apparel-product-photographylisted

# Apparel Product Photography Apparel has the highest return rate in ecommerce, and imagery drives most of it. A customer returns a garment because it didn't look like the photo — the colour was off, the fit read differently, the fabric looked heavier. That makes accuracy the priority over aesthetics in a way it isn't for most categories. ## The four apparel shot types | Type | What it is | Use for | |---|---|---| | **Ghost mannequin** | Garment holding its shape, form invisible | **Main listing image.** Marketplace-compliant | | **Flat lay** | Garment laid flat, shot from above | Detail, styling, social | | **On-model** | Worn by a person | Fit, drape, scale, desire | | **Detail macro** | Fabric, stitching, hardware, label | Quality signals | **Ghost mannequin is usually the compliant main image.** Several marketplaces prohibit a visible mannequin or hanger in the main apparel image, and ghost mannequin is the standard answer — the garment keeps its three-dimensional shape with no visible support. ## Ghost mannequin ``` 1. Photograph on a mannequin or form 2. remove_background 2 credits → isolate the garment 3. edit_image inpainting → remove visible form at the neckline and openings 4. Composite on 255,255,255 white → in an editor 5. Add a consistent soft contact shadow ``` The inpainting step is where it's won or lost. The neckline, cuffs and hem openings need to show the inside of the g