Product Photos: Obtaining that Elusive "Ghost Mannequin" Look

[jsinger]

I take some of my own photos and have wondered how sites show products that seem to float in air.

"How the Heck Do They Do THAT!?!"

http://www.getelastic.com/product-photography-how-to-achieve-the-ghost-mannequin-effect/

I always figured there was some simple trick that only the pros know. But apparently not.

[edited by: lorax at 6:19 pm (utc) on Dec. 22, 2009]
[edit reason] delinked [/edit]

[techtheatre]

well...the link you provided does explain various techniques... I think i would try to find a very thin clear-plastic mannequin torso and see if i could get a clear photo through it (with proper lighting this might be achievable). Ultimately i think your link makes it clear that Photoshop is unavoidable, at least at some level.

[mellowmayhem]

I doubt there was a clear mannequin, as there would inevitably be some distortion in the inside of the shirt. I assume first it is deleting the mannequin in photoshop, then merging another photo. But I could be wrong.

Either way, it is a lot of work for a product photo. If you really really want to do that, I you could outsource the work to someone in Asia. I used to use a girl in the Philippines for similar work. I've since trained my staff to do it. But I do believe she does the mannequin look as her full time job for a clothing website. PM me if you would like to get in touch with her.

[MrHard]

It's all photoshop. Simply use a photo editor to paint the background white, or create a mask of the clothes and superimpose it on a white background or curve it out.