How to test a new colorway without a photoshoot

There are two ways to get a picture of your bestseller in a colour you haven’t made yet. Both can work; they suit different tests.

For a fair test, compare like with like. If your current colour is a real studio photo and the new colour is an AI image, the difference in results could be the photo. Make your bestseller’s current colour the same way as the new ones, so the colour is the only thing that changes.

Lock everything except the colour: the cut, the length, the fabric, the print placement, the model, the pose, the light and the framing. Meta’s guidance for its A/B tests says only one variable should change while the rest of the setup and creative stays identical, and gives product colour as an example of a creative element to test ^[1].

• Keep the background neutral and the same for every colour. A warm background flatters warm colours and makes the test unfair.
• Keep the styling the same: the same shoes, accessories and layers in every version.
• Don’t change the print and the colour at the same time. If you want to test both, make them separate versions.
• Put the versions side by side before they go live. If one looks brighter or sharper than the others for a reason that isn’t the colour, redo it.

The best candidates come from your own buyers, not from a trend list. Shopify’s guide to validating product ideas points out that your followers know you and will tell you what they want to see ^[2].

• Colours customers have asked for in messages, reviews or comments.
• Colours that already sell well in your other products.
• A seasonal shade for the time of year the garment will actually arrive, not the time you run the test.
• One safe option and one bolder one, so the test tells you how far your buyers will go.

Don’t test too many at once. Meta’s A/B tests compare up to five versions ^[1], and every colour you add takes a share of your budget. Three or four new colours next to your current one is usually plenty for one test.

A colour on screen is made of light; a colour on fabric is dye that reflects the light around it. The same garment looks different in daylight and under shop lighting, different fibres take the same dye differently, and every screen shows colours a little differently. A concept image tells you whether buyers like the idea of a colour, not exactly how the finished piece will look.

1. Note the colour of the winning version as a hex code. It is a reference for the conversation, not a recipe.
2. Ask your fabric supplier for physical swatches or a dyed sample close to that colour, on the fabric you will actually use.
3. Look at the swatch in daylight next to your screen, and pick the closest one.
4. Check the first sample against the swatch you chose, not against the image.

Our guide to tech packs and spec sheets covers what to send your factory once a colour wins.

• Make each colour natively in each ad size you use. See ad sizes for clothing ads.
• Give every colour the same ad text, budget and audience, and name each ad so you can read the results back. See creative testing for clothing ads.
• Label the images as AI-generated concept images. See AI labels on ads and product images.
• If you take pre-orders for the new colour, give a real ship date. See pre-orders for clothing.
• For the whole process, from picking versions to sending the winner to your factory, see how to test a new style of your bestseller.

Can Museify change the colour of the clothes in my photo?

No. We never edit your photo or the person in it. New images are made on our AI models, in your current colour and in each new one, so they can be compared fairly.

Do I need a Pantone number for my factory?

Possibly, for the full tech pack: Shopify’s guide to tech packs says each material in the bill of materials needs a named colour and a Pantone code ^[3]. Ask your factory which colour standard they use. A hex code from an image is a useful reference, but it isn’t a Pantone match; the reliable step is matching against a physical swatch on your fabric.

Can I test a colour I can’t get in my fabric yet?

You can test interest in it, but check with your fabric supplier before you take orders. A colour that wins the test but can’t be dyed on your fabric is a promise you can’t keep.