A clothing photo editing workflow for your next range
A clothing range is easier to finish when each garment follows the same plan: prepare it, photograph the required views, capture any hidden sections, then send a consistent editing brief. Picarm can handle the cut-outs, retouching and ghost-mannequin composites while you prepare the listings.
This workflow covers flat lays and mannequin photographs. Cut-outs start at 99p, retouching at £1.99 and composites at £3.99 a photograph. You choose the services and see the total before paying, with no minimum order charge.
Plan the range and views
List each style and colour with its product reference. Decide which photographs the customer needs to understand the garment: front, back, fabric detail, a fastening or a feature such as a pocket. Keep a consistent main-view plan across the range so the shop grid reads clearly, then add useful details for individual garments.
Separate product variations from repeated frames. A second colour is a different listing requirement, while three nearly identical front photographs may simply be alternatives from the shoot. Choose the frame you intend to use before sending the editing. Keep the originals in case you need to revisit the selection.
Record the output sizes and backgrounds required by your shop and marketplaces. Check their current requirements directly. Pick one main-image crop for the range where possible and decide how much space should surround the garments. Consistent presentation begins with this decision, rather than with trying to force every finished image into a new crop at upload time.
Prepare and photograph consistently
Steam or press the garment, remove temporary labels that should not appear and arrange sleeves, collars and hems deliberately. Check the inside as well as the front if it will be visible. A poorly arranged sleeve or twisted seam can change how the cut looks, so fixing it before shooting gives the editor a more faithful starting point.
Keep camera position, background and light repeatable. Photograph the actual colours carefully and preserve visible fabric texture. Dark garments need enough detail to show their construction; light garments need edges that remain distinct from the background. Review a complete first garment before moving through the rest of the range.
Use a consistent naming scheme, such as SHIRT-018-blue-front.jpg, SHIRT-018-blue-back.jpg and SHIRT-018-blue-collar.jpg. Include the colour in the name when several versions are in the batch. Our clothing photography guide covers flat lay and mannequin preparation in more detail.
Capture what a ghost mannequin needs
A ghost-mannequin result removes the visible mannequin while retaining a believable garment shape. If the mannequin hides the inside back of a collar or another required section, photograph that section separately. The editor needs source detail that can fill the gap. Keep the additional view's light, angle and scale compatible with the main photograph.
Name the supporting image by the garment and part, such as SHIRT-018-blue-inside-neck.jpg. Attach it to the main photograph through the Composite controls and explain where it belongs. Do not rely on a loose supporting image elsewhere in the batch to communicate the relationship. Check our ghost-mannequin examples before preparing a new type of garment.
Different garments expose different areas. A jacket, a sleeveless top and a shirt may need different supporting views. Inspect the planned final image and ask what the mannequin currently conceals. If that part must appear in the result, provide a photograph of it. An editor should not have to invent a seam, label or lining pattern.
Set up the editing batch
Upload the selected originals and check the photograph count. Set up one representative image: Cut out for background removal, Retouch for product clean-up, or Composite for ghost-mannequin assembly. Retouching includes the cut-out; composites include both. Select alignment, shadow and the output sizes that suit the range.
JPEG is standard. You can request transparent PNG and layered PSD files under File types, and up to eight additional sizes under Sizes, without an extra charge for those options. Ask for the outputs you will use rather than leaving a separate resizing job for after delivery.
Use Same on all before customising individual photographs. It replaces the other photographs' service settings and has no undo; notes stay unchanged. For composites, each garment needs its own correct source attachments. Check every attachment after applying shared settings so a supporting photograph from the first garment is not mistakenly used for another. Our batch-processing guide explains the controls.
A useful range brief might read:
White backgrounds and consistent framing for the main front and back views. Preserve fabric texture, seams, logos and true colour. Keep the intended garment shape and sleeve arrangement. Use the attached inside-neck photographs for the ghost-mannequin fronts. Detail views retain their closer crop.
Put that in the batch brief and use individual Notes for exceptions. Make sure the selected services match the written requests. A photographed crease that is part of the garment's design should remain; a temporary fold from storage may need attention. Name such distinctions instead of asking for every garment to be smoothed indiscriminately.
Example cost: twelve main garment photographs needing ghost-mannequin composites at £3.99 each total £47.88. This is an illustrative order for twelve composites, without extra colour variants or separately ordered views. Check your actual selections, reference handling and any applicable tax in the counter before payment.
Check the finished range
Work is back the next working day. Review the range together for consistency and then inspect each garment closely. Check neckline joins, armholes, hems, fine straps and any open spaces. Compare seams, patterns, labels and colour against the originals. The finished image should describe the same garment with clearer presentation.
Request changes on the affected photographs and explain the specific mismatch. Once you are happy, approve and download, then test the actual shop thumbnails. Make sure the crop does not remove a sleeve or make one style appear much larger than its neighbours. Confirm each colour version is attached to the correct listing.
Keep the agreed range brief and a local example of the approved finish for your next shoot. Reusing the specification makes a repeat order easier; checking each garment's exceptions keeps that consistency from turning into an inaccurate one-size-fits-all edit.
Before the range goes live
- Style, colour and view are clear in every filename?
- Required inside-neck or other supporting views are supplied?
- Each composite has the correct garment's references?
- Fabric, labels, seams and colour match the originals?
- The main-image crops work together in the shop grid?