How do I change clothes in a photo with AI?
Supply both the source photo and a reference image of the target garment, rather than describing the clothing in words. A text description cannot convey fabric weave, drape or print, which is exactly where cheap outfit swaps fail — the garment turns plastic and the fit ignores the body underneath. Models that condition on multiple references preserve texture and lighting through the swap.
Reference the garment, do not describe it
The difference between a convincing swap and an obvious one is almost entirely about texture. Words like "linen shirt" give the model a category, not a material. An image of the actual garment gives it the weave, the way light falls across it and how it creases — all of which have to survive into the output for the result to read as a photograph rather than a render. Use a description only when the exact garment does not matter.
Keep the person while changing the clothes
Supply the person as a reference alongside the garment, so identity and pose are preserved while only the clothing changes. This is the same reference-conditioning technique used for character consistency, applied to a narrower target. Models accepting many references handle it best: Seedream 5 Pro takes up to ten, which is usually enough to hold both the subject and the garment steady.
Fix one region without redoing the frame
When most of the result is right and one area is wrong — a collar, a hem, a printed logo — repainting the whole image wastes the parts that worked. Inpainting with a mask confines the edit to the marked region and leaves everything else byte-identical. This is faster, cheaper and less likely to introduce new problems than another full render.
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