Mannequin Advice/ Website Photography - Freelance UK Forums

mock-turtle · 02-12-2008, 02:09 PM

I've come up against a photography problem that I haven't been able to find any help on whatsoever, and I was hoping maybe you could give me some advice.

I am working with a Northern Irish based fashion firm, photographing their clothes and putting them up on a website which is currently being designed. Well, obviously we can't afford to hire models for every item of clothing so I will be using mannequins for the majority of the clothes. I like how Topshop and New Look photograph their clothes. This is where I am stumped.

Topshop - Womens Clothing - Womens Fashion - Topshop
www.newlook.co.uk

If you look at these links you'll notice that the images of these the plunging neckline is completely cut out, just leaving the item of clothing filled out the way it should be. Can anyone advise me as to what bust/mannequin I would need to achieve this effect? Could it be some sort of cleverly designed wire frame? Or is it a green screen effect?

MickeyFinn · 02-12-2008, 02:27 PM

Looking at a few of the examples I reckon the mannequin is being chopped out. Looking at some of the tops you can see no back to the item even if there is a lower front if you see what I mean.

An ideal solution could be to get a mannequin and a background with a strong colour. Take the photo then in Photoshop make a clear layer below the image layer so you have a transparent background. On the photo layer click the Select main menu item and choose "Color range" and click the mannequin colour on the photo. It should select just this colour, use the sensitivity slider to get the best selection and the just cut it out. Do the same with the background. It is not the quickest but compared to hand tracing each item and mannequin area it would potentially save a lot of time.

andrew748 · 02-12-2008, 02:28 PM

if this is what you mean:

http://www.topshop.com/wcsstore/TopS...SRED_large.jpg

then i guess it's a standard mannequin that has been photo shopped out.

use a black mannequin and a white one so you have maximum contrast to your clothes and you will need pins, lots of pins to achieve the shaping.

02-12-2008, 02:09 PM	#1 (permalink)
mock-turtle New Poster Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 1	Mannequin Advice/ Website Photography I've come up against a photography problem that I haven't been able to find any help on whatsoever, and I was hoping maybe you could give me some advice. I am working with a Northern Irish based fashion firm, photographing their clothes and putting them up on a website which is currently being designed. Well, obviously we can't afford to hire models for every item of clothing so I will be using mannequins for the majority of the clothes. I like how Topshop and New Look photograph their clothes. This is where I am stumped. Topshop - Womens Clothing - Womens Fashion - Topshop www.newlook.co.uk If you look at these links you'll notice that the images of these the plunging neckline is completely cut out, just leaving the item of clothing filled out the way it should be. Can anyone advise me as to what bust/mannequin I would need to achieve this effect? Could it be some sort of cleverly designed wire frame? Or is it a green screen effect?

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02-12-2008, 02:27 PM	#2 (permalink)
MickeyFinn Administrator Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 290	Looking at a few of the examples I reckon the mannequin is being chopped out. Looking at some of the tops you can see no back to the item even if there is a lower front if you see what I mean. An ideal solution could be to get a mannequin and a background with a strong colour. Take the photo then in Photoshop make a clear layer below the image layer so you have a transparent background. On the photo layer click the Select main menu item and choose "Color range" and click the mannequin colour on the photo. It should select just this colour, use the sensitivity slider to get the best selection and the just cut it out. Do the same with the background. It is not the quickest but compared to hand tracing each item and mannequin area it would potentially save a lot of time.

02-12-2008, 02:28 PM	#3 (permalink)
andrew748 Regular Poster Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 13	if this is what you mean: http://www.topshop.com/wcsstore/TopS...SRED_large.jpg then i guess it's a standard mannequin that has been photo shopped out. use a black mannequin and a white one so you have maximum contrast to your clothes and you will need pins, lots of pins to achieve the shaping.