Retouching Essentials for On-Body Product Photography

Photographing your products alongside a model can significantly enhance how they are presented. Whether you’re using a living model or a mannequin, this form of product photography can offer your clients a realistic view of how the product appears “in real life.”

This is crucial, especially for eCommerce brands that are selling fashion or apparel items. Customers want to see how the item looks on a person before they make a purchase. And since online shopping cannot mimic the experience customers have with in-store, eCommerce retailers need to get creative.

This is where shooting with a model or mannequin comes into play. Unlike what most people think, shooting with a model doesn’t only apply to lifestyle images. You can also use model shots on your main product pages. However, for those who don’t have a budget, getting a mannequin is the next best thing. And to make things less “awkward” or more human, the ghost mannequin technique is often used to make the mannequin appear “invisible.”

Either way, the whole idea behind on-body product photography is to make the products look as natural as possible. This can be achieved by using various techniques in your post-processing workflow.

In this guide, we will discuss the basics of on-body product photography and some essential retouching techniques to help you make your images look more polished. We’ll also share some insights from our product photo retouching experts on how to make your images consistent with the rest of your product catalog.

In this guide:

• What is Photo Retouching?
• Essential Photo Retouching Techniques for On-Body Product Images
  
  • Garment Photo Retouching
  • Model Photo Retouching
• Photo Retouching Services from Pixel by Hand

What is Photo Retouching?

Photo retouching is the process of perfecting an image by color and tone correction, blemishes and under-eye circles removal, and altering brightness, contrast, and saturation. Many final images that you see in magazines and on billboards have gone through some form of retouching.

Nowadays, with the help of digital editing software like Photoshop, anyone can do some retouching. However, it takes a steady hand, an eye for detail, and practice to create flawless results.

For eCommerce product photos, a certain level of retouching is necessary to make the products look their best, especially if you’re working with fashion items that are shot with a model. These images have a lot of imperfections, and some are not obvious at first glance. But if you’re a customer and you zoom in to see the shirt’s details or fabric quality, it can be a deal breaker.

For example, when you shoot with a model, there’s a chance that her hair will get in the way or that her shirt will ride up and show her belly button. These are things that you cannot control when shooting but can be easily fixed in post.

The same goes for mannequin shots. There will be times when the clothes don’t lay flat on the mannequin, or there are wrinkles that need to be ironed out. These types of imperfections can make or break a sale, so it’s important to take care of them during the retouching process.

Essential Photo Retouching Techniques for On-Body Product Images

Photo retouching for on-body product images can be divided into two stages: garment and model.

Garment Photo Retouching

As the name suggests, garment photo retouching is all about making the clothes look their best. This includes removing wrinkles, increasing contrast and color saturation, and adding a bit of sharpness.

The goal is to make the garments look clean, crisp, and well-ironed. Keep in mind that customers cannot physically touch or feel the fabric, so these images need to convey the quality of the materials as best as possible.

Here are some essential garment photo retouching techniques that you should keep in mind:

1. Remove wrinkles and creases

The first step is to remove any wrinkles or creases on the clothing. This can be done with the clone stamp tool or the healing brush tool in Photoshop.

Start by zooming in on the area that you want to fix. Then, select the clone stamp tool and set the brush size to a small diameter. Next, alt-click (option-click on a Mac) an area of the garment that is free of wrinkles.

Release the alt key (option key on a Mac) and click-and-drag the clone stamp tool over the wrinkles. The goal is to cover them with texture from the surrounding area. Be careful not to go overboard, as this can lead to a patchy result.

2. Increase contrast and color saturation

The next step is to increase the contrast and color saturation of the garments. This will make the clothes pop and look more vibrant in the final image.

To do this, go to Image > Adjustments > Levels in Photoshop. In the Levels dialog box, drag the black slider to the right until it’s about halfway between the white and gray sliders. Then, do the same with the white slider.

Next, go to Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation. In the Hue/Saturation dialog box, increase the saturation to +30. This will make the colors pop without looking artificial.

3. Add a bit of sharpness

Adding sharpness will help the details stand out and make the garments look crisper. This is important for close-up shots of fabric texture or intricate details like buttons.

To sharpen an image, go to Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask in Photoshop. In the Unsharp Mask dialog box, increase the Amount to between 150 and 200 percent. Then, increase the Radius to 1 pixel and leave the Threshold at 0 levels.

4. Highlight the details

Highlighting the details of the garments can be done by lightening the shadows and darkening the highlights. Highlighting is important for fashion photography as it helps enhance the textures and materials of the clothing.

To do this, go to Image > Adjustments > Shadows/Highlights. In the Shadows/Highlights in the dialog box, set the Shadows Amount to 30% and the Highlights Amount to -30%. Then, click OK.

5. Remove dust and lint

Dust and lint are inevitable when shooting on-body product images. This makes the garment look unattractive and dirty—which is the last thing you want customers to think about when they see your product. But don’t worry, they’re easy to remove in post-production.

To remove dust and lint, start by Duplicating the Background layer (Layer > Duplicate Layer). Then, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. In the Gaussian Blur dialog box, set the Radius to 5 pixels and click OK.

Next, go to Image > Adjustments > Invert. This will invert the colors of the Duplicate Background layer, making the dust and lint stand out against the garment.

Now all you have to do is use the clone stamp tool or the healing brush tool to remove the dust and lint from the image.

6. Improve shape and symmetry

Last, improve the shape and symmetry of the garments. This is especially important for items like dresses, skirts, and pants as you want to highlight the well-tailored silhouette.

To do this, select the Liquify tool in Photoshop. In the Liquify dialog box, set the Brush Size to a small diameter and the Pressure to 100%. Then, start click-and-dragging around the areas that you want to adjust.

For example, you can use the Liquify tool to straighten out a crooked hemline or widen the waist of a pair of pants. Just be careful not to overdo it, as this can lead to an unnatural-looking result.

Model Photo Retouching

In model photo retouching, editors focus on improving the model’s appearance. This can be anything from perfecting their skin to adjusting their body proportions.

Model photo retouching is a bit more complex than product photo retouching and requires a higher skill level. As such, we recommend working with a professional retoucher if you’re not confident in your abilities.

1. Perfect the skin

The first step in model photo retouching is to perfect the skin. This means removing blemishes, smoothing out wrinkles, and evening out the skin tone.

To do this, start by Duplicating the Background layer (Layer > Duplicate Layer). Then, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. In the Gaussian Blur dialog box, set the Radius to 5 pixels and click OK.

Next, go to Image > Adjustments > Levels. In the Levels dialog box, drag the left and right sliders inwards until they’re about halfway between the outermost edges of the histogram. This will increase the image’s contrast and make the blemishes stand out more.

Now all you have to do is use the clone stamp tool or the healing brush tool to remove the blemishes from the skin. Once you’re finished, go to Image > Adjustments > Invert to invert the colors of the Duplicate Background layer.

Finally, use the dodge and burn tools to even out the skin tone. The dodge tool will lighten areas of the image, while the burn tool will darken them.

2. Adjust body proportions

The next step in model photo retouching is to adjust the body proportions. This can be anything from lengthening the legs to slimming down the waist.

To do this, start by Duplicating the Background layer (Layer > Duplicate Layer). Then, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. In the Gaussian Blur dialog box, set the Radius to 5 pixels and click OK.

Next, go to Image > Adjustments > Invert. This will invert the colors of the Duplicate Background layer, making the areas you want to adjust stand out more.

Now all you have to do is use the Liquify tool to make the desired adjustments. For example, you can use the Liquify tool to lengthen the legs or slim down the waist. Just be careful not to overdo it, as this can lead to an unnatural-looking result.

3. Improve posture

The last step in model photo retouching is to improve the posture. This means straightening out any crooked lines and making the model look more confident.

To do this, start by Duplicating the Background layer (Layer > Duplicate Layer). Then, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. In the Gaussian Blur dialog box, set the Radius to 5 pixels and click OK.

Next, go to Image > Adjustments > Levels. In the Levels dialog box, drag the left and right sliders inwards until they’re about halfway between the outermost edges of the histogram. This will increase the image’s contrast and make the crooked lines stand out more.

Now all you have to do is use the Liquify tool to straighten out crooked lines. For example, you can use the Liquify tool to straighten out a Crooked hemline or widen the waist of a pair of pants. Just be careful not to overdo it, as this can lead to an unnatural-looking result.

4. Add finishing touches

Once you’re happy with the model’s appearance, it’s time to add some finishing touches. This can be anything from adding a bit of color to the lips to increasing the hair’s shine.

To do this, start by Duplicating the Background layer (Layer > Duplicate Layer). Then, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. In the Gaussian Blur dialog box, set the Radius to 5 pixels and click OK.

Next, go to Image > Adjustments > Levels. In the Levels dialog box, drag the left and right sliders inwards until they’re about halfway between the outermost edges of the histogram. This will increase the image’s contrast and make the finishing touches stand out more.

Now all you have to do is use the clone stamp tool or the healing brush tool to add the finishing touches.

Photo Retouching Services from Pixel by Hand