Talk to us about Image Editing & Graphic Design

Before you ask

The questions that come up on most image editing & graphic design inquiries.

How do you keep four hundred images looking like one brand?

One image is edited to your brief and approved first. Everything after that is matched to it rather than edited independently, and a second person checks the whole batch against that reference before anything ships. That single step is the difference between a catalog and four hundred separate decisions. It is also why we ask for the hardest files rather than the best ones when you send a trial.

What is the difference between a clipping path and masking?

A clipping path is a vector outline drawn with the pen tool. It gives a crisp, re-editable edge and suits hard-edged subjects — boxes, bottles, tools, most products. Masking works on pixels and handles soft or semi-transparent edges: hair, fur, fabric, smoke, glass. If your subject has any of those, masking is the right service and a path will disappoint you.

What do you need from the shoot?

The garment on the form, plus separate shots of the inside neck, and the cuffs and hem where those will show. Shoot everything from a locked-off camera position with the lighting unchanged between exposures. Without the inside shots the effect cannot be built, and that is the commonest reason a set has to be reshot.

What is the difference between a clipping path and masking?

A clipping path is a vector outline drawn with the pen tool. It gives a crisp, re-editable edge and suits hard-edged subjects — boxes, bottles, tools, most products. Masking works on pixels and handles soft or semi-transparent edges: hair, fur, fabric, smoke, glass. If your subject has any of those, masking is the right service and a path will disappoint you.

What do basic, complex and super-complex mean?

How many anchor points the subject needs, which is what the time goes on. Basic is a simple closed shape like a phone or a book. Complex has many curves or internal holes — a bicycle, a chair with slats. Super-complex is something like jewelry with chain links or a garment with lacing. We grade your images and tell you the mix before quoting.

Can you do it from a single photograph?

Sometimes, and it is always a compromise. Without an inside-neck exposure the neck opening has to be reconstructed rather than composited, and on a close look it shows. Send us one image as a free trial and we will tell you honestly what we can get from it.

Why was my marketplace listing rejected?

Usually the background is not pure white, the image is under the minimum pixel size, or the product fills too little of the frame. Amazon, Walmart and Target all publish binding specs and enforce them automatically, so these are engineering requirements rather than preferences. Tell us which marketplace and we will deliver to that spec rather than to a general one.

Will the path be saved in the file?

Yes. The path is saved inside the delivered file, so you or anyone downstream can re-use or adjust it rather than starting again. We also supply flattened outputs — transparent PNG and white-background JPEG — so the files are usable immediately.