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Looking for the best AI for product photos without breaking the bank?
You’re not alone.
While traditional photography is great, AI might be the edge you need.
I’ve tested 26 AI tools head-to-head and found the top six that deliver quality on a budget.
And yes, I’ve documented each step, feature, and comparison in easy-to-read spreadsheets.
Expect:
- short tutorials
- in-depth reviews
- plus a transparent look at what didn’t make the cut.
Ready to discover the best AI for product photography? Dive in!
- My Best 6 AI for Product Photography
- Behind the Scenes: How I Chose the Best AI Tools
- Detailed Breakdown: My Handpicked AI Photography Tools
- 20 Other AI Photography Tools I Tried
- What Are AI Tools For Product Photography?
- Traditional vs. AI Product Photography
- Deep Dive: How to Use AI Product Photography Tools Effectively
- Case Study: Milaner’s Success with AI Product Photography
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
My Best 6 AI for Product Photography
Whether you run an eCommerce brand or you’re the head of marketing, there’s the right AI product photo generator for you.
| Overall Best AI for Product Photography | Pebblely. Read the breakdown here. |
| Best Mobile AI for Product Photography | Photoroom. Read the breakdown here. |
| Best Free AI tool for Product Photography | Adobe Firefly. Read the breakdown here. |
| Most Affordable Paid Product Image Generator | Flair.ai. Read the breakdown here. |
| Best User Interface for AI Product Photo Generator | Magic Studio. Read the breakdown here. |
| Beginner-friendly AI tool for Product Photography | Claid AI. Read the breakdown here. |
Direct Showdown: AI Product Photography Results
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the results from these 6 AI tools.
I used the same image with the same prompt.
Prompt: “On a marble tabletop, in front of the kitchen, close-up shot.”
Note:
This is the first time that Adobe Firefly’s output didn’t generate well. You can see a black outline on the product box.
AI Product Photography Tools Feature Breakdown
| Product | Pricing | Free Version |
| Pebblely | Pebblely ($19/month or $179/year ): – 1000 credits per month – Custom image resolution (until 2048×2048) – Custom photo themes & settings – Post-generation editing Pebblely Pro ($39/month or $379/year): – Everything in the Pebblely package – Unlimited credits per month Pebblely Bespoke (Starting from $3000) – Custom AI | Has a free package. (40 free credits per month) |
| Magic Studio | Monthly – $49.99/month Yearly – $299.99/year – Unlimited Product Photos – No Magic Studio Logo – Download at High Resolution – No Ads | Has a free package. (20 free images.) |
| Adobe Firefly | Premium ($5/month) – 100 credits per month – Adobe fonts – No watermarks | Has a free package. (25 credits per month.) |
| Photoroom | Monthly – $12.99/month Yearly – $89.99/year – Remove the Photoroom logo – High-definition cutout & export – Batch edit multiple images – Optimize & resize for marketplaces – Unleash PhotoRoom Pro on your laptop and your phone | No free package. (Only 7 day trial.) |
| Claid AI | Basic Package ($19/month or $108/year) – 30+ compositions – Custom prompt generation – Up to 200 generations or edit – 4 images per generation – Generation size: 1024 x 1024 – Image editing Professional Package ($49 /month or $468/year) – Everything in the previous package – Up to 1000 generations or edit – Custom template style – Generation size: 2048 x 2048 – Custom size & aspect ratio Custom (Contact) – Custom volumes – API access – Dedicated account manager | Has a free package. (20 credits per month.) |
| Flair AI | Pro plan ($10/month) – Unlimited images – Unlimited projects | Has a free package. (100 free credits per month) |
| Software | Pebblely | Adobe Firefly | Magic Studio | Photoroom | Flair AI | Claid AI |
| Image Ownership | You own it. | Not stated. | You own it.* | You own it.* | Not stated. | You own it.* |
| Refund Policy | Not stated. | Full refunds within 14 days.** | No refunds. | Not stated. | Not stated. | Not stated. |
Note:
1. While you may own the rights to the images you create, most of these tools are granted certain rights like distributing and modifying the content.
2. The general Adobe policy is: If you cancel your subscription within 14 days of your initial order, you will be fully refunded. (I couldn’t find anything specific to Adobe Firefly).
Behind the Scenes: How I Chose the Best AI Tools
I’m on the hunt for the best AI tools to enhance my eCommerce store.
Here’s what I looked at when testing each tool:
1. Value – The price tag tells me a lot. If it’s mispriced, I worry about how long they’ll stick around. Good product pricing speaks volumes about the company’s future potential – especially its marketing.
2. Quality – Does the AI tool deliver crisp, realistic images consistently? Every photo uploaded needs to be at its best.
3. Ease of Use – I don’t have time for lengthy tutorials. It needs to be user-friendly, with helpful resources for quick learning.
4. Reviews – Happy users are a sign of a thriving tool. And if there’s a hiccup? I want to know how the company responds.
5. Founders & Background – Are they in for the long haul, or just making a quick buck? I need assurance they’re committed to their tool’s growth.
6. Technology & User Interface – A clean user interface is a must-have. I want my interactions with the software to be smooth. Building on top of existing technology or AI tools is fine if there are more features.
7. Speed of Execution – Frequent updates and bug fixes are a good sign. I want to avoid a stagnant tool.
8. Terms & Conditions – The fine print matters. I need clarity on image copyrights to steer clear of any misuse of dramas.
9. Future – Where’s the tool headed? I want to be with a forward-thinking company.
Detailed Breakdown: My Handpicked AI Photography Tools
1. Pebblely
Brief overview
Simple, clean, minimalistic tool. You don’t need a degree in design to know how to use it.
You can use it on your phone (no apps, but the website is mobile-friendly).
You can take pictures of your product from your gallery or take them straight from your camera.
This makes Pebblely versatile to use.
I tested the quality of Pebblely when the image isn’t shot at a studio, to see how it would turn out.
And the results still came out really well. You can see the details (shadow, mirror effect & lighting).
Removing backgrounds is free, but generating images costs 4 credits for 4 results.
You will run out of credits quickly if you’re using the free version which gives you only 40 credits.
- Clean & easy user interface – easy to learn even if you don’t watch any tutorials.
- Mobile friendly – useful if you want to quickly generate product images.
- Great founder with a great background. I love how friendly & helpful he is online.
- Has an affordable pricing plan.
- Great output, images are sharp and don’t look too artificial.
- Has one of the most templates out of the other tools I’ve tested so far. You don’t want to waste unnecessary time & credits having to find the best manual prompt.
- Has a product photo library that you can use to get inspiration from. Such an underrated feature.
- You can generate AI images for grouped products.
- You can upload an asset (your product photos) – which saves you a lot of time.
- History / Revision – You can download generated images again & view them later. Some tools didn’t have this feature which annoyed me.
- You can adjust the canvas size (only on the paid plan) – perfect if you want to upload to different social media sites.
- You can use custom prompts and reference images! (For paid plans)
- You can edit & restore generated AI images (Only available on the paid plans).
- There’s a lot of documentation – you won’t ever feel lost.
- You can reuse the same background for different products! If you find a background you love, you can take your assets.
- Crystal clear ownership policy.
- There’s a community (Facebook group and Slack).
- Active updates
- Limited free plan – It’s enough to test out the tool but you’ll finish it really quickly
- Human models don’t work well with Pebblely. I’ve tried adding into prompts, uploading human hands as an asset, and even matching human hands as a style. It turns out very un-human-like.
- When you upload an additional asset onto a product you want to generate, you can’t delete the asset from the canvas
- No feedback system – you can’t rate the output so that the AI can learn about your design tendencies & preference
- No refund policy, likely because of AI image costs, but it should be noted on the website.
Pebblely is one of the more affordable AI product image generators in the market right now.
| Package | Price | Features |
| Pebblely | $19/month or $179/year | – 1000 credits per month – Custom image resolution (until 2048×2048) – Custom photo themes & settings – Post-generation editing |
| Pebblely Pro | $39/month or $379/year | – Everything in the Pebblely package – Unlimited credits per month |
| Pebblely Bespoke | Starting from $3000 | – Custom AI |
2. Magic Studio
Brief overview
I really enjoyed its clean, minimalist UI.
It makes it fun and easy to use.
The built-in background removal lets you refine the removed background easily.
Magic Studio has two modes: Themes and Describe Scenes.
Themes are the background templates you can use. (There are 57 to choose from).
For Describe Scenes, you can give a manual text prompt and it will generate the image for you.
I’m impressed with how well the AI can blend the product with the generated background.
- With their paid plans, you get access to tools like product photos, magic erasers, and more.
- Bookmark and history feature – easy to download previous outputs.
- You can filter saved images by product – handy when you have many different products.
- When you use their template, it will first create a mockup of your generated image. This allows you to move the product around, so you can fit it into the image better.
- Beginner-friendly user interface.
- You can’t save the prompts you created.
- Limited 20 free credits.
- You can’t generate backgrounds for many products in the same picture.
- The library has limited templates that don’t look great.
Note: Magic Studio offers parity pricing, you can get it cheaper if you sign up using a VPN.
| Package | Price | Features |
| Monthly | $49.99 per month | – Unlimited Product Photos – No Magic Studio Logo – Download at High Resolution – No Ads |
| Yearly | $299.99 per year | Same as the previous package |
3. Flair AI
Brief overview
One of the few dark-mode AI tools on this list.
You can easily organise by managing product image generation through projects.
When you upload your image, Flair will store it as an asset.
What sets Flair apart is its template quality and all the template elements.
Here are some examples where I try out the template from Flair:
- The interface! Out of all the tools I’ve tried, Flair has some of the coolest elements and interfaces.
- 100 credits/month for free plan – this is the most generous free plan in the ecosystem.
- Great templates – it can get repetitive, but you can really do a lot with their templates.
- You can collaborate with your team – one of the very few that allows this.
- Easy to manage all your outputs.
- Elements – they have pre-built elements like platforms, fruits & flowers. You can even upload your own
- Human models – they have a lot of human elements (like hands) that you can use with your product. This way you can make it look like the model is holding your product.
- Great pricing. $10/month for unlimited photos. You don’t have to worry about wasting credits with this one.
- It can get messy when you generate a lot of images. Inside a project, Flair will place your generated image randomly outside of the green box. Sometimes, it can get a bit too much.
- You can’t edit any background removal.
- After a while, the template will look quite like one another.
- You can’t edit photos in bulk or bundle many products together.
- The human elements can seem a bit water-painty at times.
- Not clear on image ownership terms.
Flair.ai has one of the best pricing in this entire list.
| Package | Price | Features |
| Free | $0 | – 100 credits per month – 10 projects per month |
| Pro | $10 | – Unlimited image generation – Unlimited projects |
| Enterprise | Contact | – Everything in previous package – Custom model training – SAML-based SSO – Unlimited API access – Dedicated success manager |
4. Claid AI
Brief overview
Cleanest user interface (UI).
When you upload an image, you can choose whether you want to:
- Choose a template background
- Freeform – use your own custom prompts
- My Compositions – you can upload a reference image and add custom prompts for your desired output.
It will remove any backgrounds in your uploaded image.
For this testing, I had to upload my own transparent images because it didn’t remove the background for my images properly.
If you want an AI tool that does product background image generation really well, I would recommend this.
- A great credit system – 1 credit for generating 4 image variants.
- Images generated via prompts are high in quality.
- Cleanest UI out of all the tools on this list – reminds me of Apple.
- A lot of features – smart enhance, decompressing & image resizing.
- You can upload a custom composition (like a reference image).
- 99 background templates available – like those on this list but of higher quality.
- There’s a feedback system
- They have a great editing tool where you can restore the image, resize the image, adjust colours etc.
- The background remover is limiting. You can’t self-erase & it has trouble when the background image is more complex.
- You can only edit & generate backgrounds one product at a time.
- In templates, you can choose variations for those templates. Here Claid will deduct 2 credits instead of 1 even if you only wanted the variation templates.
- No prompt library
- Can’t add AI human models or elements
| Package | Price | Features |
| Basic Package | $19/month or $108/year | – 30+ compositions – Up to 200 generations or edit – 4 images per generation – Generation size: 1024 x 1024 |
| Professional Package | $49/month or $468/year | – Everything in the previous package – Up to 1000 generations or edit – Custom template style – Generation size: 2048 x 2048 – Custom size & aspect ratio |
| Custom | Contact support | – Everything in the previous package – Custom volumes – API Access – Dedicated account manager |
5. Adobe Firefly
Brief overview
Here’s everything you can do with Adobe Firefly:
- text to image
- generative fill
- text effects (apply styles or textures to text using a prompt)
- generative recolour (recolour your vector using prompts)
They’re also working on:
- text to template
- extend image
- text to brush
- text to pattern
- text to vector
- personalised vector
To get my AI-generated product photos, I used Adobe Firefly’s generative fill.
I uploaded my product photos & removed the background.
I then created a prompt and clicked generate.
The final results match my prompt accurately. And the product blends well with the AI-generated background.
Note:
Since I included Adobe Firefly, I decided not to include Adobe Photoshop. You can achieve the exact same thing using Adobe Photoshop. If you already have Adobe Photoshop, I don’t think you would need this or any other tools on the list.
- The range of features and you can test it all out just by using the free credits.
- High-quality output & results.
- It displays more than 1 output and you only get charged with 1 credit.
- You can prompt in over 100 languages.
- It’s the cheapest tool on this list (for now).
- Adobe is a solid company – they have the resources and technology to scale & dominate this space.
- Beginner-friendly – no credit card required, simple interface, and no design degree needed to use it.
- A lot of tutorials online – so you can easily find solutions to your problems quickly.
- You can edit & restore generated AI images.
- They have a library of generated images which you can get inspiration from.
- It generates the images really quickly.
- Aggressive marketing – they play around with pricing a lot (for other Adobe products). So that cheap price tag might not last long.
- Doesn’t save your prompted images, so you’ll lose them if you don’t save them.
- No templates to choose from.
- No feedback system.
- No human models.
- Not mobile-friendly.
- Some of the features are still not available to use. (I’m looking forward to it).
It is the cheapest tool on this list.
| Package | Price | Features |
| Free | $0 | – 20 credits per month – Has watermark – Access to all the tools in Adobe Firefly (text to image, generative fill, text effects) |
| Premium | $5/month | – 100 credits per month – No watermark – Everything in the previous plan |
6. Photoroom
Brief overview
If you’re always editing images on your phone, you should take the time to check Photoroom.
You can choose to take an image using your phone or select images from your gallery.
Like all the other tools, it will remove the background.
From here you can do a lot of things:
- use the templates
- create a poster
- add an AI background
If you prefer generating backgrounds with a prompt, Photoroom gives you 2 options:
- Assisted
- Manual
Here’s the output when I used Photoroom’s template & created my own manual prompt:
You can of course export it to your phone’s gallery.
- The range of features and you can test it all out by using the free credits.
- High ratings on the iOS store (4.9/5 with over 7,600 reviews).
- A lot of tutorials and documentation.
- Has a mobile app that’s easy to use. You can take AI-generated product images on the go.
- Has all the social media sizes that you can export to in an instant.
- Background removal works amazingly.
- You can instantly create posters (add texts and other backgrounds)
- It works very fast. I just feel the entire process is ridiculously fast.
- For custom backgrounds, you can choose either an assisted prompt or a manual prompt. It even allows you to write a negative prompt.
- It doesn’t have a free version but it does give a 7-day free trial.
- No generative fill.
- No AI human models or elements.
- You can’t generate backgrounds for multiple products at the same time.
There’s really not a lot to dislike here.
| Package | Price | Features |
| Monthly | $12.99/month | – Remove Photoroom logo – High-definition cutout & export – Batch edit multiple images – Optimise & resize for marketplaces – Can use it on a laptop and phone |
| Yearly | $89.99/year | – The same features with the monthly package |
On Our Radar: 20 Other AI Photography Tools I Tried
| AI Product Photo Software | My Thoughts | Rating |
| Blend Studio | It has two core features: – product photo generation – try on generation Product photo generation works like all the other tools on this list. Wondershare’s background removal is really weak. The object loses too many details even when you do select the region. And you’re left with a very edgy photo. For try-on generation, you get to upload your own model (or user theirs). You select the clothes you want the models to wear. I just couldn’t get the output to work well. Booth Media does a better job at this. They do give some extra credits for sharing your outwork – but you can only use that for their paid plans. | 5/10 |
| erase.bg | It’s a background removal-only tool created by Pixel Bin. It doesn’t have any AI background generation feature. But it does have an Augmented Reality software. | Not AI product photo tool |
| Unbound | Unbound takes a different approach than other AI online tools. It mixes image generation and text generation. This comes in handy when you want to create product descriptions. If you’re not on the paid plan, you’re not able to test their product photo generator – a big turn-off. You can’t change the image dimensions. The text generation feature is something you can get from the free ChatGPT. Based on other reviewers, Unbound has recently redesigned its user interface. But to me, it made it messier. Some of the features were just not usable for me. | 3/10 |
| Photo AI | Neat tool, but it is not an AI product photo generator. So you can’t use it to take professional product photos. It focuses more on creating avatars or self-portraits. | Not AI product photo tool |
| ZEG | One of the more expensive AI tools on this list. Zeg AI takes a unique approach by converting your product photo into a 3D image. Your first step would be to upload a 2D image. You then have to wait for the 3D version to render (which is sent to your email). For some reason, it takes a long time to get this image. I had to wait for 24 hours. You can then choose the background and any props you want to include. (And there’s a lot). Zeg will then create an Augmented Reality (AR) for your product. I can see how this can be useful for brands – you have greater control over the image design. The final render takes around 30-120 minutes. To me, it feels like you are using Blender + Magic Studio. You can control the lighting, branding elements, props and more products. This can get very overwhelming, very quickly. If you have many products and want an easy-to-learn tool for high-quality photos, this isn’t for you. Zeg is intended for companies that want to create 3D mockups for their products + have some advanced design knowledge. | 5/10 |
| Pixelcut | Simple to use. It reminds me of Magic Studio + a lightweight version of Canva. You can create simple posters, resize the canvas, use AI writer and try their social media template. The blending of the product images isn’t clean. And you can’t generate an AI background. I also ran into bugs (eg. couldn’t save my project). The real strength of Pixelcut is its mobile app. You can create social media posters and edit images on the go. Personally, I think you might be better off using Canva. | 2/10 |
| Ecomtent | I have mixed feelings about this one. One of the more expensive AI photo editing software on this list. Ecomtent focuses more on single-brand eCommerce stores. You can use it for: – Generate AI product images – Create infographics – Create product descriptions But, to get all these features, you need to be on their more expensive plan. I’m not keen on their pricing model. To create your product photo, upload and edit your product image. (The resolution, image size, the mode – creative or precise). You end it with a prompt of how you want the AI to generate the photo. I love how smoothly the original image blends with the generated background. But it still gives that artificial, waterpaint-y image quality. Their AI product description generation is something you can use ChatGPT. For me, the biggest brick wall here is the lack of free trial. It makes it hard for users to try and test. Especially with the price point + no guarantees + refunds + lack of reviews. Too much risk. | 3/10 |
| Vue.ai | Advanced AI tool not meant for small businesses. It has: – Complex product recommendation engine – AI product tagging system – Customer profile generation – AI-powered search – Personalised email notifications Vue.ai mainly focuses on fashion, skincare, grocery, home furniture, and electronics. I think the most fascinating application of generative AI is how Vue.ai allows you to choose models for your fashion products. With this, you can fit your products (clothing, pants, handbags) onto the AI models. You can generate AI models of different ethnicities and sizes. This advanced AI-powered tool is only available for demo – code for big businesses only. | Can’t rate it but I am really impressed with it. |
| CreatorKit | I love how clean the Creator Kit flow is. It’s very visual so you can see the templates and previews of the output and next steps. While testing, I noticed that the background remover tool isn’t always accurate. You also can’t edit it. You have the option of using: – Pre-existing templates – Create a custom prompt – Upload reference image – The templates are limited but the output generated is of good quality. They also have AI video tools & are working on adding a feature to use AI to generate ads. (Still in beta so I couldn’t test it). Overall, a well-made tool that lacks templates. Oh, it also integrates with Shopify. | 7/10 |
| ZYNG | Still in beta. Features feel barebones. You manually import assets like product images and props, then provide a prompt to create your layer. There’s no background remover. | 2/10 |
| Shot Rate | Very plain. Just drop your image & type a prompt. No background remover. The output feels very artificial. They don’t store any of the results so you have to download them straight away if you don’t want to lose the data. Their terms of use are very limiting (especially for commercial purposes). | 2/10 |
| Lionvaplus | Great data protection policy. They don’t store any of your images & delete them after 48 hours. The user interface is confusing. You upload images and describe what it is but you’re only given an option of vehicles to select. Your uploaded image also needs to be manually reviewed. If you’re using their free trial, you’re limited to 1 image generation per month. For the price you’re paying, it’s not worth the hassle. | 1/10 |
| Imajinn | With Imajinn, you’re able to train a generative AI model on your products. You’ll want to upload around 20-30 high-quality shots of your product which will be used to train the AI. The higher the image resolution, the better the output. The only drawback here is that if your product has a lot of writing on the packaging, it will be distorted. The output is also more artistic & creative. If you want a more hyper-realistic result, this isn’t the one. I think the tool is more focused on creating AI models for avatars rather than product photos. | 2/10 |
| Breeze.ai | Another simple AI photo editing app to use. Upload product image, add text prompts & generate your output. The image quality seems a bit chalkish – doesn’t look realistic. And it doesn’t follow my prompts really well. Eg. I would ask the product to be placed on a white marble tabletop, but the final output wouldn’t be white. It also can’t generate human hands or features. 1 generation = 4 credits – you’ll finish credits quickly. | 2/10 |
| Stylized | I wasn’t able to access the tool because of some email problems when I tried to sign up. But at first glance: – Looks like the Photoshop of generative AI tools – A lot of neat features that other tools don’t have – It works using layers so you can move your products – You can export as WebP – The photo editor is in 3 dimensions so you can move it along the X, Y and Z axis. Genuinely can’t wait to try it. | Can’t rate it yet. |
| zmo.ai | It has two core features: – product photo generation – try on generation Product photo generation works like all the other tools on this list. Wondershare’s background removal is really weak. The object loses too many details even when you do select the region. And you’re left with a very edgy photo. For try-on generation, you get to upload your own model (or user theirs). You select the clothes you want the models to wear. I just couldn’t get the output to work well. Booth Media does a better job at this. They do give some extra credits for sharing your outwork – but you can only use that for their paid plans. | 5/10 |
| Booth Media | Uses a different credit model than the other AI tools. You can generate as many images as you want, you will only get credits deducted when you download. This sounds great until you learn that you can only download 4 with the $99 plan. They have different credit system allocations for different image types. It has one of the best-guided text prompts out of all the tools I’ve used so far. The user interface is really polished and easy to use. They have a great product library. You can upload your product photos and use them later when you generate your AI models. (Which means your AI models can use your products). At the moment, they only support Fashion, Furniture and Packaged goods. I want to love it but the price tag is too steep. | 6/10 |
| Edit At Scale | Still in beta. I wasn’t able to get the photo generation working. It was stuck with errors. There’s a lack of documentation and tutorials. | 1/10 |
| Designify | Designify takes a different approach to AI media generation. When you upload your product image, you can choose what feature you want to select: – Remove background – Select image size – Add predefined You can’t add your own prompts or choose backgrounds that are not in the library. | 4/10 |
| Wondershare VirtuLook | It has two core features: – product photo generation – try on generation Product photo generation works like all the other tools on this list. Wondershare’s background removal is really weak. The object loses too many details even when you do select the region. And you’re left with a very edgy photo. For try on generation, you get to upload your own model (or user theirs). You select the clothes you want the models to wear. I just couldn’t get the output to work well. Booth Media does a better job at this. They do give some extra credits for sharing your outwork – but you can only use that for their paid plans. | 5/10 |
| DeepImage | It enhances your photos using AI. The results are mediocre. The price is also reasonable. If you have a bad-quality image you want to enhance, this tool could be useful. | 4/10 |
Feature comparison between the rest of the product photo AI.
What Are AI Tools For Product Photography?
Definition and a brief overview
AI product photography tools use Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create images.
It can create photo-realistic images using different inputs like text-based commands.
These AI software can produce new images that share characteristics with their training data.
Generative AI models like Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) create high-quality images from text descriptions.
Now, tools like Flair make image generation easier with simple features like drag & drop.
How AI Product Photography Tools Work
Different AI product photography tools may use various machine learning technologies.
But the most popular technologies currently used are diffusion and large language models.
By now, you’ve probably heard of ChatGPT.
ChatGPT is an example of a large language model.
It can process and generate text based on the user’s prompts.
The large language model doesn’t understand the text input like we do.
Instead, they transform the text into numbers, typically vectors, which the machine can process.
Diffusion modelling is a way to generate images by gradually adding Gaussian noise to a random image until it becomes indistinguishable from pure noise.
This model is then trained to reverse this process.
It will start from the noise image until a coherent image is created.
When you give the AI image generation tools a text prompt, the model will first generate a random noise.
Then iteratively, it will remove noise from the image, using the text prompt as its guide.
The model stops when it has an image that is consistent with the text prompt.
Traditional vs. AI Product Photography
A comparative look
The debate isn’t about AI replacing traditional photography.
It is about understanding when and where should you use either.
I don’t think cheap, high-quality images from Artificial Intelligence will end traditional product photography.
Both have their own unique cases.
1. Consistency
While AI tools are evolving, they might not always guarantee the consistency that a serious brand would aim for.
If you want strict uniformity for your brand’s products, traditional photography may offer more control.
It is possible to achieve this with Artificial Intelligence software, but it is not as easy as it seems.
2. Time
Are you on a tight deadline?
Do you need quick mock-ups?
Do you have a lot of different marketing ideas you want to test?
AI product photo generators are your go-to.
Just snap a picture with your phone, upload it to your AI tool and in just 60 seconds, you will get your final product.
Traditional product photography has so many steps.
Finding a photography studio.
Deciding on a theme and models.
Post editing.
These could take weeks and even months – potentially delaying key marketing efforts.
3. Price
Traditional product photography comes at a steeper price.
The average cost for product photography is $100 – $300 per hour.
And you will still be limited by the number of products, concepts and shots.
If you have more than 1 product, and you want more than 1 concept, the costs will accumulate very quickly.
AI product photo generators offer a more budget-friendly option.
AI tools cost an average of $10-$49, with some robust free versions available.
4. Emotional Connection:
One thing that I feel traditional photography has an edge over AI tools is emotion.
Photographers can often capture and convey emotion, atmosphere and story in their shots.
I find that while AI tools can create technically great images, trying to capture that emotional essence or story is still a big challenge.
Benefits of Using AI Tools
But those are not the only advantages that AI software has.
Scalability: As your business and product line grows, AI photography tools can scale with you without major cost increases.
Revisions & Tweaks: If you don’t like the final results, AI can instantly revise them for you. Traditional photography would require re-shoots adding more time and money.
Customisation & accessibility: Many tools mentioned allow easy adjustments of lighting, angles, and backgrounds. You can instantly apply it to all your products.
Automation: You can automate your entire product photography workflow. You cut out most of the manual labour, and you can create S.O.P.s that anyone can easily follow & replicate.
Can AI product photo generators create lifestyle images?
Yes, it definitely can.
Here are some examples of the lifestyle images I created using the AI product photography tools in this list.
Deep Dive: How to Use AI Product Photography Tools Effectively
1. Use high-quality images
The better the quality of your image, the better the output.
(Pssst…..You don’t need to be a professional photographer to take high-quality images)
Make sure to:
- Remove unnecessary background
- Get perfect lighting (and be conscious of the shadows)
- And take lots of photos
2. Take multiple different angles
Using the same shot and angle for every AI generation will make your feed look boring.
Spice things up by changing angles for your product shots.
This way you can test different ways your product can look.
If you use AI tools like Pebblely you can even upload an image of your hand holding the product to make it even more lifestyle-like.
3. Have a mood board
Use Pinterest or Instagram to find inspiration for product photos.
When you have a mood board, you can get a better idea of what keywords to use.
For me, I like to stalk professional photographers on Instagram.
Here are some examples:
4. Use ChatGPT or Bing
Both ChatGPT & Bing have direct integration with Dall-E, a photo generative AI.
This means you can upload any images (like the ones in your mood board) & ChatGPT or Bing can help create the prompt for you.
Case Study: Milaner’s Success with AI Product Photography
Milaner is a luxury Italian eCommerce brand that specialises in bags and accessories.
They are strongly focused on craftsmanship and sustainability.
That’s why they only source from the region’s top artisans.
But they had a problem.
How could they digitally show the strengths of their products?
They needed more than just pictures of bags.
They wanted customers to see the bag’s size, the strap’s length and the little nuances that made their products special.
Traditional photoshoots were too expensive, time-consuming, and not sustainable for all their products.
That’s when they started using Vue.ai.
With this AI product photography tool, Milaner could automate the process of their product photography.
This software lets Millaner choose models of various ethnicities, weights, and poses.
The result?
- A whopping 75% cost-saving.
- Product images churned out 5x quicker than the old-school photoshoots.
- A jump in engagement rate by 40%.
- And the cherry on top? A staggering 157% surge in conversions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Yes, you can.
Just try out any of the different tools that I’ve shared above.
You might find that some tools work better for your specific workflow and use case.
But at the end of the day, AI product photography software is just a tool for us to utilise.
In all my hours of research, here’s what I’ve uncovered…
Recently, a U.S. court in Washington ruled that art created by artificial intelligence without human input can’t be copyrighted under U.S. law. (Source: Reuters)
The core of this issue is the way that generative AI models are trained.
In order for it to generate an output (image, audio, text), it needs a lot of data as its input.
And these data, especially images, come from the real work of actual humans.
So if I wanted to create a Simpson-style image, I would need the model to train on the actual Simpson cartoon drawings.
Because of this, legally, these AI software are not considered to be the “author” of the material that they create.
But it’s not as simple as that.
When we use AI tools like Midjourney, the creative work produced is a collaboration between a human and software.
In an interview with Built In, Daniel Gervaise asked: what if you could distinguish between a machine’s and a human’s roles in creating an image?
Daniel Gervaise is a professor from Vanderbilt Law School who focuses on intellectual property law.
To me, this shows that:
- The generative AI space is still new and lawmakers are still trying to figure it out
- This debate will last quite a long time
Note:
This isn’t legal advice but rather just my opinion based on the 92 hours I’ve spent researching this topic.
The short answer: It depends.
Different tools will lay out different terms and conditions for the final results that you use.
Based on my research, for the majority of the AI tools, the user owns the image that is generated.
To be safe, you should always read the terms and conditions.
I’ve laid out some of the policies of these AI tools in the table here.
Conclusion
I believe traditional & professional product photography will always be here to stay.
But if you’re on a crunch – be it time or money – then Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be your new best friend.
Whether you are:
- On a tight budget
- Need marketing-ready photos ASAP
- or want to explore different photoshoot ideas & themes quickly
There’s an AI product photography tool for that.
My top 5 picks are Pebblely, Flair AI, Adobe Firefly, Photoroom & Magic Studio.
What’s your experience with AI photography?
Have I missed anything on this list?
Share in the comments below!
