How to preserve wear and condition in AI images of used products

Define the exact item before its scene

Consider an illustrative used leather satchel with a rubbed corner, a repaired strap and a faded front panel. Those details distinguish this sale item from another bag of the same model. A generic photograph of an unworn edition cannot establish its condition, even when the color and manufacturer match.

Photograph the complete item and each relevant mark before exploring a scene. Associate the evidence with your own inventory identifier. If the listing represents several refurbished units, clarify what the representative image establishes and what varies; do not imply that one generated surface records every unit's wear.

Separate a presentation change from a condition change

Use this register as an external merchant worksheet. Record the source image for every condition detail and the output region where it should remain observable. A flattering angle is not automatically wrong, but a gallery must still communicate the relevant facts clearly rather than require buyers to discover them elsewhere.

Give a generated candidate a limited job

In Product images, use the actual item as the reference and describe which visible condition details must remain. Request a calm contextual view if that serves your intended placement. Avoid asking for a pristine, restored or factory-new appearance when those words contradict the item.

A requirement does not lock pixels. Compare the candidate with the real photographs before judging its setting. If the rubbed corner becomes intact or the faded panel receives fresh pigment, the output is unsuitable as evidence of this item's appearance. A separate condition photograph does not automatically cure a contradictory hero image.

Check the destination before selecting a listing image

eBay's picture policy requires accurate representation and excludes stock photos for used, damaged or defective items. Consult the relevant live rules before selecting your listing photographs. This guide does not establish eligibility for an AI scene on any marketplace.

Keep the actual photographs available even when another permitted placement uses a reviewed creative scene. Check the caption and condition description together: repaired, cleaned and refurbished describe different facts. A generated image cannot prove inspection, servicing, authenticity or functional performance, and its polish cannot justify changing the seller's documented condition grade.

Approve the marks as carefully as the background

Review the satchel's repair, worn edge and panel fading at useful zoom. Then view the whole gallery in its actual order. Ask whether the selected images agree about the same item and whether a buyer can find the real condition evidence without interpreting an atmospheric scene as a new bag.

If repeated generation removes the marks, use the real photographs for that job. Record the rejected change rather than repeatedly requesting more realism. Recheck the evidence when the physical item changes, such as a new repair or further damage during handling; an earlier attractive result cannot describe a later condition automatically.

Fictional inventory item U17 is the satchel with a repaired strap, rubbed corner and faded front. Candidate A changes only the backdrop and keeps those details visible. Candidate B restores the corner and invents an uninterrupted strap. Candidate C shows a second, cleaner satchel of the same model. B and C do not depict U17’s documented condition.

No satchel was photographed, repaired or generated in this exercise. A source photo is not automatically current after the physical item changes. Keep the actual condition views with the listing decision, and do not use a small disclosure to excuse a hero that plainly depicts a better item.