I’m curious how others manage to do this when it’s not an internet-bought fabric. Do you have special lighting or a way to drape it? Is it best to do it in sunlight/outdoors? My photos never seem to come out as well as I hope, and often the colour is not quite what my eye sees - sometimes barely even similar.
I’ve had similar issues and have found putting the fabric on a white background gives better results. Greens and blues are still an issue
My top tips for taking good fabric photos:
Lighting
Natural light is the best - try and take your photos in daytime near a window.
Position yourself in a way that avoids casting shadows onto the fabric. Instead of holding the camera directly above the fabric, hold it back towards yourself and take a picture across the fabric.
Colour
Some fabrics (especially plain fabrics in darker colours) can be hard to photograph accurately. Place a white piece of paper or card onto the fabric and on your phone tap to focus on the white card. This can help reset the colour balance and give a more accurate representation. You can always crop out the card if you don’t want it in your picture.
Swirl
Creating a swirl is great for showing off the movement in drapey fabrics (such as viscose). Pinch the middle of the fabric between your thumb and forefinger and rotate your hand. It may take a few tries to get a swirl you’re happy with.
Pressing
If your fabric has heavy creases, it can become the focus of the photo. You don’t have to press the entire length of fabric (it will likely end up getting creased in the post anyway). Use your iron to press just the section of fabric that will appear in your photo.
Camera
Any smartphone will be able to take good quality photos, but make sure you wipe the lens! It makes such a massive difference to how well the photos turn out.
Interested to hear what other tips people have for photographing their fabrics!
My sewing room is in the basement with overhead lights. This makes photos difficult. But I got my hands on a circular light that a neighbor used for zoom calls when they were working from home. I put the fabric on a small table, point the light down at it and shoot through the middle. If the color is still off, I use the edit feature on my phone. It’s a little fiddly, but if I get it right, the magic mockup looks great.