Prepare the garment
Steam or iron the garment first. Wrinkles that you remove on set are wrinkles nobody has to remove later. Put it on the mannequin so the shoulders sit straight and the sleeves hang naturally.
Use clips or pins behind the garment to fill gaps and shape it, and keep them out of the front of the frame.
Lock the setup
Use a tripod and do not move it between shots. Keep the same distance, lens, light, exposure and white balance for every shot of the same garment. Shoot in RAW.
A gray card in the first frame of each session makes color matching much easier later.
The shot list
For each garment, shoot at least these frames: the front view on the mannequin, the back view, and the inside of the neck and collar. The inside shot is taken with the garment turned or the mannequin neck removed, so the interior is visible.
For garments with details, add the sleeve openings, hem and any inside labels or linings you want to show. If a garment has more than one color, repeat the same set for each colorway.
| Shot | What it is for | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Front on mannequin | Main image | Keep the garment symmetrical and neat |
| Back on mannequin | Back view | Same distance and light as the front |
| Inside neck and collar | Fills the neck opening | Do not move the camera from the front shot |
| Details and labels | Close-ups, brand tag | Only if you want them in the final set |
Common mistakes
Moving the camera between the front and the inside shot is the most common one, because it makes the neck joint hard to match. Uneven light between frames is second. Wrinkles, lint and pins in the frame are third.
Another is crooked placement. If the garment is tilted on the mannequin, the retoucher has to straighten it, which can distort the shape.
Deliver the files
Send RAW files or full-size TIFFs, not screenshots. Name the files so each garment and shot is easy to match, for example style-code_front, style-code_back, style-code_inside. Add a short note with the background, margins and size you need.
Send a link to the folder when you contact us and we will confirm the price and timing in a personal quote.
Ready for Uncompromising Editorial Quality?
Hand retouching with real skin texture and revisions included. Starting at $40 or $50 per photo, with commercial and jewelry projects quoted within 12 hours.
