COMPARISON

Photographing clothes without a model: 5 ways compared.

Hanger, flat lay, ghost mannequin, model or AI try-on image. Cost, effort and effect side by side.

kiki editorial team · Updated 25 October 2026 · 3 min read

We are kiki, so we are not neutral. That’s why the criteria are out in the open.

In short

The hanger is the cheapest, a model the most real. A ghost mannequin looks professional but needs a dummy and retouching. AI try-on images show the item worn, without a model and with little effort. Whichever way you choose: real photos of the item always belong in the listing.

Comparison	Hanger	Flat lay	Ghost mannequin	Model (another person)	kiki
Cost per item	Free	Free	Buy a dummy, plus image editing	Free to expensive	First try-on free, then packs or a subscription
Effort per item	Low: hang it up, photograph it	Medium: lay it smooth, shoot from above	High: dummy, several photos, retouching	High: appointment, changing, lighting	Low: one photo on the hanger
Shows fit and length	No	No	Partly	Yes	Yes
Equipment	Hanger	Floor, light	Dummy, software	Person, light	Phone
Looks worn	No	No	Half	Yes	Yes, AI-generated
Privacy	Yes	Yes	Yes	Only with the person’s consent, face out of frame	Yes, never with a face
Good for	Quick, cheap	T-shirts, children’s clothes	Shops	Expensive one-off pieces	Anything with a cut

Effort describes the steps involved, not a measured time. We don’t recommend photos of yourself: in its photo tips, Vinted says it’s a good idea to avoid showing your face (point 8).

What does research say about worn product photos?

Researchers at eBay Research analysed search sessions for “black dress” on a large online marketplace from 2012: dresses shown on a person were added to watch lists and bought more often than those photographed flat or on a dummy (Di et al., arXiv, June 2014).

A study with two experiments (169 and 156 participants) found that shoppers are more likely to choose the product image that lets them imagine the item on their own body. The authors recommend dummy images for overview pages and images on a person for the product page (Bagatini et al., Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, May 2023).

Numbers to quote

With source and date, free to quote.

47.9%

of the clicked dresses shown on a person were bought. Photographed flat: 41.9%, on a dummy: 42.5%.Di et al., eBay Research Labs, arXiv:1406.3561, June 2014 (data from 2012)

2.73

watch-list additions on average for casual sellers with a photo on a person. Photographed flat: 1.48.Di et al., eBay Research Labs, arXiv:1406.3561, June 2014 (data from 2012)

Glossary

Worn image: A photo showing a garment worn on the body.
AI try-on image: A worn image generated with artificial intelligence from a real photo of the item. It should be labelled as such.
Ghost mannequin: A photo on a dummy that is then retouched out. The item looks as if it holds its shape by itself.
Flat lay: Clothes photographed flat from above, usually on the floor, a table or a bed.
Cover photo: The first photo of a listing. It’s the photo buyers see first while scrolling.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest way to photograph clothes?

A hanger in front of a light wall. It costs nothing, but doesn’t show how the item fits.

Are AI try-on images allowed?

Vinted’s catalogue rules don’t mention AI. Vinted told the German magazine ÖKO-TEST that AI is not banned per se, as long as the item is shown accurately. Our recommendation: real photos of the item right behind the AI image, AI images labelled.

Is a ghost mannequin worth it?

For shops with many identical items, yes. For single second-hand items the effort is usually too high.