You have come to read this blog and this means you are someone who is responsible for selling apparel online, don’t you? And you know what’s the precondition to have expected sales. Improved product presentation! But you won’t be able to meet the purpose if you go with a random approach. Flat lay product photography doesn’t always work.
Ghost mannequin photography is a technique that can help you present your images in a more understable manner. And over the last few years, we have seen the trend of this sort of product photography in the ecommerce field.
Do you want to implement this advanced technique in your business as well? Today, you will share an in-depth idea of photography technique to have better conversions.
This blog will cover;
- What is invisible ghost mannequin photography?
- Why is Invisible Ghost Mannequin Photography Essential for E-Commerce?
- Equipment Needed for Invisible Ghost Mannequin Photography
- Step-by-Step Guide to Invisible Ghost Mannequin Photography
- Common Mistakes to Avoid in Ghost Mannequin Photography
- How Invisible Ghost Mannequin Photography Boosts Your Brand
What Is Invisible Ghost Mannequin Photography?
Ghost mannequin is an advanced form of photography where mannequins are used to capture products and then remove them for better product presentation. Often, this is done to showcase the fit, design, shape and style of the apparel products. Unlike the flat product photography where clothes are placed on a surface, here the intention is to have the ghost mannequin effect.
However, capturing the clothes images with a mannequin is not enough here. Once a photographer is done with capturing the images, advanced image editing comes into play in order to remove the mannequin. You need image editing software, Adobe Photoshop to perform the task.
Here is where a good number of businesses rely on professional retouching services. And this is done as a part of product image editing.
Professional photographers perform the task of ghost mannequin photography in the studio instead of outdoors. Now this is because some of the key equipment is needed to ensure an expected outcome.
Now let’s have a look at some of the common characteristics of ghost mannequin effect;
- Showcase apparels from multiple angles.
- Ensures a more clean and professional look of the products.
- Enhances customer experience when surfing ecommerce stores.
Why is Invisible Ghost Mannequin Photography Essential for E-Commerce?
Before investing in any services, it is important to understand the value it is supposed to create. Otherwise, there’s no need to spend a single penny for this. Agreed? Did you remember what we mentioned earlier?
Ecommerce businesses, especially selling clothes, around the world are making the most use of the invisible ghost mannequin photography. Even if they don’t perform the task on their own, they still manage to hire professional product photographers or ecommerce product photo retouching services to get the job done.
Produces High Quality Images
If you run an ecommerce business, you badly need to produce high-quality product images. Now if this doesn’t happen, you won’t have the expected sales you have always wanted. Instead of going with random form of photography, going with the mannequin photography makes a more proper and unique look of the apparels.
And if creating high-quality and professional product images is your concern, the invisible ghost mannequin photography has a key role to play here.
Ensures Improved Visualization of the Products
It is important for any ecommerce business to bring their potential costumes with an impressive experience when buying products. When clothes images are captured on a mannequin, customers can better understand the fit and design of the particular products. And you know what will happen if you can ensure this.
Generates Higher Conversion Rates
At the end of the day, what is the ultimate goal for any ecommerce business? Sales and only then the profit will come, won’t it? But you know what people won’t care about products that don’t look good when uploaded online. So, unless you are presenting the high-quality apparel images from your online store, the sales won’t come as expected.
However on the flip side, as ghost mannequin photography can improve the overall appearance of the product images, you can have the expected conversions. And you know what higher conversions ultimately means.
Equipment Needed for Invisible Ghost Mannequin Photography
No matter what form of photography you want to perform, you need to have access to some essential equipment. In terms of ghost mannequin photography, the store remains the same. Here are are the tools you need;
- A professional or DSLR camera.
- Different types of mannequins.
- Lighting setup.
- Backdrop.
- Editing software. (Adobe Photoshop)
- Tripod.
These are the minimum of tools you need to perform the task of creating mannequin effects on the clothes or apparel images.
Step-By-Step Guide to Invisible Ghost Mannequin Photography
We are at the most important section of this blog. So, don’t look away—stay tuned, because you won’t want to miss what’s coming next! You are going to discover one of the most effective and popular ecommerce product photography techniques.
- Prepare the Clothing
First up, you need to have a pretty clear idea on what clothes you want to capture the images of. In order to have an enhanced productive photography session, you need to put the clothes all together and determine the serial which you follow to capture them. Not only that, you need to place the clothes on the mannequin, don’t you? Here you need both male and female mannequin for each type of apparel.
- Setup Your Studio
You need to make sure you place the camera on the tripod and place it in the right direction. Here, the goal will be to capture the entire product. Apart from the camera, the light should also be placed according to the right direction. Enough lighting is a key for ghost mannequin photography. So make sure you ensure this.
- Capture Images From a Multiple Angles
Don’t just stick to a single direction. Rather, you need to capture images from multiple angles. This way, you can have a better image editing outcome. To be more precise, you need to take short, side and back shorts. This is also going to help you when performing 350-degree product photography.
- Remove the Mannequin in Post-processing
As we also mentioned above, capturing product images with a mannequin is not enough. Once you are done with this, it is time to remove the mannequin from the products and add a ghost mannequin effect.
What you really need to do;
- Open Adobe Photoshop and upload your image via File > Open.
- Use the Pen Tool from the toolbar to create a new path, drawing around your product to isolate it.
- Press Ctrl + Enter to select the path, then apply a 0.5mm feather (Shift + F6) for smoother edges.
- Duplicate the selection with Ctrl + J to create Layer 1. Mask the copied layer and add a solid color background.
- Open another image, adjust it using Warp, and remove unwanted parts by creating another clipping path.
- Apply feathering again and invert the selection (Ctrl + I). Add a shadow by creating a path, feathering it, and multiplying the layer after masking.
- Choose a proper background that best matches the images.
Fine-Tune the Image
Once you are done with the editing, it’s time to fine tune the images. Here you need to have close eyes on color saturation, background, color brightness, contrast and more. Make sure to also remove unwanted objects if there are any.
Invisible Ghost Mannequin Photography – FAQs
What Is the Cost of Ghost Mannequin Photography?
The actual cost of the ghost mannequin photography depends on quite a few factors. If you have a professional photography section, this can reduce the cost by a large margin. But if you don’t have any, you need to hire professional photographers and the ecommerce image editing services. The cost depends on the number of images and the turn around the time. It is good to come in touch with service providers like RetouchMe Ltd. to have a clear view of the pricing.
Can I Do Ghost Mannequin Photography at Home?
Yes, if you have the tools and expertise required, then why not? But going with the professional has always been the best option if you are looking for a high-quality outcome. Hope, you’ve got the points here.
Which Software Is Best for Editing Ghost Mannequin Images?
Adobe Photoshop is always the best option when it comes down to ghost mannequin image processing. As you know, performing the task requires some complex steps, only the professionals who have expertise in this field can bring you the expected outcome.
