Design with AI
A checklist for AI product visuals
Labels, packaging shape, proportions and lighting. A review sequence for comparing a generated scene with the real product.
Lighting and composition tend to catch your eye when you open a product visual. An appealing scene can still contain a misspelled label or a cap with the wrong shape. Start the review with the product itself.
Keep an approved product photograph beside the generated image as you check it. Add any details you haven't verified to a correction list, and review it before calling the image finished.
Pin down the product reference first
Choose references showing the correct variant, packaging version and relevant angles. Do not combine an old packaging photograph with a new label by accident. Ask the product owner for another image when you cannot confirm a detail.
Write down what must remain unchanged: the body shape, cap, colour, lettering and number of parts. Keep possible scene changes in a separate list. Changing the background colour is a different decision from changing the colour of the bottle glass.
Zoom in on the shape and label
Display the reference and generated product at a similar size. Compare the width-to-height relationship, neck, cap height and seams. If the scene uses a different angle, distinguish perspective from a change to the product's construction.
Read the label letter by letter. Check the brand name, variant and small print without relying on the overall impression. When lettering needs correction, use the approved label artwork in a separate edit. Do not assume another generation will spell the text correctly.
If a prop covers part of the product, that hidden area remains unverified. Record the limitation or request a clearer view before approving the detail.
Check how the material catches light
Glass, matte plastic and polished metal respond differently to light. Check that the product's material looks right in the scene. Look for matte surfaces that have become mirror-like and highlights that obscure the label or alter the apparent colour.
Check the direction and edges of the shadow, then look closely at where the product meets the surface. Inspect the reflections for extra caps, repeated lettering or objects that do not belong in the scene.
Check the final crop
Open the image at its intended delivery dimensions. Vertical content, a square cover and a wide banner may need different crops. Even if the full-size image is accurate, check that the crop does not cut through the product name or cap.
Test the space reserved for copy in the actual design. Reframe the image if the product and headline compete for the same area. Use guides during review, then remove them and any temporary marks before delivery.
Make approval traceable
Keep the reference, selected image and correction notes in one review package. Ask the product owner to identify the version they approve. A later edit to the label or packaging needs another check.
Record the production method and source assets in your own notes. Present a concept as a concept, rather than as client work or a verified product photograph. Check with the person responsible whether the image is suitable for publication and whether you have permission to use it.
- The variant, packaging version and number of parts match the reference.
- I have read the label at full size and checked for broken or added text.
- Colour and material agree with the approved product reference.
- Shadows, reflections and contact areas contain no unintended extra parts.
- I have reviewed the final crop and exported file.
- The approver and approved version are recorded.
Ali Cem Bozma
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