A clean, honest product photo from your phone

Example: Hannah Brooks screen-prints canvas tote bags in a spare room in Tucson, Arizona, and sells them online and at a weekend market. Her photo of the "Market Day" tote was taken at night, under a ceiling lamp. The canvas looks yellow and the print is unreadable.

After this lesson, you'll have one clear, truthful main photo of your product.

Window, paper, wipe

First, pick your hero product: the one product you'll take through this course. Choose one in stock and within reach. Then:

1. Window. Daylight from the side. No flash, no ceiling lamp.
2. Paper. White poster board or a plain sheet, curved up behind the product.
3. Wipe. Wipe the lens. Fill the frame. Tap the product on the screen to focus.

Shoot five views: front, back, a detail, in a hand for scale, and everything included.

Let the assistant tidy the scene

1. Get the app. In your app store, find ChatGPT (made by OpenAI) or Google Gemini (made by Google). Sign in with an email address or your Google account; no card is needed. Under 18? Check the age rule in the app's terms first.
2. Attach the photo. Tap the plus sign next to the message box and choose your photo.
3. Paste the prompt, replace each bracket with your own words, and send.

This is a real photo of my product: [what it is, for example "a canvas tote bag with printed lettering"]. I sell it online.
Edit this photo. Do not create a new product.
1. Keep the product exactly as it is: same shape, size, color, printed text, logo, pattern, and any small flaws.
2. Change only the background: make it [plain white, light gray, or a simple wooden table].
3. Make the light soft and even, with a gentle shadow under the product.
4. Add nothing: no text, no watermark, no props, no people.
If you cannot keep the product identical, tell me instead of guessing.
If any [bracket] above is still empty, ask me for it before you answer.

Any of the three assistants works for this course; the order is not a ranking. For pictures, use ChatGPT or Gemini.

The four-point truth check

Hold the new picture next to the real item and check four points: color, shape and size, letters (every word of the print, label, or logo), and nothing added or missing.

Hannah's first edit fails: the canvas is bright white, and "Market Day" reads "Markot Day". She replies: "The printed text and the color changed. Keep them exactly as in my original photo. Change only the background." The second edit passes. She saves both pictures in a phone album called "Shop Kit".

Failed twice, or the app won't take your photo? Crop and brighten your real photo instead. A picture that looks better than the product brings returns and angry reviews. Never use AI tools to hide a flaw or to rework someone else's photo. If AI created or changed anything a buyer could take for real, switch on the platform's AI label where it has one, and keep your original photo.

No edit today? Any assistant can coach you instead:

I sell [product] on [where you sell]. Look at this photo as a buyer scrolling on a phone. In simple words, tell me:
1. The three things that make it less clear or less trustworthy.
2. How to reshoot it at home by a window.
3. Which other angles a buyer needs before ordering.
Do not edit the image.
If any [bracket] above is still empty, ask me for it before you answer.

Where this product goes next

This product next gets a listing, a week of posts, ready replies, a video, a review check, and a margin sheet. AI tools make confident mistakes, so every lesson ends with a check. No course can promise orders: they depend on your product, your price, and your market.