--- title: "How to photograph clothes for AI product photos | Herofab" description: "A phone, a hanger or a bed, and five rules: how to photograph a garment so an AI studio can dress a model in it faithfully." url: https://herofab.app/guides/how-to-photograph-clothes-for-ai language: en updated: 2026-11-12 --- # How to photograph clothes for AI product photos. Photograph clothes for AI product photos from the front, straight on, with the whole garment in frame; a hanger against a wall or a flat lay on a bed or sofa is enough. Add the back as a separate photo if it has a print, and a close-up for small details. With Herofab [Use Virtual try-on with a straight-on hanger or flat-lay photo.](https://herofab.app/tools/virtual-try-on) 1. Frame one garment whole, straight on, from the front. 2. Use a hanger against a wall or lay it flat on a bed or sofa. 3. Add the back as a separate photo if it carries a print. 4. Add a close-up for small details. 5. Send the original file, not a screenshot or compressed copy; convert an iPhone HEIC to JPG if needed. ![Model in the cream mohair jumper on a café terrace, three-quarter view](https://herofab.app/img/ex/mohair-ava-1100.webp) Made with Herofab · Virtual try-on ## 1. One item, fully visible Photograph a single garment with nothing cut off at the edges: sleeves, hem and collar all inside the frame. Folded, cropped or overlapping items hide exactly the details a buyer checks. ## 2. Straight on, on a hanger or laid flat Shoot from the front, square to the garment. A hanger against a wall, or the garment laid flat on a bed or a sofa, is enough — no mannequin and no studio are needed. Shoes, glasses and jewelry work best on a plain surface. ## 3. The front first The front is the reference for every image. A photo that shows only the back, or a product still in its packaging, is flagged by Herofab and the credits are returned. ## 4. The back and the details as separate photos If the back carries a print, add a photo of the back as its own upload, so the print stays on the back. For a zip puller, a label or a small logo, add a close-up. ## 5. The largest file you have Send the original photo rather than a screenshot or a compressed copy. iPhone HEIC photos can be converted to JPG first with the free converter. ## Light and colour: one source, a neutral white Daylight from a window, without direct sun on the garment, is broad and soft and shows fabric as it is. Mixed light is the commoner trouble: with a ceiling lamp on beside the window, one side of the garment turns warm and the other cool, and no single white-balance setting corrects both. Switch the lamps off, and keep coloured walls and curtains away from pale fabric, which picks up their tint. A camera pulls every scene towards a middle brightness: a black coat that fills the frame is lifted to a noisy grey, and a white shirt is darkened to grey. Tap on the garment and move the exposure until seams, pocket edges and the weave are visible. The try-on brief treats shadows and colour casts in the photo as light, not as the product's colour, but detail lost to pure black or pure white is not in the file. ## Preparing the garment before the photo The photo is the reference for every detail, so preparation shows in the result. Steam or iron the garment: a fold line across a print bends its letters, and the print is what the tool is briefed to copy character for character. Fasten the buttons and close the zip as the piece is worn; the brief names their number and position as things to keep. On a hanger, centre the garment and let the hem hang free. Trousers and skirts hang by the waistband from a clip hanger; folded over a bar, half the leg is hidden. Laid flat, stripes and checks should run level, and a print should lie clear of any fold. Hold the phone parallel to the garment: a tilted phone makes the hem narrower than the shoulders. ## Checking the photo before it is uploaded Open the photo at full size before uploading it. If the stitching and the weave look soft, the phone moved or the room was too dark, and a second shot nearer the window is the quicker repair. Follow the outline all the way round: cuffs, hem, collar and hood belong inside the frame with a margin, and the outline should stand clear of the surface behind it. Some uploads can be flagged before anything is generated. With Virtual try-on, and with the front view of Ghost mannequin, this concerns what the photo shows, such as only the back of the product or a product still folded in its packaging. It is not a review of sharpness, framing or contrast, which stay with the person behind the camera. HEIC photos can be converted first with HEIC to JPG converter. ## Checklist - One garment, whole, inside the frame - Front view, straight on - Back as a separate photo if it has a print - Close-up for small details - Original file, not a screenshot > **With Herofab** > > Upload the front, and the back and a detail if you have them. Herofab dresses a studio model in the garment and is briefed to keep the fabric, the buttons and the print — delivered in 2K or 4K, sized for your marketplace. Updated 24 September 2026 ## In short. **Do I need a professional camera?** No. Every image in the Herofab lookbook started as a phone photo — on a hanger, or laid flat on a bed or a sofa. **What if my photo shows the garment folded?** Unfold it and photograph it whole. Folded or cropped garments hide the details the result needs. **Should the phone's flash be used for clothing photos?** It is better left off. A flash at the camera flattens the texture of the fabric, puts a bright patch on satin and leather and throws a hard shadow onto the wall behind a hanger. In a dim room, move closer to the window and steady the phone. **Does the wall or floor behind the garment appear in the result?** Not in an on-model image: the try-on is briefed to photograph the model against the background chosen in the tool. The surface still matters for the photo: its tone should contrast with the garment, and a coloured wall can tint pale fabric. Related [Ghost mannequin](https://herofab.app/tools/ghost-mannequin) · [HEIC to JPG converter](https://herofab.app/tools/heic-to-jpg) · [On-model product photos without a photoshoot](https://herofab.app/guides/on-model-photos-without-photoshoot) · [Product photos for every colour: one image per variant](https://herofab.app/guides/product-photos-for-every-colour) · [How to check an AI product photo before you publish it](https://herofab.app/guides/check-ai-product-photos) · [Can AI replace a fashion photoshoot? What it can't do, 2026](https://herofab.app/guides/can-ai-replace-a-fashion-photoshoot) · [How to put your clothes on an AI model in 2026](https://herofab.app/guides/how-to-put-clothes-on-an-ai-model) · [All guides](https://herofab.app/guides/)