AI visuals for e-shops: when they help and when they don't

AI tools can put your product on a beach, in a living room or on a model, without setting up a production. For an e-shop this is useful, as long as the image shows the product exactly as it is.

Where they help

The starting point is always a good, real photograph of the product. From there, AI visuals cover needs that would take more time and money with a traditional photo shoot:

• AI product setting: the product in a new environment, for a seasonal campaign or a series of ads.
• Lifestyle scenes and digital models: clothing and accessories on a digital model or within an everyday scene.
• AI product video: a short movement of 5 to 10 seconds created from a photo, for Reels and ads.
• Enhancement and upscaling: clean-up, resolution and colour for photos you already have.

The biggest gain is speed and consistency. You can have the same style across your whole catalogue, refresh your images for the new season or try different settings in your ads without a new shoot.

The product must be exactly as it is

AI tools sometimes “correct” things nobody asked them to: they change a shade, a seam, the shape of a button or the lettering of a logo. In an image for social media it may go unnoticed. On a product page it means the customer receives something different from what they saw.

An AI image is only worth it if the customer receives what they saw.

That is why every AI image needs a human check against the real product. At THPAUL Studio, every AI visuals delivery goes through a human check. The points worth looking at:

• Colour: the same as the product's, on a properly calibrated screen.
• Logos, labels and text: exactly as they are, with no distorted letters.
• Texture and material: leather should look like leather and linen like linen.
• Proportions: the right size of the product in relation to the scene or the model.
• Details: seams, zips, buttons, soles.

When real photography is better

For the main images on the product page, the packshots that show the product from every side, real photography remains the safest choice. The same applies when the purchase decision comes down to details: the fit of a garment, the sparkle of a piece of jewellery, the texture of a fabric.

You also need a photo shoot when you do not have a good original image. AI works on whatever you give it, so a blurry or badly lit photo will not become a reliable product image. Often the best combination is a careful photo shoot with AI visuals built on it.

Transparency with customers

If you use a digital model, say so. Anyone looking at a dress on a body that does not exist should know that the fit was not photographed, and should easily find information on sizes and measurements. A short note on the page is enough.

Platforms also have their own rules for images and videos created with AI. Before you upload AI visuals to ads or product catalogues, check the current guidelines of each platform.