How to create product images in WooCommerce with AI

What you need before generating product images

Install and activate the Fotogenic AI WordPress plugin, then connect your Fotogenic AI account in its Settings. You need a WooCommerce product with a clear source photo and enough credits for the generation estimate.

Choose a photo that shows the actual item and color you sell. A front view is a useful starting point; add another view when it explains details that are hidden. Keep unrelated products and different color variations out of the source selection.

For plugin requirements and available features, see the AI product image generator for WooCommerce. This guide focuses on creating and applying your first image.

1. Select your product and source photos

Open Fotogenic AI → Studio. In Select, choose Product source and find the item by name, SKU or ID. Select it, continue, and choose Generate Images when the workflow chooser appears.

Check the selected photos before continuing. For clothing, the collar, fastenings, pockets, cuffs and hem should be clear. For packaged products, include a readable view of the label and the complete container.

For a bulk product selection, Results settings lets you use the Featured Image only, Featured Image + Gallery Images, or Gallery Images only. Choose the smallest useful set. Gallery images with unrelated accessories or a different color can make the intended product less clear.

For variable products, select the exact variation you want to update. A parent product image and a variation image serve different choices on the product page; check both rather than assuming one update covers every color.

2. Choose a template or describe your image

Decide what the new image should add to your listing. Use a product-only scene for a clear view of the item, an on-model image to show clothing when worn, or a lifestyle setting to show the product in context. Keep your existing main photo if it already explains the product well.

In Configure, open Explore templates to browse a ready-made direction. Review its preview, model options and output settings before applying it. A template brings its own settings; switch to custom configuration when you need control beyond that template.

For a custom image, work through Subject & model, Look & feel, Scene & environment, Camera & composition, and Guidance. Choose No model for a product-only photo, or use the available model options for an on-model styling image. A generated view does not establish fit or sizing.

Match the aspect ratio to the intended placement, and check the image count and quality before continuing. A portrait image can suit an apparel gallery while still needing a careful crop in a square category grid.

Start with a product-only gallery image

If you already have an accurate main photo, start with one extra gallery image. The following starting brief is an alternative to the orange flat-lay shown later; it is not the recorded request for that image.

• Source: one clear photo of the exact jacket and color you sell.
• Workflow: Generate Images, with one image for the first check.
• Subject & model: No model.
• Direction: a plain light-gray studio setting, soft light and the full jacket in frame.
• Results settings: Review images first.
• After review: keep the existing featured image and add an accepted result to the end of the gallery.

Show the complete jacket against a plain light-gray studio background with soft side lighting. Keep its color, collar, pockets, fastenings, cuffs and hem consistent with the source. Leave space around the garment. Do not add logos, text or accessories.

Put the written brief in Guidance and align the other controls with it. Avoid asking for a plain studio background in one place and an outdoor scene in another. If the result changes a fastening or fabric detail, revise or reject it before using it in the store.

3. Choose when your store images change

Before generating, open Results settings and select Review images first for your first run. New images are saved for review in Summary. Your existing WooCommerce photos stay in place until you apply an image change.

Update my store automatically applies the image changes you select after generation. It can replace the featured image, change the product gallery, or replace selected variation images. Review the destination choices carefully, especially when several products are selected.

Keep review-first selected while you try a new product or look. Use automatic updates only when you are ready for the selected destination changes to happen after generation.

Choose the featured image and gallery order

• Keep current Gallery Images: leave the gallery selection as it is.
• Add images at the beginning: place new images before the existing gallery images.
• Add images at the end: preserve the existing gallery sequence and append the new images.
• Replace current Gallery Images: use the new gallery selection. Original files remain in the Media Library.

Featured Image is a separate setting. Replace Featured Image uses the first new image, so use that option only when the first result is suitable as the main product view. For a first lifestyle or supporting image, keeping the current featured image and adding to the gallery is often the clearer choice.

A product-only scene like this orange flat-lay can add variety to a gallery alongside an on-model view. Check the cuffs, zip and pockets against the original, and keep the existing main image if it explains the product more clearly.

4. Generate and review your product images

Review the product selection, image count, quality, destination and credit estimate, then start the job. Credit use depends on the selected generation settings; use the estimate shown for your run.

When the job finishes, open the results in Summary. Compare each candidate with its source at full size. Check the product itself before judging the scene:

• Shape and color: does the item still match the product and selected variation?
• Construction: are seams, closures, pockets, handles and edges correct?
• Branding and packaging: are labels, logos and small text accurate?
• Framing: is the whole item visible, with enough space for your theme’s crops?
• Context: do scale, shadows and contact with the surface look believable?

Apply the images you accept from Summary. If a result changes the item, keep it out of the listing and try a clearer source or adjust the direction. If a run finishes with issues, check the item-level status and saved results before retrying.

5. Check the images on your product page

After applying a result, open the storefront on desktop and mobile. Check the featured image, gallery order, thumbnails and zoom. For a variable product, select each affected option and confirm that the image belongs to that variation.

Your theme controls how images are displayed. A complete image in the Media Library can still be cropped in a category grid or thumbnail. Adjust the product’s chosen image or the relevant theme image setting if an important detail disappears.

Original photos remain in the Media Library because generated images are saved as separate files. To restore an earlier photo, select it again in the product editor and put the gallery images back in the order you want.

For the standard WordPress product-editor steps, see WooCommerce’s guide to adding product images and galleries.

Create images for more products

After the first product passes review, reuse the direction on a small group with similar framing and lighting needs. Keep source selection and destination choices consistent, then inspect the group before extending it to more products. History lets you return to saved runs and their results.

For a larger selection, follow the bulk product image workflow. To plan a coordinated set across a collection, use the product catalog image guide.

Ready to use this workflow in your store? Explore the Fotogenic AI WooCommerce plugin and start with one product.