---
title: "Remove Wrinkles From Clothing Photos Without Losing Drape"
canonical: https://withicarus.com/blog/remove-wrinkles-from-clothing-photos
site: Icarus
description: "How to remove wrinkles from clothing photos: what to steam first, which creases to edit out, and how to spot when smoothing has erased the real drape."
---

# Remove Wrinkles From Clothing Photos Without Losing Drape

How to remove wrinkles from clothing photos: what to steam first, which creases to edit out, and how to spot when smoothing has erased the real drape.

_October 9, 2026. Written with AI from the sources listed below, and checked automatically before it went live._

![Woman holding a white linen shirt on a wooden hanger, its soft natural folds showing](https://icarus.b-cdn.net/blog/remove-wrinkles-from-clothing-photos/woman-holding-linen-shirt-hanger.png)

_Made with Icarus_

To remove wrinkles from clothing photos, steam the garment before you shoot. Then edit out only what the steamer missed: fold lines, packing creases and crumpled hems. Keep the soft folds that show how the fabric hangs, because those folds tell a buyer the shirt is linen and not cardboard.

This post covers what to steam first, which wrinkles to fix and which to keep, how to ask for the edit in plain words, and how to tell when smoothing has gone too far.

**Key takeaways**

- Steam first. An edit can't fully rebuild fabric hidden under a deep crease.
- Remove sharp fold lines and packing marks. Keep the drape.
- Ask for one change at a time, and say what must stay.
- Check the result at full size. Flat, plastic-looking fabric means you've gone too far.
- If creases cross a print, a logo or shiny fabric, steam it again and reshoot.

## Steam first, because some wrinkles won't edit out

A better photo makes for a better edit. One guide to photographing clothes says [every item should be steamed or ironed](https://climbtheladder.com/how-to-take-photos-of-clothes-to-sell-the-definitive-method) before the shoot, because creases take away from the fabric's drape and texture. Don't count on your supplier's steaming either. A professional apparel photographer writes that [wrinkles are inevitable even after careful steaming and packing](https://fstoppers.com/must-have-tools-for-the-apparel-photographer), so keep your own steamer.

![Person steaming creases out of a light blue cotton shirt on a clothing rack before a photo shoot](https://icarus.b-cdn.net/blog/remove-wrinkles-from-clothing-photos/steaming-cotton-shirt-on-rack.png)

_Made with Icarus_

Some spots fight back. [Edges can stay wrinkled even after steaming](https://fstoppers.com/must-have-tools-for-the-apparel-photographer) because of the cut, the stitching and how dense the fabric is there. For a crease that won't let go, the same photographer suggests [holding tinfoil on the other side while you steam](https://fstoppers.com/must-have-tools-for-the-apparel-photographer).

Go over these spots before you shoot:

- Fold lines from the bag or box
- Collars, plackets and button bands
- Cuffs and hems
- The seat and back of the knees on trousers

Why bother if you're editing anyway? Because an edit has to guess what the fabric looks like under a crease. The less there is to guess, the more real the result looks.

## Which wrinkles to remove and which to keep

Not every line in the fabric is a flaw. Some of them sell the garment.

![White linen shirt laid flat on white, smooth but keeping soft sleeve folds and visible weave](https://icarus.b-cdn.net/blog/remove-wrinkles-from-clothing-photos/linen-shirt-flat-lay-white.png)

_Made with Icarus_

**Remove these:**

- Sharp fold lines, especially the grid left by folding
- Packing creases across the chest or legs
- Crumpled hems and cuffs
- Puckers from pins, clips or a tight hanger

**Keep these:**

- Soft folds falling from the shoulders or waist
- Natural gathering at the elbow or cuff when the piece is worn
- The break where trousers meet the shoe
- The visible weave or knit of the fabric

Fabric changes the answer. Linen and gauze are meant to look a little relaxed. If you smooth them to glass, they read as polyester. Silk and satin catch light on every crease, so steam them carefully, because edits on shiny fabric often leave dull patches. With knits, hanger bumps and stretch marks matter more than wrinkles. On denim, whiskers and fades are part of the design, so don't let an edit wipe them out.

## How to ask for the edit in plain words

In the [Icarus photo editor](https://withicarus.com/features/ai-photo-editor), you open a shot you made or upload a photo from your phone, press Edit and write the change in one sentence. Icarus makes a new version and you keep the one you like.

Be specific. Name the creases you want gone, then name what has to stay. A request like "remove wrinkles" leaves the decision to the AI, and it may flatten everything.

> Remove the sharp fold lines across the front of the white linen shirt, keep the soft folds at the sleeves and waist, and keep the fabric texture and stitching exactly as they are

Try this prompt in Icarus: https://withicarus.com/dashboard?prompt=Remove%20the%20sharp%20fold%20lines%20across%20the%20front%20of%20the%20white%20linen%20shirt%2C%20keep%20the%20soft%20folds%20at%20the%20sleeves%20and%20waist%2C%20and%20keep%20the%20fabric%20texture%20and%20stitching%20exactly%20as%20they%20are

For trousers, try something like: "Remove the crumpled crease along the left hem, and keep the fold where the fabric breaks over the shoe."

Ask for one change per edit. If the hem looks right but the collar still has a crease, run a second edit for the collar. An edit costs $0.05, or $0.07 at 4K, and you see each shot's price before you make it. Every price is on the [pricing page](https://withicarus.com/pricing). If you want to pick a model yourself, Icarus lists GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst for top quality and the most precise edits.

## How to tell when smoothing has gone too far

Put the original and the edit side by side and zoom to full size. Over-smoothing hides at thumbnail size and shows up the moment a buyer zooms in. Run through this:

![Close-up of a beige knit sweater sleeve showing real knit texture and soft folds at the elbow](https://icarus.b-cdn.net/blog/remove-wrinkles-from-clothing-photos/knit-sweater-sleeve-texture-closeup.png)

_Made with Icarus_

- [ ] You can still see the weave or knit up close
- [ ] Folds still fall downward the way gravity pulls them
- [ ] Seams and stitching are crisp and haven't moved
- [ ] Shadows match the light, with no flat grey patches
- [ ] Shiny fabric still has highlights running along the folds
- [ ] Stripes and prints run straight where the crease used to be, without bending or blurring
- [ ] The colour near the edited spot matches the rest of the garment

If two or more of these fail, the fabric has started to look like plastic. The bigger problem is trust. The buyer will open a parcel holding the real garment, and it has to match what they saw. Google Merchant Center asks for [an unobstructed, clean view of the item for sale](https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324350?hl=en). Read clean as the real piece shown clearly, not a smoother piece that doesn't exist.

## When to steam and reshoot instead

Editing works best on a few creases over plain, flat areas when the rest of the photo is good. Steam and reshoot when:

1. Creases run across a print, a logo or embroidery, where an edit can bend the pattern.
2. Wrinkles cover most of the garment, not just a few spots.
3. The fabric is satin, silk or anything with a sheen.
4. The edit changes the outline of the garment, like a sleeve that suddenly looks narrower.
5. You've tried two or three edits and each one blurs the texture a bit more.

Photos carry a lot of weight with buyers. One Etsy photography guide reports that [90% of Etsy shoppers call photo quality extremely important](https://www.outfy.com/blog/etsy-product-photography) to whether they buy. A clean reshoot plus a light edit usually beats a heavy edit on a bad photo.

## Make the file big enough after the edit

Once the wrinkles are gone, make sure the image holds up when people zoom. Google recommends images of [around 1500x1500 pixels or above](https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324350?hl=en) and accepts [no file larger than 16MB](https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324350?hl=en). The same Etsy guide suggests a [minimum width of 2000 pixels](https://www.outfy.com/blog/etsy-product-photography) so the photo stays sharp in Etsy's zoom.

When the edit looks right, you can make it bigger and sharper, to 4K, from the same screen in Icarus or on the [Upscale page](https://withicarus.com/upscale). Making a photo sharper and bigger costs from $0.03. Zoom in once more on the bigger file, because extra size makes smoothed patches easier to see. Then check the final image against the rules of each place you sell before you publish.

If you have a creased garment photo on hand, try the edit in Icarus.

## Questions

### Can AI remove wrinkles from clothes in a photo?

Yes. In Icarus you open or upload the photo, press Edit and describe which creases to remove and what to keep. Check the result at full size before you publish, because heavy smoothing can erase the fabric's texture.

### Should I steam clothes or edit the wrinkles out?

Do both, in that order. Steam before you shoot so the photo starts clean, then edit out only the creases the steamer left behind. A deep crease hides fabric detail that an edit has to guess at.

### How do I keep the fabric texture when removing wrinkles?

Say what must stay in your edit request: the weave, the stitching and the soft folds. Ask for one change at a time and compare the edit with the original side by side when zoomed in.

### Can I fix wrinkles in a photo I took on my phone?

Yes. Icarus lets you upload a photo you didn't make in Icarus, write the change in plain words and keep the version you like. You can then make it bigger and sharper, to 4K.

## Sources

- [Image requirements for Google Merchant Center](https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324350?hl=en)
- [How to Take Photos of Clothes to Sell: The Definitive Method](https://climbtheladder.com/how-to-take-photos-of-clothes-to-sell-the-definitive-method)
- [Must-Have Tools For The Apparel Photographer](https://fstoppers.com/must-have-tools-for-the-apparel-photographer)
- [Etsy Product Photography Tips (2026 Guide)](https://www.outfy.com/blog/etsy-product-photography)

---

Site: Icarus (https://withicarus.com)
Canonical: https://withicarus.com/blog/remove-wrinkles-from-clothing-photos
Contact: tanmay@onai.studio