Shopify Editor

Shopify Expands Generative AI Features with Synthetic Image Editor for Product Backgrounds and More

Shopify is releasing a Magic Media Editor for sellers to synthesize background images to pictures of products. The e-commerce platform augmented its generative AI features as part of its Winter Edition update this week, joining Amazon, Google, and other online shopping markets in incorporating synthetic image engines for the benefit of advertisers and merchants.

Shopify Background AI

The Magic Media Editor leverages generative AI to offer backgrounds to produce in seven pre-set styles, or a merchant can write custom prompts to produce new backgrounds that match their brand aesthetic. The editor also allows users to remove a background with a click. The AI will also start suggesting possible backgrounds that would work with what’s in the merchant’s library later this year. The tool is very similar to Google’s Product Studio scene generation tool and Amazon’s advertiser toolkit for creating synthetic images to use in ads.

“Building an online store requires tons of high quality media assets, which can cost hundreds of dollars per image and weeks to produce. Our new Media Editor lets you use generative AI to DIY your product images instantly and for free, directly within your Shopify Admin,” Shopify wrote in its announcement. “Create original images and professional-level edits with a few clicks or keywords, no design skills needed. Soon, you’ll be able to erase unwanted pixels and enhance details in a low-resolution image (up to 4K).”

Additionally, Shopify is rolling out improved semantic search that goes beyond keywords to understand intent and context. Referencing a season like winter might suggest insulated jackets, and mentioning a location like a beach might bring back swimwear. To better showcase product variants, Shopify now supports up to 2,000 combinations based on changing attributes. A new app for Shopify Plus customers allows users to manage unique descriptions, images, and URLs for each variant to target different audiences.

Shopify has been keen on generative AI for a while. The Magic Editor is part of the Shopify Magic suite of generative AI tools introduced last year, including the Shopify Sidekick, a ‘co-pilot’ style assistant for finding goods. The company was also among the first brands to sign up for ChatGPT plug-ins.

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