Generating images with AI
How image generation works inside the customizer — quality levels, auto-clean, cost and volume pricing, and writing prompts that print well.
Image generation turns a text prompt into an image, right inside the customizer. A shopper types "a golden retriever wearing sunglasses on a skateboard" and gets an image to drop onto their poster, card, or tee. You get the same tool in the builder for mocking up placeholder art.
This is the how-to; the Wrangler AI overview has the map of all the tools.
Where it shows up
In the template builder. Turn it on for an image placeholder in the AI tools section of the properties panel. Generate a stand-in image to see how the template feels with real art in the slot.
On the storefront customizer. When enabled on a template, the shopper sees a Generate action in the toolbar. They type a prompt, the image renders onto the canvas, and they can move, resize, and rotate it like any uploaded image.
Turn it on for products where customer-made artwork is the whole point — cards, posters, prints. Leave it off for products with tight brand artwork you don't want a shopper regenerating, like jerseys or uniforms.
📷 [screenshot: the storefront Generate panel with a prompt typed and the resulting image on the canvas]
Quality levels
You decide whether shoppers can pick a quality level:
- Low — faster to render, lower resolution. Fine for small placements and quick iteration.
- High — slower, more detail. Worth it on anything printed large.
Both levels cost the same per image. Let customers choose on poster-sized products where detail matters; lock it to one level when the choice would just be a decision they don't need to make.
Auto-clean — backgrounds off by default
By default, generated images arrive with the background already removed. Cleaner composition on the canvas, no extra click for the shopper, no extra charge — the background removal step is bundled in.
Turn auto-clean off in the AI tools panel when the product wants the whole image, background and all — a full-bleed poster, a wraparound print. That's the one case where you don't want the subject cut out.
What it costs
$0.06 per image, at any quality. Image generation shares a monthly volume counter with graphic text, and the rate drops as your combined monthly volume climbs:
| Monthly generations | Price each |
|---|---|
| 0–500 | $0.06 |
| 501–2,000 | $0.05 |
| 2,001–10,000 | $0.04 |
| 10,001+ | $0.035 |
Customer generations bill to your account. Full billing detail is in AI usage and billing.
Session limits — your cost control
Each template caps how many generations a shopper gets per design session, set in the AI tools panel. A shopper designing a card might reasonably generate three or four images; nobody needs forty. When they hit the limit, their last result stays on the canvas and checkout works as normal — they just can't run more.
Three generations at $0.06 caps your worst case at $0.18 per designing customer. Set the number you're comfortable paying against your traffic.
Writing prompts that print well
Generated images are only as good as the prompt. A few things that consistently help, whether you're writing them or coaching customers through your product copy:
- Name the subject and the style in plain words. "Watercolour fox, soft edges, cream background" beats one vague noun.
- Ask for the composition you need. Say "centred, full body, plenty of space around it" for something that has to sit inside a placeholder.
- Go simple for print. Bold shapes and clear subjects print far better than busy, cluttered scenes — especially on fabric.
- Iterate small. Change one thing per attempt. It's easier to see what moved the result.
Common pitfalls
- Expecting text inside the image to read correctly. Generators are shaky at rendering words. For lettering, use graphic text or a text placeholder, not a prompt like "a sign that says SALE."
- Turning it on for brand-locked products. If a shopper shouldn't be inventing the artwork, leave generation off for that template.
- Auto-clean on a full-bleed product. If a poster comes out with its background cut away, auto-clean is on — turn it off for that template.
- Assuming Low quality is fine for large prints. It isn't. Use High for anything printed big.
What's next
- Turn plain words into styled lettering: Graphic text: words into artwork
- Clean up uploads too: Background removal, up close
- Costs and monthly billing: AI usage and billing