How I use AI to Create Free Product Photos

One of the first things I learned in digital marketing is that a good product image is essential for generating sales online.

You can have the best copy, the most competitive price, even a spectacular product... but if you don't show it in that image, you lost the opportunity.

That's why brands invest so much in product photography. But of course, not all of us have the budget or time for professional sessions. And that's where artificial intelligence (AI) comes in.

I've been testing various free AI tools to create images that sell, and in this article I share the results I've had and how you too can create your product photos with artificial intelligence.

Today we will see:

• AI tools to create product images

• How I use AI to take product photos 

• When to use AI to create product photos

• Learnings from using artificial intelligence for advertising photos

Additionally, you can download the free guide to create your own product photos with AI (step by step) 

Let's get started!

How I found AI tools for creating product photos and which ones I chose

If we search “AI for creating product images” on Google, thousands (if not millions) of pages promise to be the tool you need, but... are they really?

When I started this exploration, I always had three things for sure. I needed the artificial intelligence tools to be free (without payment), easy to use, and to give me a good result (that it was almost unnoticeable that the images were AI-generated).

• Price

This was one of my non-negotiables. I wanted to find apps and tools with AI accessible to everyone and had no plans to invest in memberships or subscriptions in dollars. 

I knew that by being free AIs there could be limitations such as a maximum number of images per day or access to basic options, but what I require are product photos for social media or the catalog, so it worked for me.

• Ease of use

After finding those free tools, my second criterion was that they were easy to use. I needed to repeat the process with several images so an AI that worked in few steps was ideal. 

I also considered that the registration process to start using the tool was not too long (or, ideally, didn't even require registration)

• The result

This could only be verified by using the AIs. I tried to generate product images with different options from each tool to confirm that the quality of the result was consistent. 

After testing more than 20 tools for product photos with AI, I share the best five that met my 3 criteria. 

My top 5 AI tools to create free product images

• PhotAI

• PixelCut

• Photoroom

• ChatGPT 

• Gemini/Nano Banana (very powerful!)

Here I can divide these tools into two types: those that allow you to generate product images with a prompt and those that let you edit your photos without prompts. Join me in seeing them in action.

How I use AI to create and enhance product images

Much has been said about how to generate images with AI, but when it comes to photos of your products, it's necessary to provide that initial photo to the artificial intelligence. 

In other words, if you sell office chairs, you might ask the AI to take a product photo of a corporate chair in black color, but it would give you a very generic image. How do you ensure it's the same model you sell? 

For that reason, we must start from a base image of your product. For example, I used these:

And I got to work generating good product images in these cases:

1. Catalog photo with white background

➡️ AI for product photos I used: Photoroom

By uploading your base photo, the same tool will automatically remove your background to customize it according to what you need. 

For this case, I needed the product to have a clean background (white color) as is the standard in product catalogs or e-commerce stores. When the user is browsing your store, you want all the focus to be on your products, and you achieve that with a neutral background like white. 

What's great about Photoroom is that it has a template for professional product images, and your image even comes out with a shadow that gives depth to the product 

Look at the before and after!

2. Product photo with IA-customized background

➡️ AI for product photos I used: PhotAI and Gemini

Now, what happens if you need a themed background for your image? Well, it can also be achieved with artificial intelligence. In fact, this is one of the most frequent uses: AI for product backgrounds. 

Both PhotAI and Gemini gave me good results without having to pay. 

With PhotAI, I uploaded my base image, it recognized the category of my product, and suggested high-quality backgrounds. 

Additionally, I could choose a generated background or create one to my liking with a prompt. 

In the case of Gemini, I had to create my own prompt, but it was totally worth it because the results were amazing. I could even make variations of the same image to my liking.

Here I show you the before and after:

3. Two products in an advertising image

➡️ AI for product photos I used: Nano Banana from Gemini

Now it's the real test. I had two products that I wanted to combine into one image, and I thought the AI could achieve it. 

So I turned to Gemini due to the good result in the previous experiment, and it didn't disappoint me. 

However, I must warn you that much depends on how detailed your prompt is. It took me a few attempts to get it right, but the result was spectacular. 

Here the before and after:

d. Product replacement in advertising photo

➡️ AI for product photos I used: Nano Banana from Gemini (my favorite!)

I wanted to take it a step further to see if AI could help me have different photographs of a specific product.

To begin, I asked Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (Nano Banana) to change the color of a handbag (to mimic what it would be like to have more than one product). In my prompt, I attached the original photo of the cream handbag and a photo of the exact color I wanted.

I took this new cobalt blue handbag as my base photo. And I asked it to replace it in an advertising photograph where a model was holding an existing handbag.

See the results:

This means you can have some base session photos with a model and then place different versions of your product with artificial intelligence, and in seconds!

We recommend obtaining the rights to the image where the model appears or (even better) you can take it with your team.

I also started playing a bit with the image AI in Gemini and was able to create contextual photographs for our blue handbag. Here are these extra uses to inspire you:

Download the guide: How to use AI for product photos (step by step)

Your turn has arrived! If you got here, it's because you're looking to create or improve photos of your products with artificial intelligence. And you've seen that it is possible.

I've reviewed over 20 AI tools, and the top 5 I selected have given me great results. Now, you can download for FREE the step-by-step guide I followed to generate the product photos you see in this article and more:

You'll find:

• How to take a base photo to use it with AI?

• The step-by-step to create your product images with AI free.

• 9 proven prompts for product images with AI

• Recommended visual styles according to your industry

• How to use AI to generate your product data sheets (unmissable!)

• The uses you saw here and additional ones with free AI tools

Learnings from creating product photos with AI

• The base photo is a mandatory input to generate a good image of your product. Try to take it in an environment with white light and ensure that the background has a solid color.

  
  

• When using prompts, they must be quite detailed to achieve the result you have in mind. The guide includes the formula to make your own prompt.

• There are many AI tools capable of generating images. Dare to explore new uses on your own. Ask yourself the question: What do I want to improve in my product photos? And, surely, there is an AI for that.

❓ Frequently asked questions about using AI for product photos

Can AI help with product photography?

Yes, artificial intelligence can generate realistic, attractive, and personalized product images without the need for a photo session. This is especially useful for entrepreneurs and small businesses that need professional images but don't have the budget to hire photographers or studio sessions. It's also perfect for testing different styles and presentations before deciding which works best for your brand.

Is it necessary to have experience in design or photography to use these AI tools?

No, you don't need previous experience. One of the great advantages of these tools is that they are designed to be accessible to anyone, regardless of their technical level.

Most AI tools for images are intuitive: you only describe what you want, and the platform generates it. It's as simple as writing a message. If you want more specific results, you can gradually learn what types of descriptions work best, but it's definitely not a requirement to start.

Are images generated with AI suitable for advertising?

Yes, many images generated with AI can be used in ads, especially on social media or online stores. Just make sure they comply with the policies of the platform where you're going to publish them. Some may require you to label the content as AI-generated, especially if it's paid advertising.

Do I need to provide a photo of my actual product?

Some platforms allow you to upload an image of your actual product and then generate new versions with different backgrounds, lighting, or contexts. Others work entirely with text descriptions, where you detail the characteristics of your product, and the AI creates it from scratch.

According to my experience with AI tools for photos, using a real photo of your product as a base tends to give more accurate results.

Last updated: August 31