Prepare a source that separates the product
Use a sharp image with the entire product in frame — handles, straps, antennae, cables, and corners included. Even lighting helps the model tell a real edge from a cast shadow. If several products belong to one catalog, shoot them from a similar height and perspective before processing.
Glossy and transparent products are the hard case: the background shows through the object. Shoot them against a contrasting, uncluttered backdrop when you can. A model can estimate transparency, but it cannot recover a shape that reflections have completely replaced.
Correct the mask in a stable order
Keep natural contact shadows until you know the destination: marketplaces usually want a clean white field, while a brand page often benefits from a subtle grounding shadow.
- Smart restore the big losses
Bring back any substantial product region the model removed — a handle, a corner, part of the base — before touching anything small.
- Smart erase connected background
Remove leftover background inside handle openings, between parts, and along the base with a stroke inside the unwanted region.
- Finish with manual brushes
Zoom in and clean small corners and one-pixel fringes last. Large-to-small keeps the undo history readable and avoids redoing work.
What marketplaces expect
Requirements differ per platform — export from one transparent master instead of re-cutting for each destination.
| Destination | Background | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon main image | Pure white (RGB 255,255,255) | Product fills ~85% of frame; no props or watermarks. |
| eBay / Etsy | White or light neutral preferred | Transparent PNG accepted in most categories. |
| Shopify / your own store | Anything consistent | Keep one background and one shadow style per collection. |
| Design & ads | Transparent PNG master | Keep the alpha master so layouts can change later. |
Pre-listing checklist
Check the export at 100% and at the thumbnail size buyers actually see. Zoomed-in defects often vanish at display size, while a one-pixel halo can get worse after resizing.
- The full product is present — corners, handles, cords, and internal openings.
- No original background remains inside holes or between separated parts.
- White and gray previews show no color fringe.
- Margins, scale, background, and shadow match the rest of the catalog.
- A transparent PNG master is saved alongside any flattened marketplace copy.