Where to find cosplay reference photos

After you’ve decided what character to cosplay, your first step should be seeking out good reference photos. Even if you’re not doing a 100 percent screen accurate costume, clear reference photos will assist in fabric selection, colors, and help you locate the little details that bring your costume to life.

Screencaps

If you’re cosplaying from a TV show or movie, screencaps and stills are your best friend. You can rewatch whatever you’re cosplaying from on a laptop or phone to grab your own screencaps, or you can find a website that has screenshots. Regularly updated screencap websites include kissthemgoodbye.net, screencapped.net, and homeofthenutty.com to name a few.

Stills

Stills are high quality photos usually taken for use in press kits. These are my favorite to use for reference photos because you can clearly see the type of fabric, seams, and every little detail. However, some of the colors may be off from what it looks like on screen. Far Far Away site has a regularly updated selection of TV shows.

Stills are typically brighter and more vibrant than screencaps, even from the same scenes. In this scene from Game of Thrones, Sansa Stark's dress looks like a much lighter purple in the still. Credit: Far Far Away Site and screencapped.net. 

Other places

Some costumes designers, such as Michele Carragher who does the embroidery for Game of Thrones, may upload close ups of their work online. Research who does the costume design, and snoop their Instagram or website for potential close ups or concept sketches.

Video games

Depending on the video game, you may be able to take your own in-game screenshots from different angles, and save those to your phone or computer. If possible, I like to take screenshots during cutscenes, which offer close ups of details. You can also watch play through videos and take screengrabs from there. Concept art – which can be found from Google, Pinterest, Wiki pages, official art books, or Art Station – is also a helpful guide, though it can be different from the final product.

Now, it’s becoming more common for developers to release cosplay guides of popular characters. CD Projekt Red has made some for the Witcher 3 , Blizzard has them for almost every Overwatch hero, and Bioware has guides for most Dragon Age: Inquisition and Mass Effect: Andromeda characters. Also, many fan websites – such as this one for Tomb Raider – compile reference pictures for various games and outfits.

For every hero that Overwatch originally launched with, Blizzard has a detailed cosplay guide. Credit: Blizzard

If you can’t find a cosplay guide, try googling for the game’s press kit. These include high quality pictures of characters. For example, while Overwatch has guides for most character’s default costumes, you can find pictures of their event skins at Blizzard’s Press Center.

After you have your photos…

Make sure your pictures are easily saved and accessible, so if there’s an impromptu visit to the fabric store, you’re ready to go. Whenever I can, I like to print out any reference pictures I have so I can easily look at it without searching through my phone. It’s also helpful to do this when asking an employee for help or advice on what to buy. If you can’t print them out, save them in a folder on your phone, Pinterest, Google Drive, or whatever method is easiest for you.

While it can take more time in the beginning, good reference photos can save a lot of time and frustration in the long run. Many cosplay contests may require reference photos, so it’s good to have some on hand.

What resources do you use for reference pictures? What cosplay guides would you like to see in the future? Let me know in the comments below!