Shopify Squad About

Shopify Squad / AI product content

Shopify AI image editor: backgrounds, scenes and extending photos

Edit product photos in the Shopify file editor without a photographer or an extra app.

3 min read

Shopify’s file editor can remove or replace a product photo’s background, place the product in a new scene from a text prompt, and extend the photo beyond its edges. It’s built into the admin, so you don’t need an app. Open any image in your Shopify admin, click its thumbnail, and the AI tools sit alongside crop and resize.

Check you can use it

It’s on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Shopify Plus plans, and for a limited time on every plan at no extra cost.

On mobile, you can change backgrounds and generate scenes in the Shopify app. Extending an image isn’t available in the mobile app.

Open the file editor

  1. In your Shopify admin, go to the image you want to edit. The editor opens wherever you see the edit icon: product media, the online store editor, Shopify Messaging emails and Content > Files.
  2. Click the thumbnail to open the file editor.

Remove or replace the background

The Color background tool finds the product, separates it from the background and puts a solid colour behind it. You can also make the background transparent.

  1. In the file editor, click Color background.
  2. Check the selection. If parts of the product are missing or the background has crept in, click Choose subject and adjust it.
  3. Pick a colour from Monochrome or Standard colors, or click + under Custom to use the colour picker or enter a colour code.
  4. Click Save to replace the image, or Save as new to keep the original.

For a transparent background, save the result as a new PNG file. Other image formats can’t keep transparency.

In the Shopify app, open the image, tap Background, choose a swatch or custom colour, then tap Save or Save as new.

Put the product in a new scene

Generate changes the image from a text description: the setting, style or lighting.

  1. In the file editor, click Generate.
  2. In the prompt box, describe how the image should change.
  3. Click Submit.
  4. Click Save or Save as new.

In the app, tap Generate, enter the prompt, tap the circle-up icon and use undo and redo to compare results before saving.

Prompt tips:

  • Use at least 3 to 7 words, as short keywords separated by commas.
  • Describe the location, lighting, colour, size and camera angle.
  • Give the product’s size if it comes out at the wrong scale, for example “8oz jar candle”.
  • Say what the product rests on to stop it floating, for example “bottle sitting on table”.

A prompt following those rules: “linen tablecloth, morning window light, 8oz jar candle, side angle”.

The editor makes one AI scene at a time. Scenes you don’t save are deleted when you close the editor, so save any version you might want before trying another prompt.

Extend a photo to a new shape

Use this when a square photo needs to fill a wide banner, or a tight crop needs more room around the product. It works on desktop only.

  1. In the file editor, click Crop and transform and select the aspect ratio.
  2. Use the slider to set how far the canvas should grow.
  3. Click the image magic icon to fill the new area with background.
  4. Click Save or Save as new. Click Discard to drop the changes.

Before you put the image live

  • Resolution is about 1 MP. Generated images are set to 1 megapixel at your image’s aspect ratio. Larger images are scaled down and smaller ones scaled up, so check sharpness if your theme lets shoppers zoom.
  • Start with a clear photo. Use a photo with a clearly visible subject and good contrast.
  • The file format stays the same, except when you need transparency (PNG, see above).
  • Every generated image carries an invisible watermark. It doesn’t restrict commercial use, but it can’t be removed. Shopify says it doesn’t claim ownership of images you create this way.
  • Use Save as new while you experiment. Revert to original undoes all saved changes, but the revert itself can’t be undone.
  • Add alt text while you’re in the editor. The media editor suggests alt text generated with AI; read it before saving.
  • Report bad output with the flag icon (Report content) on desktop, or Report image in the app’s menu.

Other AI tools for product pages

If you’re following an older tutorial, Shopify Magic shows where each feature went. For the text next to your photos, see the Shopify AI product description generator guide. To hand bigger admin jobs to the assistant, read how to use Shopify Sidekick.

Sources