GIMP Version: 2.8.2
Operating System: Mac OS
OS Version: OSX10.8 (MountainLion)
GIMP Experience: Intermediate Level

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You know how you look in a catalog and find this nice shirt and they show 6 "different" versions of the same shirt in the little inset pictures with it? But you notice that it's the same model, in the same pose, with her hair the exact same way and you know all they did was a little PhotoShop magic and changed out the fabric/color?
Well I want to do something like that.

I'm selling pillows and can use any of about 50 different fabrics to make them. Obviously I don't want to make 50 different pillows just to take the different photos. So I'm thinking there has to be a way to make a single pillow, then overlay(underlay?) some of my other fabrics (because people are more apt to buy what they can see, rather than one version with swatches next to it, KWIM?).


I think what I probably need to do is actually sew up a white version (for good contrast), take a photo, convert it to B&W in GIMP and separate out the shadows as their own image. Then, create a new image with a new swatch and put the shadows in as a layer to make it look realistic. Does that sound like the route I need to go??

Or am I making this more difficult than needs be? Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

you need to render the pillow and then work with a layermask, i think

maybe you can just pick up the colorvariations of all the fabric you have and then change your base render
or make a photo of the fabric you have and put it under the mask

as always, we can help you best if you attach/link a picture of the project you want to do

That's just it; the project doesn't exist yet.
I don't want to sew this up until I'm sure what I need to do with it! And until I get it sewn, I can't take a picture.

im a trained tailor myself, so im not quite sure what you are saying

surely you have a prototype ?

itsmefred: just a suggestion: take a picture of some other white fabric object and try overlaying your fabric swatches on that. i think it seems a bit tricky to get the proportions of the swatches and pillow right, but if you can do that your method will probably work. i think i'd try using a displacement map on the swatch overlays, like in this youtube tutorial: texture on a photo with displacement map.

Thanks for the replies.
Of course I have a prototype, esper. Several, even. It's just that they're in either dark and/or heavily patterned fabric and wouldn't work very well for separating out the fabric from the shadows.
AnMal, I think that might be exactly what I'm looking for.