to your product images can spice them up. You can hire models and locations for a photoshoot, but this can be expensive if you only want a few lifestyle shots. The answer? Lifestyle composites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lifestyle composites involve photographing a product or a subject\u2014or using a product shot you already have\u2014and removing the background. Then, you can either pick a stock photo as the new background or shoot one yourself. The goal is to create a faster, more affordable lifestyle photo using post-processing instead of organizing and budgeting for a photoshoot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Editing these photos typically requires more advanced skills, but you can outsource it. To get started, prepare a simple product photo, for example, a model wearing one of the garments. In the next step, you or the editor will remove the background\u2014if it hasn\u2019t been done already\u2014and add a stock photo of a suitable location as the new backdrop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many product photography studios, like POW Product Photography<\/a>, offer this advanced service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you blend the images together, ensure the product has natural shadows, is cut out and sized correctly to fit your background image, and seamlessly blends in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a natural result, you may need to adjust colors on either image so they fit together because lighting setup will be different for both. Doing so will help avoid your composite looking like an artificial cut-out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best part about composites is you can repurpose the same product shot with different backgrounds as many times as you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clothing labels and tags that stick out can be distracting. Alternatively, you may want to add or alter the existing brand tag on a clothing item you have already photographed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An image like the one on the left might work well on social media when you share it to increase brand awareness. However, if you wish to use the photo as an online store listing, you might want to remove the background and the brand tag. As a result, customers can pay attention to the color and texture of the garment\u2019s fabric rather than be distracted by the brand\u2019s label. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can remove the tag using a mixture of the methods we mentioned for removing wrinkles and spots. The goal is to replace the label area with a realistic-looking part of the garment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To add a label, photograph it first. Then you can cut it out, copy it onto the product photo, and resize and transform its perspective to match the garment in the photo. If you\u2019re adding your brand logo directly to the garment, follow this blend effect tutorial<\/a> for a natural result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve already shot a garment with a tag, you can just add the brand logo to it. In this example, we used a t-shirt with a plain label tag and added our logo. Don\u2019t forget to match the perspective by skewing the logo if the tag isn\u2019t facing the camera head-on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t worry if you don\u2019t have the right setup to hang your clothing items during the shoot. You can photograph the pieces while holding them, and remove any hangers and arms afterwards, like in the example below. It works similarly to removing imperfections<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In this case, work with larger parts of the image first to remove the hanger and any hands. To remove any remaining hanger parts around the garment, such as around the neckline of a jacket, you\u2019ll need to zoom in for precision and use the same tools for removing blemishes and wrinkles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might want to consider creating a ghost mannequin shot if simply removing the hanger isn\u2019t enough and makes garments look too flat. With this technique, the clothing appears to float on an invisible model or mannequin while maintaining its shape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As the clothes appear worn by someone, it looks more realistic and appealing than a photo of clothing on a hanger. You\u2019ll need to re-shoot your garments for this, but you only need a few photos, and anyone who fits your garments can model them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Generally speaking, though, invisible mannequin shots are planned, as they require shots both with a mannequin or person and without. Keep this in mind as you\u2019re shooting your apparel photos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Follow this ghost mannequin photo guide<\/a> to find out how to use ghost mannequin images for your brand. You can also outsource your ghost mannequin edits<\/a> to our professional editors and get your images back in as little as six hours. We also offer perks for bulk orders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may worry about reshooting your collection from scratch when you have a new color piece in stock. But, if you\u2019ve photographed the garment, you can change the color<\/a> in post-production to match what\u2019s in stock. This will save you time organizing your shoot and give you the flexibility to adjust shop listings whenever a new color becomes available. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s difficult to get every model photo to look exactly the same, especially if you shoot with diverse talent. But a simple way to create an attractive ecommerce store with a coherent look is aligning or cropping all of your main listing photos. This way, when customers visit your shop, they\u2019ll see items of similar type presented the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
1. Cut out the background<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Smiling](\"https:\/\/cdn.pathedits.com\/Images\/posts\/picture-perfect-apparel-how-to-edit-clothing-product-photos-to-drive-sales\/portrait-background-removal-before-after.jpg\")
\n\n\n\n![\"People](\"https:\/\/cdn.pathedits.com\/Images\/posts\/picture-perfect-apparel-how-to-edit-clothing-product-photos-to-drive-sales\/people-tree-clearance-organic-cotton-women.png\")
\n\n\n\n2. Add shadows for depth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Gray](\"https:\/\/cdn.pathedits.com\/Images\/posts\/picture-perfect-apparel-how-to-edit-clothing-product-photos-to-drive-sales\/gray-polo-shirt-image-enhancement-before-after.jpg\")
\n\n\n\n3. Smooth wrinkles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Side-by-side](\"https:\/\/cdn.pathedits.com\/Images\/posts\/picture-perfect-apparel-how-to-edit-clothing-product-photos-to-drive-sales\/green-romper-image-enhancement-before-after.jpg\")
\n\n\n\n\n
4. Remove stains and other imperfections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Before](\"https:\/\/cdn.pathedits.com\/Images\/posts\/picture-perfect-apparel-how-to-edit-clothing-product-photos-to-drive-sales\/outdoor-portrait-image-retouch-before-after.jpg\")
\n\n\n\n5. Color correct<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Before](\"https:\/\/cdn.pathedits.com\/Images\/posts\/picture-perfect-apparel-how-to-edit-clothing-product-photos-to-drive-sales\/knitted-blanket-photo-retouch-before-after.jpg\")
\n\n\n\n\n
6. Create a lifestyle composite<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Comparison](\"https:\/\/cdn.pathedits.com\/Images\/posts\/picture-perfect-apparel-how-to-edit-clothing-product-photos-to-drive-sales\/lifestyle-composite-vs-onsite-photography.png\")
\n\n\n\n7. Add or remove brand tags<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Remove a tag<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Side-by-side](\"https:\/\/cdn.pathedits.com\/Images\/posts\/picture-perfect-apparel-how-to-edit-clothing-product-photos-to-drive-sales\/green-tshirt-tag-removal-before-after.jpg\")
\n\n\n\nAdd or replace a tag or label<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Comparison](\"https:\/\/cdn.pathedits.com\/Images\/posts\/picture-perfect-apparel-how-to-edit-clothing-product-photos-to-drive-sales\/white-tshirt-neck-label-change-before-after.jpg\")
\n\n\n\n8. Remove hangers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Side-by-side](\"https:\/\/cdn.pathedits.com\/Images\/posts\/picture-perfect-apparel-how-to-edit-clothing-product-photos-to-drive-sales\/brown-jacket-hanger-background-retouch-before-after.jpg\")
\n\n\n\n9. Create a ghost mannequin shot<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Patterned](\"https:\/\/cdn.pathedits.com\/Images\/posts\/picture-perfect-apparel-how-to-edit-clothing-product-photos-to-drive-sales\/patterned-blouse-mannequin-removal-before-after.jpg\")
\n\n\n\n10. Change clothing color variants<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Stacked](\"https:\/\/cdn.pathedits.com\/Images\/posts\/picture-perfect-apparel-how-to-edit-clothing-product-photos-to-drive-sales\/tank-tops-color-change-before-after.jpg\")
\n\n\n\n 11. Align images for an appealing online store<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Men's](\"https:\/\/cdn.pathedits.com\/Images\/posts\/picture-perfect-apparel-how-to-edit-clothing-product-photos-to-drive-sales\/cotopaxi-mens-vests-collection-amado-teca-capa.png\")
\n\n\n\n![\"Cotopaxi](\"https:\/\/cdn.pathedits.com\/Images\/posts\/picture-perfect-apparel-how-to-edit-clothing-product-photos-to-drive-sales\/cotopaxi-womens-tights-verso-cerro-roso.png\")
\n\n\n\n![\"Close-up](\"https:\/\/cdn.pathedits.com\/Images\/posts\/picture-perfect-apparel-how-to-edit-clothing-product-photos-to-drive-sales\/rapanui-womens-organic-knit-jumper-sage-green.png\")
\n\n\n\n