Optimizing your apparel products can quickly help double your sales online. You only have to learn the techniques to make your apparel products the star of the photo. Customers are more likely to buy our apparel products when it has optimized pictures of them. Today I will show you the tricks to optimize your apparel product photos for e-commerce. Let’s get in. First off, you need to start optimizing your photography studio. Further, adjust your camera settings to make it look perfect. Afterwards, you need to learn about different techniques of jewellery photography. Ultimately, you need to be perfect at the photo editing game. More on it below.
Apparel refers to any wearing element worn by an individual. Apparel photography means capturing high-quality pictures of wearable elements like clothing, accessories, and other fashion items. The elements include shirts, jackets, dresses, or jewellery like earrings, rings, or necklaces. Apparel photography is a unique form of product photography. It involves showcasing apparel most appealingly and attractively. The primary purpose of apparel photography is to attract the maximum number of customers and increase sales. The service is often taken to present the product accurately and highlight its features, design details, and appearance. These images are widely used for advertisement and promotion purposes.
How to Optimize Your Apparel Product Photos for E-commerce?
Pictures have become a marketing language worldwide. From advertisement to e-commerce, pictures can always be a beneficial aspect of your business. Optimizing apparel products for e-commerce plays a vital role in attracting customers, organizing websites, and driving more sales. Below we tried to gather some of the best tips for optimizing your product photos.
Use Your Camera
The camera is the first and most crucial element for apparel photography. With a camera, it’s possible to take pictures. But every camera has different settings and variety and is made for different photography. So choosing the right camera is crucial. First, try to take your camera or hire one. A DSLR camera can be more suitable for versatility. Ensure your camera has manual settings so you can change it according to the situation. Thus your camera must offer an excellent resolution to achieve a high-quality image. Otherwise, mirrorless cameras are also suitable.
Always Use Tripods
A tripod is a three-legged accessory. The accessory provides support and stability to your camera tripod, essential in photography. It gives you a clear image by eliminating the camera shake. Thus the stability allows more prolonged exposure, especially in low light. A tripod comes in many varieties in the market. You have to choose the right one for apparel photography. First, ensure the head design is suitable for your camera size. They see if the legs are adjustable or how much they can expand. Lastly, test the stability of the tripod.
Choosing The Right Lens Clothing Photography
A lens is an optical device attached to the camera’s front part. It captures and focuses the light into the camera’s image sensor. It is vital in determining sharpness, depth, perspective, and overall image quality. You must choose a lens for clothing photography according to some key factors. First, test the focal length, determining the field of view and perspective. The length must be between 35mm to 85mm. The macro capability allows taking fine and tiny details. Thus, price lens and zoom lens are both preferred for clothing photography. Lastly, see distortion, brand, quality, and image stabilization.
Keep ISO as Low as Possible
Photography ISO refers to the numerical value which measures the sensitivity of a camera’s image sensor to light. It is an international body that sets standards for various industries, including photography. The iso number can alter the quality of a picture. Keeping ISO as low as possible is recommended in photography. Because the increased values can result in the camera’s sensor becoming sensitive to light, faster shutter speed, and small aperture. These features can be helpful in low light but are problematic in average humidity. Lower ISO helps produce a more clean, smooth, and noise-free picture. So keep as low ISO as possible while clothing photography.
Keep the Aperture a medium
Aperture is the setting that controls the amount of light entering the camera. It directly influences the depth of field. You can choose the depth by changing the aperture value. The aperture also plays a vital role in achieving creative effects. A more significant depth of field means that more of the image, like foreground or background, will be visible. On the other hand, small depth will only focus on a small area. So medium aperture f/16 to f/18 would be suitable for small apparel like jewellery. While f/20 to f/22 would be preferable and best to capture big materials like garments. Balancing both subject and background is essential for a good picture.
Keep the Shutter Speed Slow and Steady
Shutter speed is when the camera’s shutter remains open to expose the camera’s image sensor to light. Adjusting the shutter speed and keeping it slow can suit some situations. Thus shutter speed depends on different scenery and photography. Keeping the shutter speed slow and steady would be best for apparel photography. A slow shutter speed allows more light to capture in the sensor. You can control the brightness by changing the shutter speed. Thus it is also preferable for low-light photography. If you want to take aesthetic apparel pictures in low light, the shutter speed will significantly help you. Use a tripod because a slow shutter speed may cause blurry images.
Getting The Lighting Source Right
Lighting is a very crucial aspect of every kind of photography. A good lighting setup can make you achieve an appealing image. This is vital in making your product attractive, attracting customers, and driving sales. On the other hand, a lousy lighting setup can make your good product look ugly. You can choose either natural or artificial lighting. If your budget is low, natural is preferable. Make sure to select daylight or sunlight. Keep your subject outside or near the window. If you are using artificial light, then at least keep KEY light, FILL light, and BACK light. These three lights will make a balanced lighting source and manage harsh shadows. Make sure to use a diffuser and reflector to control all-over lighting.
Clean The Clothes Perfectly Beforehand
If you are taking garment pictures, then preparing is a must. A clean garment will make your image more appealing and fresh. While stains, wrinkles, and dust can ruin your overall presentation. Even though you could have a clipping path and colour correction service to fix it, cleaning the clothes is necessary. First, find spots that are visible on the garment. Use a gentle spot removal agent and treat it in that specific area. After removing the spot, it’s time to wash. Use a good detergent and gently clean it. Make sure to use agents and washing methods according to instructions. Then use iron or steam to remove wrinkles. The steaming process makes the fabric more smooth and shiny. Lastly, use a lint roller to remove hair, pet fur, and other particles.
Use Ghost Mannequin for Photography
The ghost mannequin is also known as the invisible mannequin. A mannequin is one kind of doll in a human body form in which apparel is placed. After clicking pictures, the background is carefully removed and made into a 3D version of that product. It is a widespread technique in apparel product photography. It offers versatility, cost-cutting, and time-saving. First, choose the correct mannequin for your apparel. You will find it in every form, like the head, neck, foot, finger, or entire body. If you are taking a garment picture, take the whole body mannequin. Or if you are taking jewellery or other accessories, you can take single pieces. Now place your product on a mannequin and take pictures. Make sure to use a white background, which is easy to remove. Then take the best picture to edit. Transfer it to software like ADOBE PHOTOSHOP. After that, carefully remove the background and make it in 3D form. Make sure to do retouching and necessary elements.
Submit Photos for Post-Production
Post-processing refers to the editing of pictures. After clicking, we see many imperfections like blur, overexposure, harsh lighting, etc. Editing can remove these imperfections. Thus it enhances your picture to make your product more appealing. First, take pictures that are good enough to upload. Then keep a backup of the original photos. Then select a post-production software like ADOBE PHOTOSHOP. Adjust brightening, contrast, saturation, and hue. Then use masking to eliminate any blurry effect. Now get a color correction to remove color-related issues and add more colors.
Use White Balance To Control The Humidity
If you cannot edit independently, try to take any photo editing service from editing companies. They offer various services for product pictures. You will get lots of benefits by taking professional assistance.
Conclusion
That’s how to optimize your apparel product photos for e-commerce. Moreover, photography is one of the crucial aspects of the apparel business. It helps you in showcasing products, promoting, or organizing websites. Thus you can get many benefits by attracting customers, driving more sales, and making more money. So knowing these optimized tips for apparel product photos is a must if you own an apparel business.
Frequently Asked questions
Optimizing apparel photos for e-commerce boosts sales by attracting customers. Excellent photos show the product's features, design, and appearance, helping customers to choose the best product. Photos that optimize the buying experience, generate trust, and make your online store look professional.
Consider a DSLR or mirrorless camera with manual settings for apparel product photography. You can change the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO on these cameras. A high-resolution camera lets you capture elegant apparel and accessory details. Remember that decent cameras are essential for aesthetically appealing product photographs.
Lighting is important for apparel product photography. Position your subject near a window or shoot outdoors during daytime for natural light. A configuration with key, fill, and back lights balances artificial light and reduces shadows. Control and soften lighting with diffusers and reflectors. Proper lighting improves product colors, textures, and details, making photographs more appealing.
Optimizing apparel product images requires post-processing. Enhance photos with Adobe Photoshop after taking them. Brighten, contrast, saturation, and hue to enhance colors. Remove blurriness and undesirable parts via masking. Color correcting fixes problems and adds vibrancy. Post-processing photos makes them look professional and appealing for your e-commerce store.
