How to Display Clothing

I just started making clothing for my store, and seriously I am lost on how to display my clothes. I really like the clothing on the hangers realistic look but I'm not sure as to how people get the pictures up there. Do they put it in a 3D program to display them then cut them with photoshop and then put them up on a flat prim? or do they take pix on their characters (i did that with some tshirts but it looked really weird and not right - I modeled and cut the shirts out)? I seem to think that the clothing doesn't look like it's on a body but it's just hanging there. And if they do use real avatar models do they use a standard pose? ahhh! please call me a noob lol.

I can take pictures of myself posing but I always hated that. I mean it can look good if you do it right but I really prefer the realistic store look.

Any suggestions? Do you prefer the real life look or the clothes being modelled? I just don't know what to do, I've got my first outfit set and I've been sitting on it for two days because I don't want to do this wrong.

Any suggestions or help would be appreciated!

Thanks!
Anahata

I liked the hanger thing at first because it was kind of cool but now I prefer to see them worn on a model over just the hanger. What I think has the best look is a poster on the wall with views of the clothes being worn and then the individual colors sold on the hangers. But all in all I still like the model pictures best. I just get a better look at the clothes and can see how they will fit better.

I agree - I like to see pictures of the front, back and sides of the garment. I am always suspicious if I can't see any of the seams, for example - as often this is because the creator is not good at matching them, heh.

yeah i've done searches on google and alot of people don't really like the hanger thing. it doesn't really show you where the pants might end (if they are short) etc.

i still can't figure out how to present the hanger models, like if they are done on a 3d model program or if they are just taken off a live avatar and photoshopped off their bodies. if i could figure that out i might do a picture of the outfit then use the clothes on the hanger to choose colors. like what rhonda said.

do you guys know what i mean by how they got the hanger clothing example? i am not sure if i am making sense, it sounds like sense in my head! haha.

This, definitely !!!!

I have not done this before either. I do understand what you are saying tho. If I were going to try, I would start by making a solid blue skin and a simple, B-cup shape. I would then use a version of a posing stand that has the legs together. Then do a screen shot of the item and cut and past onto a hanger in photoshop.

I have wondered too how they do the hanger look...

I think of the picks of the models ads, as full page ads from a catalog... all laid out on the wall (kinda)

Anahata, I'd say that those hanger shots are made by wearing the clothes inworld, taking photos from the front on with no hair or anything in the way, etc...then exporting the shot into a graphics program (like photoshop). Then the background is completely removed, and the actual hangar added to the scene. An alpha texture of the clothes-on-hanger is then uploaded, and put on a flat prim in the shop.

I agree with the other guys here- it's not the best way to show clothes despite being a bit more shop-realistic as you say. I like your idea of just using them to show colour variations, and you could even do that on a single texture to save on prims.

Ooh...brainwave (or not, lol)...perhaps try making your avvy into a store window mannequin, as in remove the hair, use an all-over metallic/plain skin, and pose her in the clothes? Take photos from all angles, and compose them in photoshop to make a texture for your vendor. This may give people a better view of the clothing and still give your shop that realistic look.

would think the hanger look is just a photoshop texture of the clothes on a hanger as a picture - applied to a flattened prim like a disc or cylinder.
- just examine the hanger next time to see what shape the prim is. Its just going to be a texture map applied to front and back of that.

by wearing and taking the pic and removing the avatar from the pic, you end up with some parts missing that should be seen...

for example... a shirt with a low cut front, should show the back inside of the shirt when on a hanger....

are they painting that in?
If so, does it give a false impression of the item?
or is it just a back shot, that is layered behind the front shot....

never studied any in game hanger displays so not sure how they are doing it

THANK you for the advice!

Rhaorth - if you look closely at most of the hanger/clothes they are just a picture pasted on a blank square prim like Pussycat said. i haven't seen a back to the picture yet, unless they stick a back up against the front to create an illusion. if you have seen this before i'd love to know where they have it, then it will completely add to this mystery and drive me nuts! haha.

Tiffy - I love your idea. i do have a big window and don't really know what to put in it, i'm going to do that. you should become a designer of stores if you aren't already.

Thank you Rhonda for the blue idea (for the hanger clothes) that's going to make things alot easier to cut...

I do not mean a back on the pic, I mean what would be the back of the article of clothing

*shrug*

it must all be done in photoshop. most places i've seen have just used the front. people who go all out with making sure the back is showing must have mad skills and patience. heh.

then if that is the case...
it could easily be done, using a blue or green or white avatar skin (some solid, contrasting color to the clothing item)
then in photoshop edit out the avatar, leaving just the clothing, add the texture for a hanger and upload it as a png or tga with the alpha, apply to a prim, and done

I was doing it for a short while, but I decided I didn't like it and redid boxes for the things I had done that way.

I made a completely white and a completely black avatar skin (obviously the black one for white or light colored clothing), posed on a stand and took a picture, then cut out the background and the skin in PSP...uploaded the result and slapped it on a prim. It did make life a little easier because I wasn't constantly worrying about which skin and hair and shoes work best with something! But later I decided that I didn't like the hanger look so much as I thought.

I really don't like to see a shop in SL displaying clothes on hangers without any photos of the items on models. You can't see how the outfit fits on an avvie, where the hemline or neckline falls, and so forth.

The hangers are about shop style rather than selling clothes, honestly.

Let you customers see what whey are buying on an avvie and from a few angles.

As someone who spends thousands of linden a day shopping or as my RL husband calls it "Retail Therapy" I love when i see clothes on hangers. I will pass by stores if they don't look cute & welcoming. Some places have great photos and others have horrible ones. If I like a store I will buy almost everything in there! I am a shop owners dream haha

front back side on a photo without a busy background. I do not like the hanger and never did it. But I like the avatar cutouts full model wearing the item. I've seen them done very well. But they was also backed up with photos.

hi are you my twin?

seriously. i bet there have been SO many stores that probably had really great clothing, but i didn't go in them because they just didn't give me that 'feel'. i believe presentation of your goods is 50% of the selling point. i just love 'boutique' looks. and yes i have bought stuff right off a hanger and it looked sucky on me. i've done that in real life too lol. of course mannequins dont help in real life either cuz i'm not a size 0 and everything looks good on a mannequin. i guess we got that going for most of us in SL.