How to Create a Lookbook (2026): Concept, Shot List, Layout and Sharing

How to create a lookbook: pick one concept for the collection, plan a shot list of 15–30 images (hero, full looks, details, flat lays), style products together, shoot with consistent light and backdrops, then lay out 12–24 pages with one or two images each. Share it as a PDF, web page and social posts with product links.

A catalog shows every product; a lookbook shows how they go together. Fashion, jewelry, homeware and furniture brands use lookbooks to launch a season, pitch stockists and give shoppers ideas. This guide covers the concept, shot list, styling, layout, digital vs print, and how to share it, plus where AI backdrops help and where they don't.

What is a lookbook and how is it different from a catalog?

A lookbook is a short, image-led collection of styled photos that shows a brand's products in context. A catalog lists every product with prices and SKUs. Lookbooks sell a feeling and an idea; catalogs make ordering easy. Many brands make both from the same shoot.

If you need the ordering document too, see how to make a product catalog.

How to create a lookbook step by step

1. Choose the concept. Write one sentence that describes the collection's mood, such as “Slow Sunday mornings in a coastal cottage”.
2. Build a mood board of 10–20 reference images for light, color, location and poses.
3. Set a color palette of 4–6 colors that match the collection.
4. Write a shot list covering every product you want featured.
5. Plan styling: which products go together in each shot.
6. Shoot with the same light and backdrop style throughout.
7. Edit consistently: same color grade, crop and white balance on every image.
8. Lay out the pages in a template: cover, intro, looks, product index, contact.
9. Add product names and links so readers can shop what they see.
10. Export and share as a PDF, a web page and social posts.

How do you choose a lookbook concept?

Start from the collection itself: where would these products be used, by whom, and in what season? The concept decides the location, light, colors and props, and keeps 20 photos looking like one story.

• Place: a city rooftop, a cabin, a beach at dusk, a sunlit kitchen.
• Moment: getting ready for a wedding, a slow weekend, the first cold morning.
• Color story: all warm neutrals, or one bold color repeated in every frame.
• Person: a character your customer recognizes, such as “the weekend gardener”.

To turn a mood board into exact colors, drop a reference photo into our free color palette generator to get HEX codes for backgrounds, props and the lookbook's design.

What shots should a lookbook include?

A mix of wide, medium and close shots, so the pages have rhythm. Plan them before the shoot; a written shot list is the difference between a half-day shoot and a three-day one.

How do you style a lookbook shoot?

Style products in combinations that a customer could actually buy and use. That's the lookbook's job: answering “what do I wear this with?” or “where does this go in my home?”.

• Fashion: build complete outfits from your own range first, then fill gaps with plain, unbranded basics. Steam everything; creases show more in large images.
• Jewelry and accessories: layer pieces the way customers would, and include close-ups on skin so scale is clear.
• Home and furniture: style a room in groups of three (a lamp, a book, a plant), leave space around hero pieces, and keep props in the palette.
• Props: fewer than you think. Every prop should support the concept, not compete with the product.
• Continuity: keep notes or phone snaps of each look so you can reshoot or match later.

For clothing specifically, our guide to photographing clothes for selling online covers flat lays, hangers and on-model shots, and lifestyle product photography ideas has more setup ideas.

Can you use AI backgrounds in a lookbook?

Yes, for still-life and product shots, as long as the product is real and unchanged. AI scenes are useful when you can't afford a location, or when products shot on different days need the same backdrop. They're not a substitute for photographing outfits on people.

AiArter's AI background generator cuts the product out of your photo, keeps it as it is (labels, colors and shape stay true) and generates only the background. There are 10 presets, including Marble counter, Wooden table, Living room, Outdoors and Dark luxury, or you can describe your own scene to match your concept. Each scene costs 8 credits. To fit the same image to a cover, a spread or a story, the AI image extender fills extra space instead of cropping, for 8 credits per size.

How do you lay out a lookbook?

Let the images do the work: one large image per page or two that pair well across a spread, with small product names and plenty of white space.

• Pair images across a spread by color or direction: a model facing right on the left page, a detail on the right.
• Keep text small and consistent; one serif or sans-serif font is enough.
• Use the same crop shapes throughout, such as full-page portrait and half-page square.
• Number the looks (“Look 07”) and reference them in the product index.
• For social posts, our free product collage maker puts a full look and its detail shot side by side at 1080×1350.

Canva, Adobe Express and InDesign all have lookbook templates. AiArter's design templates cover social posts, ads and covers, which suit the launch graphics and story posts that send people to the lookbook.

Should a lookbook be digital or printed?

Start digital; print only when you have a clear use for it, such as trade shows, press kits or inserts for high-value orders.

How do you share a lookbook?

1. Publish it as a page on your website, with each look linking to the products.
2. Email the PDF or page link to your list and to stockists, with the hero image in the email.
3. Post the strongest looks as a carousel, and tease details in stories.
4. Pin each look to Pinterest, linking back to the lookbook page.
5. Send printed copies with wholesale samples or high-value orders, with a QR code from our free QR code generator that opens the lookbook page.
6. Keep the images: they become product page photos, ads and banners for the season.

Keeping colors and light consistent across the lookbook, the catalog and your listings makes the brand feel bigger than it is. Our guide to consistent product photos covers how.

Frequently asked questions

What should be in a lookbook?

A cover, a short intro to the concept, 15 to 30 styled images showing products together, detail shots, and a product index with names and links or prices. End with your website and contact details.

How many pages should a lookbook have?

Most lookbooks are 12 to 24 pages. That's enough to tell the collection's story without losing the reader. Use one or two images per page.

What is the difference between a lookbook and a catalog?

A lookbook is image-led and shows products styled together to inspire. A catalog lists every product with prices and SKUs so buyers can order. Many brands make both from one shoot.

Can I make a lookbook without a model?

Yes. Flat lays, still-life shots, styled rooms and products on hangers or mannequins all work, especially for accessories and homeware. Clothing usually sells better with at least some on-body shots.

What app can I use to make a lookbook?

Canva, Adobe Express and InDesign all have lookbook templates and export to PDF. Google Slides works for simple ones. Your store's page builder can host a shoppable online version.

Can I use AI images in a lookbook?

You can use AI-generated backgrounds behind real product photos, as long as the product itself isn't altered. Avoid presenting generated scenes or people as real, and use real photos for anything worn on the body.