Source photos
How to photograph clothes with a phone for AI model photos
To photograph clothes with a phone for AI model photos, lay the garment flat on a plain surface beside a window, hold the phone level above its centre with the main lens, and take a sharp, evenly lit photo of the whole piece. Glammo AI turns that photo into on-model images on fictional adult AI models, so a little care with the setup saves redoing images later. This post covers the setup; the source photo checklist covers what the finished photo should show.
Glammo AI6 min read
What do you need?
Nothing here needs buying specially, except perhaps the white card.
A phone with a clean lens
Wipe the lens with a soft cloth first. A smear from a fingertip softens every edge, and no setting can fix it afterwards.
A window with indirect daylight
Light from the side, rather than from behind you, gives the fabric shape without hard shadows.
A plain, matte surface
A pale floor, a large sheet of card or a pressed bedsheet pulled tight. Avoid glossy tiles and patterned rugs.
Something safe to stand on
A sturdy step lifts the phone high enough to fit a dress or a long coat in the frame.
A sheet of white card or foam board
Stood on the side away from the window, it bounces light back into the shadows.
A steamer and a lint roller
Steam out creases and roll off fluff before the garment goes down.
Where should the light come from?
Put the garment a step or two from a window, so the daylight falls across it from one side. Overcast days are easiest, because cloud spreads the light evenly. If direct sun lands on the garment, move it out of the patch or wait: a bright stripe of sun next to shade is more contrast than a phone can record well.
Switch off the ceiling lights. Warm bulbs mixed with daylight give part of the garment a yellow cast, and the photo you upload then carries the wrong colour. Keep the flash off too, because it flattens texture, leaves a hot spot on satin and outlines the garment with a hard shadow.
Prop the white card upright opposite the window to lift the shadows. Then photograph the whole batch at the same time of day, so the light, and the colour it gives, stays the same from the first product to the last.
If you have to work after dark, use one large daylight-balanced lamp from the side instead of the room lights, and keep it in the same place for every piece.
Which surface and height work best?
The floor is the biggest flat surface in most homes and shops. Choose one that is matte, has little pattern and contrasts with the garment: a pale floor or card for dark pieces, and a mid-tone surface for white or cream ones, so the edges stay visible. Dust and lint show most on dark fabric, so give those pieces a second pass with the roller.
Height matters more than most people expect. Stand over the garment so the phone is level and directly above its centre, and turn on the camera's grid lines to square the phone to the garment's edges. A phone tilted towards you makes the near end of the garment look wider than the far end, so a straight dress can look flared.
If a garment hangs better than it lies, hang it instead. Use a slim hanger on a plain door or wall, step back, and shoot straight on from roughly the middle of the garment rather than from above or below.
How to take the photo, step by step
- 01
Prepare the garment
Steam it, roll off any fluff, do up buttons and zips, and lay the sleeves out. Smooth it to its natural shape without stretching it.
- 02
Frame the whole piece
Use the main lens at 1×, not the ultra-wide lens or digital zoom. Fit the whole garment in the frame with a margin of surface on every side.
- 03
Steady the phone
Brace your elbows against your body and use the 3-second timer, so pressing the button doesn't shake the shot. A tripod with a sideways arm is steadier still.
- 04
Focus and take a few frames
Tap the garment to focus, lower the exposure slightly if white areas lose detail, and take three frames. Keep the sharpest.
Which camera settings should you use?
| Setting | Use | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Lens | The main lens at 1× | The ultra-wide lens, which bends edges, and digital zoom, which loses detail |
| Mode | The standard photo mode | Portrait mode, whose background blur can soften the garment's edges too |
| Flash | Off | Flash, which flattens texture and adds glare |
| Filters | None | Filters and beauty effects, which change colour |
| File format | JPG, often labelled most compatible | RAW files, and HEIC files you plan to upload from a computer |
| Resolution | The standard photo size | High-resolution modes that push files past 10 MB |
How should you save and send the files?
Glammo takes JPG, PNG and WebP photos of up to 10 MB each. Some phones save HEIC files by default, so switch the camera's format setting to JPG, or export a JPG copy before uploading from a computer.
Move photos to your computer with a cable or a cloud folder rather than a messaging app, which can shrink them. Keep the original untouched. If you edit at all, only straighten the photo and trim the margin; don't crop into the garment or change its colour.
Name each file by product, colour and view as you go, so the back and detail photos stay with the right front. Then compare each photo with the source photo checklist before you upload it. The source photo checklist
Which extra photos are worth taking?
While the garment is down, photograph anything a shopper would want to see closer: a print, a fastening, the knit or the weave. Then turn it over and photograph the back if it has a print, a seam detail or a fastening, because a front photo can't show what is behind it.
For close-ups, move the phone closer rather than zooming, and keep it parallel to the fabric. Check that the detail is sharp at full size before you pick up the next piece.
Check the colour before the garment goes back
Hold the phone next to the garment by the window and compare the two. If the screen shows a different shade, fix the light and shoot again now, while everything is still set up.
Common questions
Can I take product photos for AI model images with a phone?
Yes. A recent phone is enough when the whole garment is sharp, evenly lit by daylight and laid on a plain surface, and the file is a JPG, PNG or WebP under 10 MB.
Should a flat lay be photographed from directly above?
Yes. A flat lay photographed from directly above, with the phone level and centred, keeps the garment's proportions true. A tilted phone makes one end of the garment look wider than the other.
Is portrait mode good for clothing photos?
No. Portrait mode adds an artificial background blur that can soften the garment's edges as well. Use the standard photo mode with the main lens at 1×.
Why won't my phone photo upload to Glammo?
Glammo's upload accepts JPG, PNG and WebP files up to 10 MB. A HEIC or RAW file, or a photo from a high-resolution mode, can fall outside those limits, so save a JPG copy at the standard size and try again.
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