Get advice to help you create your t-shirt graphics. Discuss t-shirt design software, special effect techniques, or other topics related to creating a t-shirt design on your computer. If you'd rather hire a graphic designer to do the work for you, please post in our Referrals and Recommendations section here.
I am in the process of launching an innovative clothing brand. Our first line of apparel will be t-Shirts. I am however having a problem getting the photos of my shorts to look alove and full like those on the major online clothing stroes.. www.abercombie.com, www.gap.com etc..
Could you provide and assistance with creating the wrinkle aesthectic look and feel, as appose to haveing a flat angular rendered photo -- Do you think they are using photo effecting filter or do they arrange the shirts in this manner somehow before taking the shot
Last edited by Rodney; June 16th, 2006 at 05:45 PM.
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Hiring a talented product photographer (as opposed to the cheapest, or worse still trying to do it yourself) makes all the difference. Anyone with patience, some sense, and a good camera can take photos that are good enough to use - but if you want catalogue level shots as good as a major company, you have to hire the talent a major company would use.
(although to repeat Monkeylantern's advice - there is plenty of undiscovered talent waiting at your local photography college, just be sure to check a portfolio, as there are also a lot of people who are destined to be the latest and greatest fast food worker)
Ain't nothing to it but to do it... I just threw some shirts down on the driveway during a sunny day, then pulled the shirts out of the pictures with photoshop. I'm sure that I could pay a professional or even a college student to do it, and I'm sure that some people will notice that those product shots were taken by an amateur, but I'm not convinced that my niche market will be that critical.
They're either going to like the designs or not. Of course, my attitude may change once I have real sales data.
The technique was actaully pretty simple. You just need to build a "photo tent". This allows you to light indirectly by lighting through fabric. I just went out to a local fabric store bought 4 yards of white fabric and built a tent. You need the shirts to be in a space with only white and then you do your lighting from the outside. I chose reveal light bulbs, and put lamps around the "tent". Then I knelt on top of a bar stool to take the shots. Edited with photoshop, and voila. Let me know if you have any other questions.
~chuggy
Last edited by Rodney; June 23rd, 2006 at 01:09 PM.
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if you are already friends or acquaintances with a photographer, try suggesting a barter too. in exchange for some graphic design work, i got a ton of great pics to use.
I use to work at an isoldit on ebay store and we use to take tons of photos to put on ebay. From time to time people would bring in clothing for us to sell. What we had to get the pictures just right was basically a big piece of white paper that would hang down from the ceiling and then we would us a mankin (that gives you the depth) and we just used a regular digital camera (ours was 5 mp but the amount of mp isn't much of a concern). Then you can take the image into photo shop and adjust the lighting levels (auto adjust option works just fine most of the time) and then it would give the clothing the appearance you are talking about. Oh yea, and we used 2 lamps, one to the left and one to the right that would beam down at an angle on it, that way the wrinkles show up and the white background is easier to adjust in photoshop. Hope that helps.
I am able to get nice crisp good lit pictures of t-shirts. However what I want to be able to see is the wavy vintage look that I have seen pictures of. Is there a way to create this effect in photoshop and if so how. If not does anyone know how this is done?
I am able to get nice crisp good lit pictures of t-shirts. However what I want to be able to see is the wavy vintage look that I have seen pictures of. Is there a way to create this effect in photoshop and if so how. If not does anyone know how this is done?
I'm pretty sure it's not a photoshop effect. They are wrinkling/arranging the shirts before they photograph them. I have seen this done mostly with thin, vintage-type shirts, so if you are using thicker shirts you are not going to have the same results.
Personally I think it's a little overrated - Your customers are going to be happy with clear, sharp pictures of your shirts, wrinkles or no wrinkles. Pictures of your shirts on models are even better.
Thanks. We use models alot and i agree it works the best, however cant always take the time to find and shoot models when we need t-shirt posted quickly.
I had a feeling the shirts were lying flat and crumpled. Here is my question. If the t-shirt is shot lying down how can they flip it so that it looks as if it is standing up. Probably a simple graphic trick but have no idea how to do so.
I know that when I put my t-shirts in the dryer, with lots of other clothes, on high heat they come out really wrinkly. I dont know if that is what they are doing or not..just a thoughs.
You could try throwing a t-shirt in the dryer, with like 15 towels on really high heat, and then snap a picture right after it comes out.
Possibly...although i though drying tees actually worked out the wrinkles. I think its just a matter of taking a pic of it looking crinkled flat and then somehow flipping it so it looks as if its standing up. Thats the part i cant figure out how to do.
Web Site Photos with wrinkled look? 
I just threw some shirts down on the driveway during a sunny day, then pulled the shirts out of the pictures with photoshop. I'm sure that I could pay a professional or even a college student to do it, and I'm sure that some people will notice that those product shots were taken by an amateur, but I'm not convinced that my niche market will be that critical. 
