How to replace fashion photoshoots with AI virtual models

Creating great fashion product photos shouldn't require a photoshoot worthy of Vogue. But for a long time, that’s exactly how many smaller fashion shops felt. There was pressure to hire models, book studios, and edit images to perfection—all with the end goal of showcasing products in the best possible light for shoppers. 

The need to showcase products well still exists, but the means to get there have radically changed. Enter AI virtual models, a faster, less expensive, and more scalable solution to modern fashion photography. 

Below, we’ll break down why old-school fashion shoots are holding small and solo fashion sellers back, and how AI-generated tools like Photoroom can help you create professional-looking fashion images without the Vogue budget. 

Table of contents:

• Why traditional photoshoots are no longer scalable

• What are AI virtual models and how do they work?

• Use case: How AI virtual models help small fashion brands scale

• How to replace a studio shoot: practical workflow

• Are AI models the right choice for your brand?

Why traditional photoshoots are no longer scalable 

For smaller ecommerce brands and marketplace sellers, traditional photoshoots are often more of a burden than a benefit. They’re expensive, time-consuming, and difficult to scale. 

Here’s a breakdown of why traditional fashion shoots aren’t feasible at scale for ecommerce sellers with limited resources. 

High production costs

Professional photography isn’t cheap. Studio shoots typically cost $75 to $250 per image, factoring in photographers, models, stylists, equipment, and editing. 

Even small campaigns can run into the thousands—putting pressure on budgets with every product drop.

Long turnaround times

Shoots require scheduling, setup, and often one to two weeks of post-production. Revisions or delays (like model rescheduling or weather) can drag timelines out further. This slows launches and leaves brands lagging behind social media trends and competitor drops.

Inflexibility

Need to update your photos for a new season, audience, or platform? You’ll likely need to reshoot from scratch. Traditional fashion shoot workflows lack the agility to adapt visuals quickly. Each change means starting over, or extensive time spent in post-production tools.

Barriers for small brands

For indie brands and solo sellers, studio-level photography can feel out of reach. 

Without access to creative teams or large budgets, many default to flat lays or mannequin shots—images that don’t compete on crowded marketplaces. 

Poor scalability

Larger product catalogs multiply costs fast. Creating hundreds of on-model images requires multiple shoot days and a multi-person team. This is often an unsustainable model for leaner ecommerce businesses who need a large volume of product images quickly, and at low costs. 

AI-powered virtual models offer a smarter solution. Here’s how they compare to traditional studio shoots.

Note: These are ballpark estimates. Costs and timelines vary by location, talent, and campaign complexity.

What are AI virtual models and how do they work?

AI virtual models are 3D, AI-generation human figures that are used to display and model fashion products.

Some AI virtual models are entirely fictional, like Lil Miquela or Shudu, while others are digital doubles of real people. AI virtual model tools allow you to either create a new model from scratch, or choose from a library of pre-created AI models. 

In all cases, virtual models can be dressed, posed, and rendered with your fashion products to help realistically display the product’s style, fit, and color. 

AI tools like Photoroom’s Virtual Model, for example, combine a product photo with a chosen virtual model to output a polished on-model image 

Here’s the process, starting with the product image below. 

• Upload a product shot (even a flat garment)

• Choose a virtual AI model

• Choose an image size

• AI automatically drapes and sizes the garment realistically 

• Download the final images or edit them 

• No photography skills or expensive shoots required 

With Photoroom, you can combine this virtual model tool with other Gen AI features, like background creation and image generation to create a completely unique composition that best showcases your fashion products. 

Statistics and trends in favor of AI virtual models 

Much like Hansel in Zoolander, AI models are “so hot right now”. That’s because they help fill a significant need for ecommerce businesses, and demand from shoppers. Consider these statistics in favor of virtual AI models.

Product images are the #1 factor for ecommerce buyers when making purchase decisions. In fact, returns most often occur because the received item doesn’t match the product photo. For fashion retailers, this means that images need to be both high quality, but also accurate and representative of how the garment will look on the buyer—inclusive of diverse body types. 

This demand is particularly acute amongst younger shoppers (aged 18 to 34) who integrate ecommerce shopping with social media usage. 80% of Gen Z and Millennial shoppers use social media to browse and purchase products, with over half of them finding new brands via influences. Like with the wider population of buyers, a majority of this age cohort says that accurate imagery is either important or extremely important to their buying decision.

Representation is at the root of this demand. Buyers want to see, clearly, how clothing will look on their specific body types, skin tones, pose, and more. AI enables this diversity of representation at scale, which has been shown to significantly boost buyer update. In fact, AI/virtual try-ons boost conversions by 30% and cut returns by 20% to 30%. 

Fashion's AI future is already here

Zara, Balmain, The Fabricant, Ray Ban, H&M, and many more are all embracing AI virtual models. From digital runways to AR try-ons, major brands and emerging platforms like DRESSX and PicCopilot are proving that AI-powered fashion isn’t a trend, it’s the next standard.

Use case: How AI virtual models help small fashion brands scale

Imagine North & Pine, a fictional sustainable outerwear brand that drops 50 new winter styles every season, from quilted parkas to cozy wool coats.

The founder, Jane, wears every hat, including design and marketing, but struggles with photography. Hiring models and booking studio time for each drop would cost thousands and delay launches. She needs fast, polished, on-model imagery that keeps up with her product cycle.

Using Photoroom’s Virtual Model tool, Jane uploads flat-lay shots of her coats and selects diverse AI models that align with her brand’s outdoorsy, inclusive vibe. Within minutes, she has realistic, styled images ready to publish, no shoot required.

The results are not only professional, they’re visually consistent. Every photo matches in pose, lighting, and framing. Jane can reuse models, update backgrounds, or tweak styling instantly for new campaigns.

With AI, North & Pine cut photo production time from three weeks to one day, and reduced costs by over 90%. That’s the kind of scale modern fashion brands need to grow.

How to replace a studio shoot: practical workflow

Switching from traditional photoshoots to AI-powered workflows isn’t just about saving time. It’s about building a repeatable, scalable system for visual content creation. 

Here’s how to do it:

1. Capture your product image

• Use a flat-lay, ghost mannequin, or even a well-lit hanger shot.

• Shoot against a plain background (white or light gray preferred).

• Ensure garments are wrinkle-free and clearly framed. This helps the AI accurately model the product.

• Smartphone photos work fine if they’re clear and high-resolution.

2. Clean up the image

• Use Photoroom’s Background Remover to isolate the garment from its background.

• Optionally apply tools like Image Brightener or Instant Shadows to enhance realism and depth.

• For batch edits across SKUs, use Photoroom’s Batch Mode to apply consistent settings to multiple images at once.

3. Apply a virtual model

• Open Photoroom’s Virtual Model tool.

• Upload your cleaned product image.

• Select from a library of lifelike AI models, varying in body type, skin tone, and pose.

• Preview how the garment drapes across different models.

• Generate your final styled, on-model image in seconds.

4. Polish the output

• Add or replace backgrounds using Photoroom’s AI Backgrounds tool (e.g., studio-style backdrops, lifestyle settings).

• Resize images for specific platforms (e.g., square for Instagram, portrait for Etsy).

• Add drop shadows or relighting as needed for visual consistency.

5. Export and use

• Download images in high resolution.

• Upload directly to ecommerce platforms like Shopify, Etsy, Poshmark, or Depop.

• Use images across product pages, social campaigns, email, and ads.

With this workflow, a process that used to take weeks and require a full production team can now be done solo in a single afternoon.

Are AI models the right choice for your brand? 

AI virtual models aren’t just for cutting-edge fashion houses. They’re game changers for small brands, solo creators, and lean ecommerce teams that need to produce high-quality visuals fast. 

If you’re launching frequent product drops, managing a large catalog on your own, or selling across multiple platforms, virtual models can help you scale without compromising visual quality or brand identity.

That said, traditional photoshoots still have their place—especially for campaigns where emotion, storytelling, or influencer-driven content is key. 

But for everyday product photography, AI offers unmatched speed, consistency, and affordability. If you’re juggling content creation with everything else, AI can take model photography off your plate.

Scale your fashion photography with AI virtual models

AI virtual models offer the speed, affordability, and consistency modern fashion sellers need. Skip the studio and create polished, on-brand visuals in minutes.