# How to take a reference photo for virtual try-on Canonical: http://localhost:3000/guides/reference-photo-for-virtual-try-on Updated: 2026-09-24 > Outfello renders garments onto one full-body reference photo for virtual try-on, so that photo sets the quality of every render. A good one shows you facing the camera, head to feet, in fitted neutral clothes against a plain background. It takes about ten minutes to shoot with a phone and a helper or a timer. Virtual try-on tools work by redrawing a garment onto a photo of you, which means the quality of every render depends heavily on one picture: your reference photo. A good reference photo for virtual try-on is not a flattering portrait. It is closer to a clear, evenly lit record of your body shape, facing forward, with nothing hidden or distorted. This guide walks through taking that photo with an ordinary phone, step by step, and explains why each detail matters. It takes about ten minutes, and it is worth doing properly once rather than living with odd-looking renders. ## Why the reference photo for virtual try-on matters An AI try-on model has to work out where your shoulders, waist, hips and legs are, how your body is angled, and how the light falls, and then draw a garment that fits all of that. Everything it cannot see clearly, it has to guess. [How AI virtual try-on works](http://localhost:3000/guides/how-ai-virtual-try-on-works) explains the process in more depth, but the practical upshot is simple: - **Hidden body parts get invented.** If your feet are cropped, the model has to imagine how trousers fall to the floor. - **Strange angles get copied.** A tilted mirror selfie produces tilted, stretched garments. - **Busy clothes leak through.** A bold print or a bulky hoodie under the render can distort the shape or colour of what is drawn on top. - **Uneven light becomes uneven garments.** A dark shadow down one side of your body will darken one side of every piece. In [Outfello's virtual try-on](http://localhost:3000/use-cases/virtual-try-on), you add one full-body reference photo, facing the camera with your head and feet in frame, and any piece or saved outfit can then be rendered onto it on request. Each render uses one try-on from your plan's monthly allowance (the numbers are on the [pricing page](http://localhost:3000/pricing)), so a good reference photo also means fewer wasted renders. ## Step 1: choose a plain background and even light Find a plain wall, ideally white, cream or light grey, with nothing on it. A door, a wardrobe front or a tidy corner can also work. Avoid mirrors, posters, busy wallpaper and furniture that sits directly behind you. For light, daylight is best. Stand facing a window, or with a window to one side, but out of direct sun. Soft, even light from the front shows your shape without deep shadows. Turn off warm ceiling lights, which mix badly with daylight and give your skin and clothes a yellow cast. Watch out for two common problems: - **Backlight.** A bright window behind you turns you into a silhouette. - **Overhead-only light.** A single ceiling bulb creates shadows under your chin and on your legs. ## Step 2: wear fitted, neutral clothes What you wear in the reference photo sits underneath every render, so choose it deliberately. - **Fitted, not baggy.** A close-fitting T-shirt or vest and slim trousers, leggings or cycling shorts show your actual shape. Oversized hoodies and wide trousers hide it. - **Neutral and plain.** Mid-grey, beige, black or white with no print, logo or stripes. Bold colours and patterns can bleed into rendered garments. - **Simple shoes or bare feet.** Plain trainers or bare feet give a clear base for rendering footwear. Avoid chunky boots that change your stance. - **Nothing extra.** Take off bags, scarves, belts, large watches and chunky jewellery. Tie back long hair if it falls over your shoulders and chest. The aim is a clean base layer, not an outfit. You are photographing your shape, not your style. ## Step 3: set the camera at chest height Camera height changes your proportions more than most people realise. A phone held high makes legs look shorter; a phone held low makes them look longer and your head smaller. Place the phone at roughly chest or waist height, level and pointing straight at you. A small tripod is ideal, but a shelf, a chair with a stack of books, or a helper standing still all work. Use portrait orientation. Stand about two to three metres from the camera. Too close, and a phone's wide lens distorts your body, making whatever is nearest the camera look larger. Further back, with the whole body in frame, the proportions look natural. **Avoid the mirror selfie if you can.** A mirror selfie puts the phone in front of your body, hides part of your torso and arm behind it, and usually tilts the angle downwards. If a mirror is your only option, hold the phone at chest height and away from your body, keep it vertical, and use a full-length mirror that is not leaning against the wall, since a tilted mirror stretches your legs. ## Step 4: frame yourself head to feet Your whole body must be in the photo, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet, with a little space above and below. This is the single most common reason a reference photo does not work: the feet are cut off. Check the framing before you take the shot: - A small gap above your head and below your feet. - Your body roughly in the centre, left to right. - Your body filling most of the height of the frame, not a small figure in a large room. - No part of you, such as an elbow or a hand, cut off at the side. If you use a timer, take a test shot first and adjust the phone or your position. ## Step 5: stand facing the camera Face the camera square on, with your shoulders and hips pointing straight at the lens. Try-on models expect a front-facing body; a three-quarter turn means garments have to be drawn at an angle, which is harder to get right. - **Feet** about hip-width apart, weight on both legs. - **Arms** relaxed and held slightly away from your sides, so there is a small gap between arm and waist. This lets sleeves and the sides of tops be drawn cleanly. - **Hands** open and relaxed, not in pockets or on hips. - **Head** level, looking straight at the camera, with a neutral or relaxed expression. - **Posture** upright but natural. Standing unusually straight or sucking in will show in every render. ## Step 6: take several shots and pick the sharpest Use the phone's timer (three or ten seconds) or ask someone to press the shutter. Take five or six shots, adjusting slightly between them. Then review them on a larger screen if you can, and zoom in. Pick the one that is: - Sharp, with no motion blur on your hands or feet. - Evenly lit, without a dark side or bright hotspots. - Complete, with head and feet in frame. - Natural, with a relaxed pose and straight-on angle. Do not apply filters, beauty modes or heavy editing. Smoothing and reshaping tools change the proportions the try-on model relies on. Cropping to tidy the edges is fine, as long as you leave space above your head and below your feet. ## If renders still look wrong If rendered garments come out stretched, cropped or oddly coloured, the reference photo is usually the first place to look: - **Garments stop above the ankle or float:** the feet were cut off or hidden. - **Everything looks slightly warped:** the camera was too close or too high. - **Colours look off:** mixed or warm lighting, or a strongly coloured base layer. - **Sleeves merge with the torso:** arms were pressed against the body. Retaking the photo usually fixes all four. The same principles, good light, a plain contrasting background and nothing cropped, also make the garment cut-outs themselves cleaner; [how to photograph clothes for clean cut-outs](http://localhost:3000/guides/photograph-clothes-for-cutouts) covers that side. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I use a mirror selfie as my try-on reference photo? It can work, but a photo taken by someone else or on a timer is usually better. Mirror selfies put the phone in front of your body, tilt the perspective and often cut off the feet. ### What should I wear in my reference photo? Fitted, plain clothes in a neutral colour, such as a close-fitting T-shirt and slim trousers or leggings. Baggy layers hide your shape, and bold prints can bleed into the rendered garment. ### Should I smile or pose in the photo? Pose naturally with a relaxed expression, standing straight with arms slightly away from your body. Dramatic poses, crossed arms and hands in pockets make it harder to render garments convincingly. ### Can I change my reference photo later? In most try-on tools, yes. If renders look off, retaking the reference photo with better light and framing is usually the quickest fix.