What photo should shoppers upload for try-on?
One clear photo the shopper already has, showing them plainly. For apparel, a full view beats cropped or heavily styled shots — that is Looksy’s published guidance — because the model has more of the person to work with.
One photo, clear and simple
Looksy asks for a single photo, and clear beats clever. A recent shot in decent light, with the shopper plainly visible, gives the model what it needs to place the product convincingly. Because there is no live camera permission involved, shoppers pick from photos they already have — which is an advantage: most photo libraries contain at least one straightforward, well-lit shot. The upload happens on the product page and the result appears in about 20 seconds, so trying a second photo is quick if the first choice was borderline.
For apparel, full views beat cropped shots
Looksy’s published guidance for clothing is specific: full views generate better results than cropped or heavily styled photos. A photo that shows the whole area a garment covers — shoulders, torso, and proportions for a top, the full body for a dress — gives the model what it needs, while a tight crop forces it to guess at everything outside the frame. The same logic applies to other categories: a shopper trying on jewelry or eyewear wants the relevant area clearly visible rather than obscured by hair, hands, or accessories already in the shot. Frame the photo around where the product will live.
Why filters and heavy styling hurt results
Try-on AI reconstructs the person from the pixels it gets, so anything that distorts those pixels distorts the output. Beauty filters smooth away the geometry the model uses to fit a product; dramatic angles and dim lighting hide proportions; busy backgrounds and layered outfits can blur where the person ends and the scene begins. None of this makes a try-on impossible — it makes the result less reliable, which is why the published guidance favors clear, simple photos over styled ones. The photo does not need to be good photography; it needs to be legible.
A miss is a retry, not a dead end
When a result looks off, the shopper can retry from the same page and leave feedback so the miss is recorded. A fresh attempt takes about 20 seconds, so trying again with a clearer shot is a small ask mid-browse. For merchants, the practical move is to set expectations near the try-on entry point: one clear photo, full view for clothing. Whether and how you can customize that guidance inside the widget is not spelled out on the listing, so check the options in the app before writing your own.
Sources: the public Shopify App Store listing for Looksy. Last checked 27 July 2026.
Install free. Unlimited try-ons on your own catalog.
The Free plan gives you unlimited try-ons and needs no card. Run Looksy on your own products and judge the output yourself.
Install free on Shopify