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
Updated 24 September 2026