Ads Photoshoot — AI Product Photography

Transforms a product image or description into professional ad-ready photography in 5 distinct visual styles. Each style generates at two sizes: 1:1 (Meta/LinkedIn) and 9:16 (TikTok/Reels/Stories).

Quick Reference

Environment Setup

export GOOGLE_API_KEY="your-key"
# See /ads generate for alternative providers

Process

Step 1: Collect Product Information

Ask (combine into one message):

1. Product image: Path to product image file (local) OR product URL OR text description

   "Provide a product image path (e.g. ./product.jpg), a URL, or describe your product"

2. Product description: What is it? Key features to highlight? (helps prompt quality)
3. Styles to generate: Which of the 5 styles? (default: all 5)
   • Studio, Floating, Ingredient, In Use, Lifestyle
4. Target platforms: Which platforms will these run on?
   • Determines output sizes (default: Meta + TikTok → 1:1 + 9:16)

Step 2: Load Brand Profile (Optional)

Check for brand-profile.json in the current directory.

If found, extract for style injection:

• colors.primary → inject into backgrounds and accent elements
• aesthetic.mood_keywords → inject as atmosphere descriptors
• target_audience → use for Lifestyle and In Use context
• imagery.forbidden → exclude from all prompts

If not found, proceed with standard style templates.

Step 3: Check API Key

Verify the required environment variable is set before generating:

python3 -c "
import os, sys
provider = os.environ.get('ADS_IMAGE_PROVIDER', 'gemini')
keys = {'gemini': 'GOOGLE_API_KEY', 'openai': 'OPENAI_API_KEY',
        'stability': 'STABILITY_API_KEY', 'replicate': 'REPLICATE_API_TOKEN'}
env_var = keys.get(provider, 'GOOGLE_API_KEY')
if not os.environ.get(env_var):
    print(f'Error: {env_var} not set (provider: {provider})', file=sys.stderr)
    sys.exit(1)
print(f'OK: {env_var} is set')
"

If this exits with code 1, show setup instructions from ~/.claude/skills/ads/references/image-providers.md and stop.

Step 4: Construct Prompts per Style

For each selected style, build the prompt using the template + product description + brand DNA.

Style 1: Studio

Clean, e-commerce style product shot.

Base template:

"[product description], professional product photography, clean white seamless
background, even studio lighting, soft drop shadow, high detail product focus,
ecommerce style, [brand.colors.primary] subtle accent reflections if applicable,
top-down or 3/4 angle, no distractions, catalog quality"

Composition: Centered, slight 3/4 angle or flat lay. Output sizes: 1080×1080, 1080×1920

Style 2: Floating

Dramatic levitation effect.

Base template:

"[product description] floating in mid-air, dramatic floating product shot,
[brand.colors.primary or brand.aesthetic.mood_keywords[0]] gradient background,
atmospheric shadow below product, levitation effect, product defying gravity,
clean modern aesthetic, high contrast, striking visual"

Composition: Product centered vertically, ample space above and below. Output sizes: 1080×1080, 1080×1920

Style 3: Ingredient

Flat lay with components.

Base template:

"[product description] centered flat lay, surrounded by its key ingredients
or materials artfully arranged, top-down overhead view, clean light background,
natural texture surface, product as hero element, ingredients scattered with
intentional negative space, editorial food photography style"

Composition: Top-down, product in center, ingredients fanning out. Output sizes: 1080×1080 (optimal for this style)

Style 4: In Use

Authentic usage context.

Base template:

"person's hands using [product description] in natural context, lifestyle
photography, focus on product-hand interaction, shallow depth of field,
warm natural window light, authentic not staged, [brand.target_audience.profession]
implied context, [brand.aesthetic.mood_keywords] atmosphere"

Composition: Hands prominent, product clearly identifiable, background soft-focus. Note: Hands only — no full face (avoids model release complications). Output sizes: 1080×1080, 1080×1920

Style 5: Lifestyle

Aspirational full-context shot.

Base template:

"[product description] in aspirational lifestyle scene, [brand.target_audience.age_range]
demographic implied environment, [brand.target_audience.profession] context,
[brand.aesthetic.mood_keywords] atmosphere, golden hour or clean natural lighting,
editorial photography style, [brand.aesthetic.negative_space] composition,
product clearly visible and prominent"

Composition: Environmental context, product as hero element within the scene. Output sizes: 1080×1080, 1080×1920

Step 5: Generate Images

For each style × size combination:

python ~/.claude/skills/ads/scripts/generate_image.py \
  "[constructed prompt]" \
  --size [WxH] \
  --output ./product-photos/[style]/[product-slug]-[style]-[WxH].png \
  --json

Track results. If a generation fails, retry once with a simplified prompt.

Step 6: Organize and Report

Output directory structure:

./product-photos/
  studio/
    product-studio-1080x1080.png
    product-studio-1080x1920.png
  floating/
    product-floating-1080x1080.png
    product-floating-1080x1920.png
  ingredient/
    product-ingredient-1080x1080.png
  in-use/
    product-in-use-1080x1080.png
    product-in-use-1080x1920.png
  lifestyle/
    product-lifestyle-1080x1080.png
    product-lifestyle-1080x1920.png

Summary:

✓ Product photos generated: [N] images

  Studio:     ./product-photos/studio/ (2 sizes)
  Floating:   ./product-photos/floating/ (2 sizes)
  Ingredient: ./product-photos/ingredient/ (1 size — square only)
  In Use:     ./product-photos/in-use/ (2 sizes)
  Lifestyle:  ./product-photos/lifestyle/ (2 sizes)

  Estimated cost: [N] images × $0.067 = ~$[total]

  Best for:
  • Meta Feed → Studio (4:5) or Lifestyle (4:5)
  • TikTok/Reels → Floating (9:16) or In Use (9:16)
  • LinkedIn → Studio (1:1) or Lifestyle (1:1)
  • Google PMax → Studio (1:1) — crop to 1.91:1 after

  Run `/ads generate` to use these in a full campaign.

Cost Estimate

Before generating, show:

• Number of styles selected × 2 sizes = total images
• "$[N] images × $0.067 = ~$[total] (Gemini default)"
• If >$0.50, ask for confirmation

Platform Recommendations

Reference Files

• ~/.claude/skills/ads/references/image-providers.md — API setup and pricing
• ~/.claude/skills/ads/references/brand-dna-template.md — Brand injection schema
• ~/.claude/skills/ads/references/meta-creative-specs.md — Safe zone for 9:16
• ~/.claude/skills/ads/references/tiktok-creative-specs.md — Safe zone constraints