Ghost Mannequin Photography in Shanghai — 9 to 11 Finished Images per Garment
Invisible-mannequin apparel photography on pure white, shot and retouched in our own Shanghai studio. Three main angles plus the detail shots the piece needs — 9 to 11 finished images per garment, delivered as retouched JPEG and transparent PNG. Your first garment is shot and retouched free of charge.
We are a commercial studio in Shanghai. We have been shooting here since 2002 and quoting overseas buyers in US dollars since 2016 — importers, trading companies, sourcing agents, marketplace sellers and apparel brands in Europe, North America and Australia. Ghost mannequin is not a side service here: it is daily production, around thirty garments a day through the shooting line with a dedicated two-person retouching line behind it. Your samples are already in China, which is why our turnaround is measured in days rather than weeks.
Ghost mannequin photography costs US$45 per garment for a complete set of 9 to 11 finished images — see the full published price list for volume rates, two-piece outfits and extra colourways.
On this page
About the brand marks in these photographs
Every image on this page is our own work, shot in this studio. Where a garment carried a client’s label or chest logo we have removed it. Our contract lets us show a few frames in our own portfolio after a product has been publicly launched, non-commercially and with the branding and any identifying detail taken out — that is the basis for everything on this page. Nothing else about these files has been changed.
That cuts both ways, and it is the point: your samples get the same treatment. Before your launch the shoot does not appear on our website, in a pitch deck or in a reference link at all, and we will sign your NDA before the sample ships. After your launch we may show a few de-identified frames exactly as above — and if you would rather we showed nothing, tell us in writing and we won’t. It is one line in the order confirmation and it costs you nothing.
One garment, end to end
This is a teal silk satin slip dress with an ivory corded lace hem. It is one garment, so it is one charge, and nine to eleven finished images came back. Four of them are below — the front, the back, a second front angle and the lace.
One dress. Shot and retouched in a single pass; every frame was photographed under the same light within the same hour, which is why the teal is the same teal across the set.
We lead with this piece because it is the worst case for the technique. Silk satin reflects the light source instead of scattering it, so the highlight wants to blow out to pure white and take the colour with it — and a slip dress has no collar, no lining and no internal structure to build a shape around, so every bit of the silhouette has to be filled and supported from the inside and then retouched out. If the teal goes grey in the highlight, or the bias drape goes stiff, or the shoulder caves, there is nowhere to hide it.
What you receive, per garment
| Deliverable | Included as standard |
|---|---|
| Main angles | Front, 45° side and back — three images |
| Detail shots | As many as the piece needs, no extra charge — normally six to eight. Collar, trim, hardware, lining, print, stitch — whatever that piece is actually selling on |
| Retouching | Collar and waist composite, colour matched to the physical sample, thread and dust removed, two rounds of revisions |
| File formats | Retouched JPEG in sRGB and transparent-background PNG — both |
| Specification | Pure white RGB 255,255,255, 2,000 px on the longest edge, under 10 MB — ready for Amazon, Shopify, Zalando and Tmall |
| Crops | 1:1, 4:5, 16:9 and 9:16 on request, no extra charge |
We do not price per image and we do not bill detail shots separately. A garment is a garment.
Four more complete sets, grouped by the problem the fabric creates
These are complete sets from recent orders rather than single best shots. Each heading names the thing that actually makes the garment difficult, because that is what you are buying — anybody can photograph a stiff cotton shirt.
Two layers worn as one — and white on white
A pinafore over a tee is two garments in one silhouette. Each needs its own path and its own interior fill, and the white cotton-jersey tee has to stay separate from the white background at the same time. Plain knit is the highest-volume apparel class there is and the hardest invisible-mannequin subject: unsupported it reads like a sandbag, so it is filled from the inside, not pinned from behind.
Washed denim — texture that must survive the retouch
The wash is the product. Over-clean the file and you have sold a plain blue dress.
Swimwear — print placement and seam alignment
On cut-and-sew swim the buyer is checking whether the print lines up across the seam. The photograph has to let him.
Styled with an accessory
A shirt and a knit scarf, shot as one look. Styling on an invisible mannequin has to hold its shape without a body inside it.
The hard ones, one piece at a time
Five single garments, each one standing in for a category a buyer usually asks us to prove before sending a season’s worth of samples.
Size and colour make no difference to the price
A garment is one physical piece: any size, any colour, top or bottom. The smallest and the largest piece in your range go through identical steps, so each one is a garment. Extra colourways of a style you have already shot are cheaper, because we reuse the paths and the lighting — the price list has the numbers.
Fabric evidence — included, no extra charge
No importer can judge a knit from a flat photograph of it. Weight, hand, stretch and recovery are what the reorder decision turns on, and none of them show up in a front view on white. So we shoot them as part of the set.
Hand-held stretch frames, folded stacks for gauge and yarn comparison, and styled texture still lifes are part of the per-garment price. Some studios bill a hand model as an add-on. We do not, and we would rather say so on the page than have you discover it on an invoice.
Categories we shoot as routine
Every category below is represented by a real photograph on this page. A category list where each word has an image behind it is a different claim from “we shoot everything”.
| Category | What makes it awkward | On this page |
|---|---|---|
| Outerwear — shells, softshell, hooded jackets | Hoods, linings, near-white on white | The softshell with the hood held open |
| Down — jackets and vests | Gloss, baffles, black that must stay black | The ski jacket and the vest |
| Cotton jersey — tees, hoodies, uniforms | Soft, collapses, no internal structure | The pinafore set, the merino polo |
| Knitwear — merino, rib, cashmere, scarves | Gauge has to stay countable | The merino polo, the scarf detail, the fabric stack |
| Silk, satin and denim | Specular highlight; wash texture | The slip dress, the denim set |
| Swimwear and childrenswear | Print alignment; small parts, same steps | The swim shorts set |
Unstructured, very soft or very sheer pieces — fine knits, slip silks, chiffons — need far more shape work, so we quote those on sight rather than guess. If you are not sure your category fits, send one piece: the first one is free.
Flat lay, if that is what your listing needs
Ghost mannequin is not always the right answer. Knitwear, accessories and full outfit sets often sell better laid flat, and flat lay is faster — forty to fifty pieces a day rather than thirty. We also fill and prop garments while they lie flat, which gets you most of the three-dimensional look at the flat lay price; for a big range on a fixed budget that is often the honest recommendation. Flat lay is priced separately and has its own page with its own samples.
How it works
| Step | What happens | How long |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Send one garment | Shipping anywhere in China is on us. We shoot and retouch the complete set and send you the files — no watermark, nothing held back, no obligation. Stills only, once, for a new client. | 2–3 working days from arrival |
| 2. Tell us the season | Roughly how many styles are coming, and which marketplaces they are going to. We tell you honestly whether we can absorb the volume. | Same day |
| 3. Ship the batch | Samples go to the studio with your style list. We confirm the shot list in writing before anything is photographed. | 1 working day to confirm |
| 4. Shoot and retouch | Thirty garments a day through the line. Collar and waist composite, colour matched to the physical sample, thread and dust removed. | Ten garments in 24 hours, retouching included |
| 5. Review | Two rounds of revisions on anything you flag, included. | Same working day on a flagged file |
| 6. Samples back | We hold them at the studio for your next drop at no charge, or return them at your cost. | Your call |
Ghost mannequin FAQ
What is ghost mannequin photography?
Ghost mannequin photography — also called invisible mannequin or hollow man photography — shows a garment holding its own three-dimensional shape with no visible model or mannequin inside it. The garment is photographed on a mannequin, then photographed again with the mannequin exposed at the collar, cuffs and hem, and the frames are composited so the inside of the collar is visible through the neck opening. The result shows fit and construction the way a flat lay cannot, without the cost or the model release of an on-model shoot.
How much does ghost mannequin photography cost?
US$45 per garment for a complete set of 9 to 11 finished images: three main angles plus the detail shots the piece needs. Under ten garments it is US$68 each, and from fifty garments it is US$38 each. There is no charge per image and no surcharge for detail shots. Our full price list is published, in US dollars, with no enquiry gate.
How many images do I get, and which angles?
Three main angles as standard — front, 45 degree side and back — plus the detail shots the piece needs of whatever the piece is actually selling on: the collar construction, the trim, the hardware, the lining, the print, the stitch. That is normally 9 to 11 finished files per garment. Extra main angles such as a flat back or an inside-out view are itemised on the quote.
What file formats do you deliver, and are they ready for Amazon?
Every garment is delivered as a retouched JPEG in sRGB and as a transparent-background PNG, both included. Background is pure white, RGB 255,255,255, at 2,000 pixels on the longest edge and under 10 MB, which meets the Amazon main-image requirement and uploads directly to Shopify, Zalando and Tmall. We will also supply 1:1, 4:5, 16:9 and 9:16 crops on request at no extra charge.
My fabric is very soft and will not hold a shape. Can you still do it?
Usually yes, and this is the part that separates studios. Soft cotton jersey, fine knits and unlined pieces are filled and supported from the inside rather than pinned from behind, then the support is retouched out. Very sheer fabrics and slip silks need significantly more shape work, so we quote those on sight rather than guess. The honest answer for your specific piece is to send it: the first garment is free.
How do my samples get to the studio, and what happens to them afterwards?
Most of our clients are already manufacturing in China, so samples usually come by domestic courier from the factory and arrive in a day or two. Sample shipping anywhere in China is on us — your factory ships to the studio and we pay the freight, whether it is one piece or a full season. Only freight from outside China is at your cost. Afterwards we hold the samples at the studio for your next drop at no charge, or return them at your cost. Unreleased product never appears in our portfolio without your written permission, and we will sign your NDA before the sample ships.
How long does it take?
Ten garments, photographed and fully retouched, in 24 hours. A larger batch runs at about thirty garments a day through the shooting line. The clock starts when the samples are in the studio and the shot list is confirmed, which we do in writing before anything is photographed.
Send one garment. The first one is free.
One physical piece, any category. We shoot and retouch the complete set — three main angles and the detail shots the piece needs — and send you the finished files with nothing held back and no obligation to order. Tell us what you are importing and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right studio for it.
See every published price · Twenty questions overseas buyers ask us