# ReadyPixl Help Center (full text) > 62 articles. Index: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/llms.txt. Smaller per-section files are listed there. --- # Picking source images that clean up well URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/picking-source-images Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/picking-source-images.md Section: Background Removal Tips Summary: When you're sourcing images from stock libraries, marketplaces, or customers, what to look for so Color Removal works in one click. You're not always generating your own images. You might be: - Buying from stock libraries (Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, iStock) - Downloading from design marketplaces (Creative Market, Envato, Etsy digital downloads) - Receiving customer-supplied images for custom work - Pulling from free libraries (Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay) - Using AI-generated assets from someone else This article covers what to look for when you're sourcing — so you pick images that Color Removal V2 handles in one click instead of fighting them in cleanup. ## The 4 things to check before downloading Before you commit to an image (or pay for it), check: | Check | What to look for | | --- | --- | | **1. Is the background a single solid color?** | Click in to a 1:1 preview. Solid white, solid black, solid gray are best. | | **2. Does the background color appear in the subject?** | Same check as the [3 rules](the-rules) — the background shouldn't be a color that's anywhere in the subject. | | **3. Is the resolution at least 1500px on the short side?** | Lower than this and you'll have trouble making it big enough for upload-ready output. | | **4. Is there an "isolated" or "transparent PNG" filter on the source?** | Many stock libraries let you filter for "isolated objects" or "PNG with transparent background" — use it. | If an image fails check 1 or 2, look for an alternative. ## Stock library filters that help Most stock libraries have search filters that pre-narrow to images that work well for Color Removal V2. Use them. **Adobe Stock:** - Filter: **"Isolated"** under "Composition" → forces results to subject-on-plain-background - Filter: **"Transparent background"** under "Format" → pre-cut PNGs (best — no Color Removal V2 needed) **Shutterstock:** - Filter: **"With background only"** vs **"Isolated only"** under refinement panel - Filter: **"PNG"** under file type → many of these have transparent backgrounds **Freepik / Vecteezy:** - Filter: **"Vector"** or **"PSD"** → vectors have built-in transparent backgrounds, usable directly without cleanup **iStock:** - Filter: **"On white"** in style filters → forces solid white backgrounds **Unsplash / Pexels (free):** - Search includes terms like *"isolated on white"*, *"isolated on black"*, *"transparent background"* in your query string. Free libraries don't have format filters but search-term tweaking gets you there. ## Look for these explicit phrases in titles / descriptions Stock library descriptions often tell you exactly what you need. Look for: - *"Isolated on white"* - *"Isolated on black"* - *"Cut out"* - *"With clipping path"* - *"PNG with transparent background"* - *"On plain background"* If you see any of these, the image will likely clean up easily (or it's already pre-cut and needs no cleanup). ## Avoid these phrases / image types - *"Lifestyle"* — usually means subject in a real environment, busy background - *"Scene"* / *"Setting"* — same — busy background - *"In hand"* — has a hand and arm to deal with, plus whatever's behind - *"On a wood surface"* / *"On marble"* / *"On a textured background"* — non-solid background - *"Mood"* / *"Moody"* — usually has dramatic gradient lighting These can be great for marketing imagery but they're hard for Color Removal V2. ## Customer-supplied images When customers send you images for custom work (client projects, custom prints, product photos), you usually can't pick what they send. Tactics: **Set expectations up front.** When you ask the customer for an image, give them a one-line spec: *"Please send a clear image of your subject on a plain solid background, ideally white, gray, or black."* Most customers can do this if asked. **Spec a minimum resolution.** *"At least 2000 pixels on the short side"* — prevents customers sending tiny phone screenshots. **Have a fallback plan.** If the customer's image is unsalvageable, have a polite reply ready: *"I can work with this, but I'll need to charge a small extra fee for [extra cleanup work / time]. Or, if you can re-send a clearer version, I can use that at no extra charge."* **For chronically bad customer images,** the AI Background Remover (15 credits per use) handles them better than Color Removal V2 can. Worth the credits for one-off custom orders. ## Free library quick recommendations If you're starting out and don't have a stock library budget: | Library | Strengths | Look for | | --- | --- | --- | | **Unsplash** | Real-world images, many "isolated" subjects | Search *"product image white background"* | | **Pexels** | Real-world images + illustrations | Same — search includes *"on white background"* | | **Pixabay** | Image + illustration + vector | Filter to **Vector** — has transparent backgrounds | | **Freepik (free tier)** | Heavily filtered for design-ready assets | Filter to **PNG** with **transparent background** | | **Open Peeps / Open Doodles** | Hand-drawn illustration sets | Already PNG with transparent background | ## Test before you commit (especially for paid stock) Before you spend $10-20 per image on a paid stock library: 1. **Save a watermarked preview** (most stock sites let you do this for free) 2. **Drop it into ReadyPixl** 3. **Run Color Removal V2 at defaults** 4. **Look at the result.** If the watermarked preview cleans up well, the full-resolution version will clean even better. This 30-second test saves you from buying images that don't work for your pipeline. ## Building your own library If you're sourcing the same kinds of images repeatedly (e.g., always icons, always botanical illustrations, always emoji-style stickers): - **Find a library that consistently does it well.** Bookmark it. - **Save your "winning sources"** in a doc — which providers, which collections, which keywords. - **Combine with a ReadyPixl preset** — same source style + same pipeline = consistent batch every time. The ROI of doing this once is enormous. You'll come back to the same library + same preset for years. ## What to read next - **[The 3 rules for the cleanest background removal](the-rules)** — the principles - **[Picking the right background color](picking-background-color)** — color decision tree - **[Prompting AI for clean backgrounds](prompting-ai-for-clean-backgrounds)** — for AI-generated sources - **[What to avoid in your background](what-to-avoid)** — common mistakes - **[Recovering when the image is wrong](recovering-bad-images)** — when you can't pick a different source --- # Picking the right background color for your subject URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/picking-background-color Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/picking-background-color.md Section: Background Removal Tips Summary: How to choose a background color in your AI prompt that won't conflict with your subject. Principle, not recipe — the right color depends on the subject. When you generate an image with AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Kimi, Ideogram), **you control the background color through the prompt.** The color you pick decides how cleanly Color Removal V2 works downstream. Pick wrong and you'll fight Color Removal V2 on every image. Pick right and it's one-click forever. There's no universally "best" background color. **The right color depends entirely on what's in your subject.** This article walks the thinking. ## The only rule **The background color should be a color that does not appear anywhere in your subject.** That's it. That's the rule. The rest of this article helps you apply it when "what's in the subject" isn't obvious. ## How to think about your subject Before you write a prompt, **look at your subject and answer two questions:** 1. **What are the dominant colors in the subject?** (the main color of the product itself) 2. **What are the accent / detail colors?** (small areas — logos, text, trim, highlights, shadows in the design) Your background color needs to avoid **both lists.** Color Removal V2 targets a color across the whole image — it can't tell the difference between "the white in the background" and "the white logo on the product." Once you've made your "avoid" list, **anything else is a valid background color.** Pick one that has strong contrast with the subject (see below). ## Contrast helps too Once you've narrowed down to "any color the subject doesn't contain," **the choice with the strongest contrast against the subject usually gives the cleanest cutout edges.** - Mostly **light** subject? Pick a much **darker** color from your "OK" list. - Mostly **dark** subject? Pick a much **lighter** color. - **Mid-tone or mixed** subject? Pick something tonally far from the dominant tones — often a deep dark or a clean light, whichever the subject doesn't lean toward. You don't need to memorize specific hex codes. Look at your subject and ask: *"What's far from anything in here?"* ## Mixed subject types in the same batch If your batch has different subjects (some white objects, some black ones, some colorful ones all together), no single background color avoids all of them. **Two strategies:** 1. **Generate in groups.** Separate prompt template per subject type. Each group gets the right background for its subjects. Combine the cleaned outputs into one batch in ReadyPixl. 2. **Find a color none of them contain.** Look at all the subjects together and identify the colors that NONE of them include. Often that's an unusual color (a specific blue-green, or a saturated purple) — but if it works for all, it works. ## What about pure white backgrounds (the "Amazon look")? Pure white backgrounds are the "default" look for product images on Amazon, Etsy, and Shopify. They're what looks "clean" on listings. **The catch:** pure white only works for Color Removal V2 if your subject contains zero white. Most subjects contain SOME white (logos, labels, accents). **Workaround:** prompt the AI to generate the image on a **dark** background that the subject doesn't contain, let Color Removal V2 cleanly cut out the dark, then in ReadyPixl add a **Frames** step or use **Reposition** with a white canvas to put your clean cutout on a white background. **You get the cleanest cutout AND the white background look.** ## How to phrase the prompt Once you've decided what color to use, the **phrasing pattern** matters as much as the color name. Templates that get AI tools to deliver flat single colors (replace `[color]` with whatever color you decided on): | Pattern | Example shape | | --- | --- | | Direct | *"isolated on solid [color] background"* | | Verbose (better for ChatGPT / Gemini / Grok) | *"on a flat [color] background, one consistent color from edge to edge"* | | With anti-gradient guard | *"isolated on solid [color] background, no gradient, no texture, no pattern"* | | With anti-shadow guard | *"isolated on solid [color] background, no shadows, no contact shadow"* | **Negative phrases that help** (use in tools that support negative prompting, like Ideogram's negative prompt field): - *"no gradient, no texture, no pattern"* - *"no shadows on the background"* - *"no busy background"* For more, see [Prompting AI for clean backgrounds](prompting-ai-for-clean-backgrounds). ## How to test before committing to a prompt template Before you batch-generate 100 images: 1. Make your "avoid" list for your subject 2. Pick 2-3 candidate background colors that are NOT on the avoid list 3. Generate ONE image per candidate 4. Run them through ReadyPixl Color Removal V2 at default settings 5. The candidate where the cutout is cleanest = your winner For most users, this 10-minute exercise saves hours of per-image tweaking later. ## Common mistakes | Mistake | Why it fails | | --- | --- | | Picking a background color without looking at the subject | Background ends up matching a color the subject contains | | Forgetting the small accents (logos, text, trim) | Color Removal V2 eats those parts of the subject | | No background phrase in the prompt at all | AI picks a busy scene with multiple colors | | Vague "plain background" alone (no color specified) | AI may default to gradients or busy scenes | | Bright saturated color (red, lime green) on a colorful subject | Often matches an accent color you didn't notice | | Same background color across very different subjects | Works for some, fails for others — group them instead | ## Special case: transparent / translucent subjects Examples: glass jars, clear plastics, drink bottles, jewelry with crystals. Transparent subjects **show the background through them**, so removing the background also removes what's "inside" the subject — and the result looks strange. There's no perfect background color choice for these in Color Removal V2. **Use the AI Background Remover** (15 credits per use) — the AI handles transparency much better than color-based removal can. ## What to read next - **[The 3 rules for the cleanest background removal](the-rules)** — the foundational guide - **[Prompting AI for clean backgrounds](prompting-ai-for-clean-backgrounds)** — full prompt-engineering guide - **[What to avoid in your background](what-to-avoid)** — common mistakes - **[Color Removal V2](../pipelines/color-removal)** — the tool that uses your good backgrounds --- # Prompting AI for clean backgrounds URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/prompting-ai-for-clean-backgrounds Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/prompting-ai-for-clean-backgrounds.md Section: Background Removal Tips Summary: Prompt patterns that make ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Kimi and Ideogram generate images ReadyPixl can clean in one click. If you generate your subject images with AI, **the prompt decides whether Color Removal V2 works at default settings or whether you fight it on every image.** Get the prompt right and your whole batch cleans up in 30 seconds. Get it wrong and you re-prompt or re-process every output. This article has the exact phrases that work, by AI tool. ## The universal pattern Across every AI image generator we've tested, this structure produces backgrounds Color Removal V2 nails: > *[your subject], isolated on solid [color] background, flat even lighting, no gradient, no texture, no pattern, no shadow* Replace `[color]` with whatever color contrasts cleanly with your subject (see [Picking the right background color](picking-background-color)). That single line, dropped into the end of any prompt, usually does the job. ## Tool-specific tips ### ChatGPT **Easiest option: ask for a transparent background** ("transparent background, PNG"). Then run **Transparency Cleaner at 20–30%** first — ChatGPT's transparency often leaves invisible semi-transparent pixels. If you want a colored background instead, ChatGPT tends to overshoot on "realism" — adds shadows, contact shadows, depth-of-field blur. You have to specifically ban these. **Works:** > *Generate an image of a vintage typewriter sticker. Isolated on solid dark gray background. Flat 2D feel, no shadows, no gradient, no contact shadow, no depth of field. The background should be one solid color from edge to edge.* **Why:** - ChatGPT responds well to verbose, explicit instructions - Spelling out "one solid color from edge to edge" is more reliable than just "solid background" ### Grok Grok's backgrounds often *look* flat but aren't, which makes color removal inconsistent. For bulk work, ask for **neon green**: > *cartoon dog character sticker design, isolated on a solid neon green background, one flat color edge to edge, no gradient, no shadow* Then use **Green BG Remover** at Threshold 60 instead of Color Removal V2. ### Gemini Spell the background out in a full sentence, the same way as ChatGPT. Gemini adds a small watermark in the bottom-right corner — add **Corner Erase** (Patch → Auto) to your pipeline to remove it. ### Ideogram Ideogram has a negative prompt field — use it. **Prompt:** > *vintage typewriter illustration, isolated on solid matte black background, flat lighting* **Negative prompt:** > *gradient, texture, pattern, shadow, busy background, scenery, depth of field* ### Kimi Write the background instruction as a clear sentence. Kimi adds a watermark in the bottom-left corner — **Corner Erase** (Patch → Auto) removes it. ## The "test your prompt" workflow Before you commit to generating a 100-image batch: 1. **Generate 3-5 test images** with your candidate prompt 2. **Drop them into ReadyPixl** with just Color Removal V2 at defaults 3. **Look at the result:** - All 3-5 cut cleanly? Lock in this prompt. - 1-2 had problems? Tweak the prompt and re-test. - All 5 had problems? The prompt structure is wrong — try a different background color or a different AI tool. This 5-minute test up front saves hours of regeneration or per-image processing later. ## What to do with the prompt once it works **Save your winning prompt as a reusable template** somewhere outside the AI tool itself (a notes app, a doc, a spreadsheet). When you have a new subject to generate: 1. Open your template 2. Swap the subject text 3. Paste into the AI tool 4. Generate the batch Combined with a saved ReadyPixl preset (Color Removal V2 → Trim → Reposition), you can go from "I have an idea" to "200 cleaned, sized, upload-ready images" in under 30 minutes. ## Common prompt mistakes | Mistake | Result | | --- | --- | | "white background" alone | Often gives a busy scene with white walls | | Vague phrases like "clean look" or "minimalist" | Gradients or fall-off lighting | | Forgetting "no shadow" | Subject casts shadow onto the background | | "high quality background" | The AI invents detail and texture | | Vague color ("dark background") | The AI picks a different shade per image — inconsistent batch | | Missing "isolated on" | The AI puts the subject IN a scene, not against a background | | Asking for "transparent background" | Many AI tools still don't reliably produce transparent PNGs — often gives white or checkered output | ## Background colors by subject type (quick reference) For full per-subject guidance see [Picking the right background color](picking-background-color). Quick summary: | Subject | Best prompted color | | --- | --- | | White / pale subjects | *"solid matte black background"* | | Black / dark subjects | *"clean white background"* | | Multi-color / colorful | *"solid dark gray background"* | | Gold / silver / metal | *"deep navy blue background"* | | Mixed batch | *"solid dark gray background"* (most universal) | ## What to read next - **[The 3 rules for the cleanest background removal](the-rules)** — the foundational principles - **[Picking the right background color](picking-background-color)** — color-by-subject decision tree - **[Picking source images](picking-source-images)** — for non-AI sources (stock, downloaded assets) - **[AI image cleanup workflow](../workflows/ai-image-cleanup-multi-source)** — full pipeline for AI sources - **[Color Removal V2](../pipelines/color-removal)** — the tool itself --- # Recovering when the image is wrong URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/recovering-bad-images Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/recovering-bad-images.md Section: Background Removal Tips Summary: Salvage tactics in ReadyPixl when you can't re-source the image — old assets, customer-supplied, AI outputs you can't regenerate, downloaded stock. Sometimes you can't re-source. Old design assets. Customer-supplied images. Stock images you bought. AI-generated outputs you can't easily regenerate (lost the seed, used up your credits, the source tool changed). The image is what it is. This article covers the tactics for getting clean cutouts from imperfect sources, using ReadyPixl tools. ## Diagnose first: what's wrong with the image? Before reaching for fixes, identify which problem you have: | Problem | Sign | | --- | --- | | **Background isn't a solid color** | Color Removal V2 at default leaves patches of color behind | | **Background color appears in the subject** | Color Removal V2 eats parts of the subject | | **Multiple background colors** (gradient, two-tone) | One color disappears but another stays | | **Soft / blurry edges** | Cutout looks chopped or jagged | | **Halos around the subject** | Faint ring of color visible after removal | | **Stray pixels in the cutout** | Tiny dots of background color left scattered | | **Subject too small in the frame** | Lots of empty space, subject takes up <30% | Each problem has a different fix below. ## Problem 1: Background isn't a solid color The image has a textured, patterned, or gradient background. **Fixes:** 1. **Use Color Removal V2 in Manual mode** — click the color picker on the dominant background color (not Auto, which only catches the average) 2. **Add a second color tab** in Color Removal V2 for the next dominant background color 3. **Add more color tabs** if needed (up to 10 colors) 4. **Raise the Preset to High** (or nudge Base Threshold up) to catch more variation per color 5. **If still messy**, the source image is genuinely wrong for Color Removal V2 — you may need AI Background Removal (15 credits per use) ## Problem 2: Background color appears in the subject The image is a white subject on a white background. Or a black logo on a black background. Color Removal V2 can't tell them apart. **Fixes:** 1. **Turn ON Contiguous** in Color Removal V2. This only removes background pixels connected to the edge of the image — interior matching pixels (your logo, your accent, your white packaging text) stay intact. 2. **If Contiguous doesn't help** (the background and subject are connected via thin areas), the image genuinely needs to be re-sourced or done by hand in another tool. ## Problem 3: Multiple background colors The image has a gradient or two distinctly different background regions. **Fixes:** 1. **Use Color Removal V2's color tabs** — add up to 10 colors, each with its own Base Threshold. Pick each background color manually with the color picker. 2. **For a gradient**, raise the Preset to High (or push Base Threshold up) on the picked color so it catches the full range 3. **For very complex backgrounds** (busy scenes, multi-color patterns), Color Removal V2 isn't the right tool — Use AI Background Removal ## Problem 4: Soft / blurry edges Cutout looks chopped, jagged, or the edges look hard and pixelated. **Fixes:** 1. **Run Transparency Cleaner after Color Removal V2** — it cleans up soft, partially-transparent edge pixels 2. **For high-detail edges (hair, fur, fringe)**, this is usually a job for AI Background Remover (Recraft model, 15 credits) rather than color-based removal 3. **Or open Color Removal V2's Advanced toggle and add a little Halo Width** to shave the faint colored ring off the edge ## Problem 5: Halos around the subject A faint ring of color is visible after Color Removal V2 — most obvious when you put the cut subject on a contrasting background. **Fixes (in order):** 1. **Add Transparency Cleaner after Color Removal V2.** Set its slider to 30-50. Targets exactly this issue. 2. **Open Color Removal V2's Advanced toggle and add some Halo Width** — this removes the faint colored ring around the subject 3. **Bump Color Removal V2 to a higher Preset (or raise Base Threshold a few points — the presets are Low 6, Medium 8, High 10)** — the halo is partly because the threshold was too low to catch the edge gradient ## Problem 6: Stray pixels left in the cutout Tiny dots of background color remain after Color Removal V2, scattered around the subject. **Fixes:** 1. **Add Speckle Remover after Color Removal V2** — defaults (Max cluster size 50) catch most stray pixels 2. **Use View mode first** to see what would be removed before switching to Delete 3. **Raise Max cluster size** to 100 or 200 if leftover bits are bigger than the default catches ## Problem 7: Subject too small in the frame The subject is centered but takes up less than ~30% of the frame, leaving a lot of background to deal with. **Fixes:** 1. **Add Trim to your pipeline** — cuts off the empty edges after Color Removal V2 2. **Then Reposition** to put the trimmed subject on your target canvas size 3. **For a very small subject** (under 10% of frame), the image's actual resolution is probably too low for upload-ready output — consider regenerating at higher resolution / re-sourcing ## The full salvage pipeline For a maximally bad source image, this pipeline gives the best Color Removal V2 result possible: | Step | Tool | Settings | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **Color Removal V2** | Manual mode + color picker on dominant background; add more tabs if needed (up to 10); Preset Medium–High; Advanced → a little Halo Width | | 2 | **Speckle Remover** | Default (Max cluster size 50) | | 3 | **Transparency Cleaner** | Threshold 40-50 | | 4 | **Trim** | Default Tolerance 10, Padding 50 | | 5 | **Reposition** | Set to your target canvas size | This is the "kitchen sink" approach — every cleanup tool ReadyPixl has. For a difficult source, it produces the cleanest possible result Color Removal V2 can manage. If the result is still not clean enough after this pipeline: - **Use AI Background Remover** (Recraft model, 15 credits per use) — handles images that Color Removal V2 can't - **Or do it by hand** in another image editor (Photoshop, GIMP, Photopea) ## When AI Background Removal is the right call For these image types, **don't waste time trying to make Color Removal V2 work — Use AI Background Removal:** - Images of people (hair is too complex for color-based removal) - Furry subjects (pets, plush toys) - Transparent or semi-transparent subjects (glass, water, smoke) - Subjects against complex / busy backgrounds (cityscapes, nature) - Anything where the subject and background colors heavily overlap Color Removal V2 is for solid-color backgrounds. AI Background Remover is for everything else. ## When the image is genuinely unsalvageable Some images can't be cleaned up to a usable cutout no matter what tool you use: - **Out of focus / blurry source** — nothing recovers focus that wasn't captured - **Very low resolution** (under 500 px on the long side) — too few pixels to work with - **Severely overexposed** (subject blown out white) — no detail left to keep - **Severely underexposed** (subject crushed black) — same in reverse For these, **regenerate or re-source.** No tool restores information that wasn't there. ## A note on AI-generated source images If your "bad image" is from ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Kimi, Ideogram or another AI generator, **regenerate with a better prompt** before fighting with cleanup. The key prompt addition: **"isolated on solid color background"** or **"on a flat black background"** or similar. AI tools generate much cleaner backgrounds when you ask for them. See [the AI image cleanup workflow](../workflows/ai-image-cleanup-multi-source) for the prompting + pipeline approach. ## What to read next - **[The 3 rules for the cleanest background removal](the-rules)** — for the next time you DO control the source - **[Prompting AI for clean backgrounds](prompting-ai-for-clean-backgrounds)** — for AI-generated sources - **[What to avoid in your background](what-to-avoid)** — what makes Color Removal V2 struggle - **[Color Removal V2](../pipelines/color-removal)** — full reference for the tool - **[Speckle Remover](../pipelines/speckle)** — for stray pixels - **[Transparency Cleaner](../pipelines/transparency)** — for halos - **[Quality issues](../troubleshooting/quality-issues)** — broader troubleshooting --- # The 3 rules for the cleanest background removal URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/the-rules Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/the-rules.md Section: Background Removal Tips Summary: Three rules that make Color Removal work on autopilot: single-color background, that color isn't in the subject, high contrast between subject and background. If you can pick or generate the image you're going to clean up — AI-generated mockups, design assets you download, stock images — **these three rules turn a slow Color Removal V2 tweak-fest into one-click autopilot.** ## Rule 1: Flat single-color background Your background should be **one color, end to end.** No patterns. No gradients. No textures. No multi-tone backgrounds. Why: Color Removal V2 works by removing pixels of a target color. **It's not selective for "background" — it's selective for "this color."** A single solid color background means there's exactly one color to remove, and Color Removal V2 nails it. A patterned background (wood grain, marble, fabric weave) has **dozens or hundreds of different colors**. Color Removal V2 can't target all of them at once. **For AI-generated images:** add phrases like *"isolated on solid color background"*, *"flat single-color background"*, or *"plain background"* to your prompt. ## Rule 2: That color must NOT appear anywhere in your subject This is the rule most people miss — and it's the one that decides everything. If your background is white, and your subject has any white in it (logo, accent, label, text, white packaging), **Color Removal V2 will erase those white parts of your subject too.** Same for any other color. **The right background color is whatever color your subject doesn't contain.** Look at your subject. Identify the colors that show up in it. Then pick anything else for the background. There's no single "best" background color — **it depends on what's in your subject.** Look at the subject, then choose. ## Rule 3: Higher contrast = cleaner edges Once you've picked a color the subject doesn't contain, **the more that color contrasts with the subject, the cleaner Color Removal V2 works.** A subject that's only slightly different in shade from its background gives Color Removal V2 weak edges to work with — the cutout looks soft. A subject that's strongly different from the background gives Color Removal V2 sharp, clear edges. In practice: - **Mostly light subject** → background that's much darker than the subject - **Mostly dark subject** → background that's much lighter than the subject - **Mixed-color subject** → background that's tonally different from the dominant tones (often a mid-tone the subject doesn't contain) You don't have to memorize specific hex codes. Just look at your subject and ask: *"What color is far from anything in here?"* That's your background. ## Putting it together The ideal source image for clean background removal: 1. **One solid background color, no patterns or gradients** 2. **That color does NOT appear in the subject** 3. **Strong contrast between subject and background** 4. **Some space** between the subject and the edges of the frame With a source image that follows these rules, Color Removal V2 at default settings (Medium preset, Auto-Trim ON) will cut your subject out cleanly. No tweaking per image. ## When you can't follow these rules Sometimes you have to work with images you didn't pick — old assets, customer-supplied images, AI outputs you can't easily regenerate, downloaded stock. For those, [picking the right background color for your subject](picking-background-color) goes deeper into the decision logic, and [recovering when the image is wrong](recovering-bad-images) covers what to do in ReadyPixl when re-sourcing isn't an option. ## What this means in practice If you set up your **prompt template** ONCE following these three rules — checking what colors are in your subject and picking a contrasting background color the subject doesn't contain — every single image you generate from that point forward will run through ReadyPixl on default settings and come out clean. That's the difference between "ReadyPixl is great but takes a lot of tweaking" and "ReadyPixl is autopilot." ## What to read next - **[Picking the right background color for your subject](picking-background-color)** — decision logic for the color choice - **[Prompting AI for clean backgrounds](prompting-ai-for-clean-backgrounds)** — exact prompt phrases that work - **[What to avoid in your background](what-to-avoid)** — common mistakes - **[Recovering when the image is wrong](recovering-bad-images)** — what to do in ReadyPixl when you can't re-source - **[Color Removal V2](../pipelines/color-removal)** — the tool itself --- # What to avoid in your background URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/what-to-avoid Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/what-to-avoid.md Section: Background Removal Tips Summary: Patterns, gradients, shadows, and other things that turn one background into many colors Color Removal can't catch. What ruins clean cutouts. Color Removal V2 works by erasing pixels of a target color. **Anything that makes your background "more than one color" makes Color Removal V2 fight harder.** Here's what to avoid in the background of images you plan to clean up. ## Patterns and textures Wood grain. Marble. Brick. Carpet. Fabric weave. Tile. Concrete. All bad. A "wood grain" background isn't one color — it's dozens of slightly different browns, ambers, and tans. Color Removal V2 can target a few colors (up to 10). It can't target "the wood pattern." **Even subtle textures matter.** A solid-color cloth that has a slight basket weave is technically multiple shades of that color. Sometimes it's enough to leave faint patches of background after Color Removal V2. **Fix:** - **AI-generated images:** add *"flat solid background, no texture, no pattern"* to your prompt - **Stock images:** filter for "isolated on plain background" or pre-cut PNGs with transparent backgrounds - **Already have the image:** see [recovering when the image is wrong](recovering-bad-images) ## Gradients Gradients are colors that smoothly fade from one shade to another (light gray on the left to dark gray on the right, for example). Common when: - The AI generator added directional lighting that fades the background from one side to the other - Stock images with a single dominant light source baked in - Backgrounds that fade from light to dark for "drama" A gradient is technically hundreds of shades of the same color. Color Removal V2 at the default Base Threshold catches some but not all. **Fix:** - **AI-generated images:** add *"flat even background, no gradient"* to your prompt - **Already have the image:** raise Color Removal V2 Base Threshold (or step up the Preset to High), or use Manual mode and pick the dominant gradient color ## Shadows on the background A shadow is a darker version of whatever color is underneath it. If your subject casts a shadow onto a white background, that area is now light gray, not white. Color Removal V2 sees them as different colors. Common in: - Stock images of products with "natural" shadows - AI-generated mockups with strong directional lighting - Anything described as "isolated on white" with strong directional lighting — usually has shadows **Fix:** - **AI-generated images:** add *"no shadows on the background"* or *"floating, no contact shadow"* to your prompt - **Already have the image:** raise Color Removal V2 Base Threshold, or crop the shadow area out before processing ## Multiple background colors in the frame Sometimes the "background" is actually two things: the subject's background + a wall behind it. Or the background + a floor in front of it. Or two distinct color zones. Color Removal V2 can target up to 10 colors, but two regions next to each other still complicate things. Especially if the colors are similar (both off-white) — Color Removal V2 at the default Base Threshold might catch one but not the other. **Fix:** - **AI-generated images:** prompt for a single solid background color - **Already have the image:** in Color Removal V2, add a second color tab and pick each background region with the color picker ## Reflections (especially on glossy / metallic subjects) Glossy or metallic subjects **reflect** their surroundings. A "white background" shows up in the curved chrome surface of the subject as a streak of white. Color Removal V2 then erases that streak from the subject. Common offenders: jewelry, silverware, glass jars, polished metal, lacquered wood, glossy ceramic. **Fix:** - **AI-generated images:** prompt for a background color the subject **shouldn't reflect anywhere visible** (often a dark blue or matte black for reflective subjects). See [Picking the right background color](picking-background-color) for per-subject-type guidance - **Already have the image:** Use the AI Background Remover (15 credits per use) — handles reflections better than Color Removal V2 ## The subject's own color showing in the background Rare but happens: the subject is bright, and it's "spilling" color onto a near-by background, making the background slightly tinted. Color Removal V2 then has to deal with subtle variations across the background. **Fix:** in Color Removal V2, raise the Base Threshold a few points (presets are Low 6, Medium 8, High 10) to catch the subtle variation, or pick the dominant background color manually instead of using Auto. ## Grainy / noisy backgrounds Some images come out with visible grain or noise — especially low-quality stock images, AI generations at low resolution, or anything heavily compressed. What looks like a solid background is technically thousands of tiny color variations. Color Removal V2 handles small grain OK. Heavy grain creates messy results. **Fix:** - **AI-generated images:** generate at higher resolution (most modern AI tools default to 1024px or higher; bump to 2048px if quality looks rough) - **Already have the image:** raise Color Removal V2 Base Threshold (or step up the Preset to High) to absorb the grain ## Backgrounds that LOOK solid but aren't Some backgrounds look like one color but technically aren't: - AI-generated "plain background" looks that are actually mottled lighter and darker - AI-generated "white background" that's really a soft gradient - Heavy compression artifacts that add color noise to "flat" areas - "Black velvet" with visible nap (light/dark direction patches) These often work OK with Color Removal V2 at a higher Base Threshold, but they're not as clean as a truly flat background. **Fix:** raise the Base Threshold, or pick the dominant color manually with the color picker for more control than Auto mode. ## Quick test: does your background work? Take an image **without the subject** (a sample of the background only — a blank generated image, a swatch from your stock provider). Open it in ReadyPixl and run Color Removal V2 at default settings. - **Whole background disappears cleanly?** Your source is good. Use it. - **Patches of color left behind?** Your background is technically multiple colors. Identify which (gradient? texture? shadow?) and either re-source or compensate with a higher Base Threshold. - **Color Removal V2 eats nothing?** Your "color" is too varied for it to lock onto. Pick a flatter / more solid background. This test takes 30 seconds. Worth doing before you spend hours processing a batch sourced from a background that won't work. ## Special case: AI-generated images For ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Kimi, Ideogram and other AI tools, you have full control over the background through your **prompt**. The single biggest improvement to your AI-image cleanup workflow: **prompt the AI to put your subject on a solid color background.** Phrases that work: - *"isolated on solid black background"* - *"on a flat dark gray background"* - *"on a clean white background, no shadows"* - *"flat solid background, no gradient, no texture, no pattern"* The cleaner the AI generates the background, the easier Color Removal V2 cleans it up. See [the AI image cleanup workflow](../workflows/ai-image-cleanup-multi-source) for full prompting + pipeline approaches. ## What to read next - **[The 3 rules for the cleanest background removal](the-rules)** — the foundational guide - **[Picking the right background color](picking-background-color)** — what to USE - **[Prompting AI for clean backgrounds](prompting-ai-for-clean-backgrounds)** — full prompt-engineering guide - **[Recovering when the image is wrong](recovering-bad-images)** — what to do when re-sourcing isn't an option --- # What ReadyPixl costs URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/pricing-tiers Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/pricing-tiers.md Section: Billing Summary: Free web version, Pro, Chrome extension, desktop app, and credits — what you get with each and which one is right for you. ReadyPixl has a free web version, a one-time Pro upgrade, and a one-time desktop app. **Nothing is a subscription and nothing auto-renews.** Most people can start with the free web version and upgrade only when they need more downloads or desktop-only features. ## The free web version — forever The web version at [readypixl.com](https://readypixl.com) is **free, forever.** Every tool, the full pipeline, batch processing — all free. | Without an account | With a free account | | --- | --- | | 10 downloads per day | 100 downloads per day | | Presets saved in your browser only | Presets saved to your account, works on any device | | All tools | All tools | **What "free" means here:** free. Not a free trial. Not "free until you actually use it." Just free. The web version is the main product. **What you can do with it right now (all free):** - Remove colors (Color Removal V2), including solid-color backgrounds - Resize images - Cut off empty edges (Trim) - Put an image on a custom-sized canvas (Reposition) - Put your subject on a colored background (Canvas Fill) - Rotate, flip, or erase corners - Clean up tiny stray pixels - Adjust brightness, contrast, color - Apply filters and grunge effects - Add decorative borders - Add text or image watermarks The web version also includes a **free Upscaler** that runs on your own computer (in your browser). It's free, but a slow computer can struggle or crash on large batches. **Paid AI tools (use credits):** - **AI Background Removal** — for images where the regular background remover isn't good enough. **15 credits per image with Recraft AI** (~1.5¢), or **20 credits with Ideogram** (~2¢). - **AI Upscale** — runs on our servers instead of your computer, and adds an 8x option. **10 credits per image** (~1¢). Both call outside AI services, which is why they cost credits. Credits are **$1 per 1,000 credits** — for example, $5 buys 5,000 credits (about 330 AI background removals or 500 AI upscales). You can buy any amount from $5 to $500, with one-click packs of $20, $30, $50 and $100. Credits are a one-time top-up and never renew. Sign in to use these. The free tools handle most jobs without needing either one. ## Pro — one-time, lifetime Pro is for people who use ReadyPixl often and want unlimited downloads. - **$29 launch price** while the launch offer is active, **$49 regular price** — USD, **one-time payment, lifetime access**. The launch price is applied automatically at checkout; no coupon needed. - Unlimited web-version downloads. - Unlimited Chrome extension downloads. - Priority support. Pro does not include credits: the AI tools stay pay-per-use because they call outside services. (Pro used to be a monthly subscription. It was retired: everyone with an active subscription was upgraded to lifetime Pro for free, and their remaining monthly bonus credits became permanent credits.) ## Chrome extension — included with your account The Chrome extension lets you use ReadyPixl on images from almost any website. The extension adds a **+** button to images on sites like ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Kimi, Ideogram, Google Images, and stock image sites. One click sends the image into a ReadyPixl side panel. Extension download limits: | Account | Extension downloads | | --- | --- | | Free account | 10 images per day | | Pro | Unlimited | **Who it's for:** people who work inside ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Kimi, Ideogram, or stock image sites a lot. ## Desktop app — paid The desktop app is ReadyPixl packaged as a native app for Windows and macOS. Same pipeline idea, with desktop-only power. The headline feature: **a stronger free local upscaler.** The desktop **Upscaler (free)** runs on your computer with no per-image credit cost, and its Extra High tier goes up to 8x (on the web, 8x is only in the paid AI Upscale). Other niceties: - **7-day free trial** with no credit card - **One-time purchase** after the trial — no refunds after purchase, so use the trial to try everything - **$89 regular price** - **$49 launch price** while the launch offer is active (applied automatically at checkout) - **1 year of free updates** included; after that your installed version keeps working - **Works offline** for 7 days after the last online license check - **Windows Explorer / macOS Finder right-click actions** - **CLI / Automation** tools for heavier batch work **Who it's for:** people who'll upscale a lot (local upscaling beats paying credits per image), people who prefer apps to browser tabs, or anyone working offline. ## Which one should you pick? - **Just trying it out** — free web version, no account. Upgrade only when you need to. - **Use it regularly, want to save work** — free web version, free signup. 100 downloads a day and your presets sync. - **Work inside AI image generators or stock sites a lot** — Chrome extension. The **+** button is the killer feature. - **Need unlimited web or extension downloads** — Pro, one-time. - **Going to upscale lots of images** — desktop app. Local upscaling beats paying credits per image. Paid versions are always optional and always one-time. The free web version stays free and full-featured forever — that's the whole point. ## What to read next - **[What is ReadyPixl?](../getting-started/what-is-readypixl)** — quick overview of the whole product - **[Using the Chrome extension](../getting-started/chrome-extension)** — edit images from almost any website - **[Using the desktop app](../getting-started/desktop-app)** — install, start the trial, use local upscaling, and set up right-click actions - **[Frequently asked questions](../faq/faq)** — billing-related questions answered - **[All pipeline tools](../pipelines/all-tools)** — all the free tools + 2 paid AI tools you get with each tier - **[AI Background Removal](../pipelines/ai-background-removal)** — paid AI tool, 15 credits per use (20 with Ideogram) - **[AI Upscale](../pipelines/ai-upscale)** — paid AI tool, 10 credits per use --- # Frequently asked questions URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/faq Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/faq.md Section: FAQ Summary: Quick answers to the most common questions about ReadyPixl — is it really free, who uses it, where your images go, and more. ## Is ReadyPixl really free? Yes. The web version is **free, forever.** Not a free trial. Not "free for 30 days." Just free. Every tool, the full pipeline, batch processing — all free. There are no ads. ReadyPixl is paid for by the optional one-time upgrades (Pro and the desktop app) and pay-per-use credits for the two AI tools. ## Do I need an account? No. You can use ReadyPixl right now without signing up. If you don't sign up, you can do **10 downloads per day.** If you sign up (takes 30 seconds, just needs your email), you can do **100 downloads per day** — and your saved pipelines follow you between devices. ## What's the difference between no account, free account, and the paid versions? | | No account | Free account | Pro ($29 launch / $49, one-time) | Desktop app ($49 launch / $89, one-time) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Downloads per day | 10 | 100 | Unlimited | Unlimited | | Saved pipelines | On this device only | Synced across devices | Synced across devices | On your computer | | Chrome extension (edit images on sites like ChatGPT or Gemini) | — | 10 per day | Unlimited | — | | Works without internet | After first load | After first load | After first load | Yes (7 days between license checks) | | AI credits | Buy separately | Buy separately | Buy separately | Buy separately | Pro and the desktop app are **one-time payments** — no subscriptions, nothing renews. The desktop app has a 7-day free trial, no credit card. ## Where do my images go when I use ReadyPixl? **They stay on your computer.** In your browser, your images never get sent to our servers. Ever. All the editing happens on your device. The one exception is the two paid AI tools (AI Background Removal and AI Upscale). Those call outside AI services, so using them does send the image out. They're clearly labeled and they cost credits to use (sign-in required). Everything else stays on your computer. You can read the full privacy policy at [readypixl.com/privacy](https://readypixl.com/privacy). ## Can I use the images I edit for business? Yes. You own the images you start with, and you own the finished images. ReadyPixl is just a tool — we don't claim any rights to anything you put in or take out. Use the finished images for your print-on-demand shop, Etsy listings, client work, anywhere. The one thing to remember: you need to have the rights to the **original** images in the first place. ReadyPixl doesn't give you permission to use images that aren't yours. ## Is there a watermark on images from the free version? No. Nothing is added to your images. ## What kinds of image files does ReadyPixl accept? **You can drop in:** PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF, and SVG files. (For GIFs, the first frame is used — animation isn't preserved.) **You get back:** PNG, JPEG, or WebP files (your choice). HEIC (iPhone images), TIFF, PSD, and RAW camera files aren't supported. You'll need to save them as PNG or JPEG first. Most phones and computers can do this — on Mac, open in Preview and save as JPEG. On Windows, open in Photos and save as JPEG. ## How many images can I run at once? Hundreds usually work great. The sweet spot is about 50 to 500 images per batch. If you need to run 2,000 or more, it's easier to split them into smaller batches. Single image files in the hundreds of megabytes can run into trouble — but for normal images, size isn't an issue. ## Can I use ReadyPixl without internet? The **web version** needs internet to load the page the first time. Once the page is loaded, the actual editing happens on your computer, so you could disconnect and still edit. But saving pipelines to your account needs internet. The **desktop app** runs without internet once it's installed and activated. It re-checks your license online about once a week (it works offline for 7 days after the last check). ## Does ReadyPixl work on my phone or tablet? Kind of — you can open readypixl.com on a phone browser for small batches or to check results. But serious bulk work is much easier on a computer. We don't have a dedicated phone app. ## How much do AI Background Removal and AI Upscale cost? Both are paid tools that use credits: - **AI Background Removal:** 15 credits per image with Recraft AI (~1.5¢), 20 credits with Ideogram (~2¢) - **AI Upscale:** 10 credits per image (~1¢) Credits are **$1 per 1,000 credits** ($5 = 5,000 credits). You need to sign in to use these. The web version also has a free Upscaler that runs on your own computer. The free tools handle most jobs without needing either one. ## Do you have a public API? Not yet. The Chrome extension uses our own internal APIs. A public API for developers and ecom teams is on the plan for later. ## Is there a team plan? Not yet. If you want shared pipelines and team billing, let us know — the more people who ask for it, the faster we build it. ## What's QuickPixl? ReadyPixl's sister tool. It's a **template engine** — you build a template with slots for text and images, then feed it a spreadsheet of data and it spits out thousands of finished designs automatically. ReadyPixl edits images you already have. QuickPixl creates new ones from templates. QuickPixl comes out after ReadyPixl is rock solid. ## How do I report a bug or ask for a new feature? Post it on the feedback board at [feedback.readypixl.com](https://feedback.readypixl.com) (sign in with your ReadyPixl account). Search first — if someone already asked, vote for it. The more you tell us, the better: what you were trying to do, what you expected, and what actually happened. Screenshots help a lot. You can also email [contact@readypixl.com](mailto:contact@readypixl.com). ## Still have a question? Try the search box at the top of the help center. If you can't find an answer, ask on [feedback.readypixl.com](https://feedback.readypixl.com) or email [contact@readypixl.com](mailto:contact@readypixl.com) — we read every message. ## What to read next - **[Start here](../getting-started/start-here)** — six articles every new user should read - **[What ReadyPixl costs](../billing/pricing-tiers)** — full pricing breakdown - **[Common errors](../troubleshooting/common-errors)** — quick fixes for the most common issues - **[Your first pipeline in 5 minutes](../getting-started/first-pipeline)** — guided walkthrough --- # Account basics: signing up, signing in, and resetting your password URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/account-basics Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/account-basics.md Section: Getting Started Summary: What signing up gets you, how to sign in, password recovery, and how to delete your account. ReadyPixl works without an account — guest mode lets you do up to 10 downloads per day. Signing up is free, takes 30 seconds, and gets you more. ## What an account gets you | | Without an account (guest) | With a free account | | --- | --- | --- | | Downloads per day | 10 | 100 | | Saved presets | Stay on this device | Sync across all devices | | Chrome extension | Not available | 10 downloads per day | | Tool access | All free tools | All free tools | | Cost | Free | Free | Both are free. The account gets you more usage and the ability to use ReadyPixl from multiple devices. ## Signing up 1. Click **Sign in** in the top-right corner of the editor (the link says "sign in" but it leads to both options) 2. On the sign-in page, click **Sign up** (or "Create account") 3. Enter your email 4. Set a password — or skip the password and use **Continue with Google** or **Continue with Apple** 5. Confirm your email if asked (we'll send a confirmation link) You're in. Your account follows you across devices. ## Signing in Same flow: 1. Click **Sign in** in the top-right 2. Enter your email and password 3. Or click **Continue with Google** or **Continue with Apple** Once signed in, the top-right shows your initials or avatar. Click it to open your account page: your name, plan, credit balance (and **Buy credits**), billing, password and theme. ## Forgot your password? 1. Go to the sign-in page 2. Click **Forgot password?** 3. Enter your email 4. Check your inbox (and spam folder) for a reset link 5. Click the link, set a new password 6. Sign in with the new password If you don't get the email within a few minutes, check spam, then try the reset link again. If it still doesn't work, email [contact@readypixl.com](mailto:contact@readypixl.com). ## Changing your password 1. Sign in 2. Click your avatar / initials in the top-right to open your account page 3. In the password section, enter your new password twice (at least 8 characters) 4. Click **Update password** ## Changing your email There's no self-service email change in the account page yet. Email [contact@readypixl.com](mailto:contact@readypixl.com) from your current address with the new one, and we'll move your account. ## Deleting your account You can delete your account anytime — no questions asked. There's no delete button in the account page yet, so email [contact@readypixl.com](mailto:contact@readypixl.com) from the address on the account and ask us to delete it. Your account and saved presets are removed. This can't be undone. If you change your mind later, you'd have to sign up fresh — but your old data is gone for good. ## Purchases (Pro, desktop app, credits) Everything ReadyPixl sells is a **one-time payment** — there are no subscriptions, so there's nothing to cancel and nothing that renews. 1. Click your avatar to open your account page 2. **Plan** shows whether you have Pro 3. **Credits** shows your balance; **Buy credits** tops it up ($5–$500, $1 = 1,000 credits) For more on what each paid tier costs and includes, see [What ReadyPixl costs](../billing/pricing-tiers). ## Privacy with your account When you sign up: - We store your email and a hashed password (we can't see your actual password) - Your saved presets are stored securely in our database for sync across devices - Your **images** are NOT stored — they're processed in your browser and never uploaded (with the exception of the paid AI tools, which are clearly labeled and call outside AI services) - We don't sell your email, share it with third parties, or send marketing without your permission Full privacy details at [readypixl.com/privacy](https://readypixl.com/privacy). ## Common questions **Q: Do I need to verify my email to use my account?** A: Some features (saving presets, syncing across devices) require email verification. Day-to-day use of the editor works immediately after signup. **Q: Can I use ReadyPixl with multiple email addresses for different purposes?** A: Yes. Each email = a separate account with its own presets and credits. Useful if you keep work and personal projects separate. **Q: I'm signed in but my presets aren't showing up.**A: Make sure you're signed in with the email you used originally. Different email = different account = different preset library. Check the avatar in the top-right. **Q: Can someone else use my account?** A: Technically yes, but it's against our terms of service to share accounts. Each person should have their own free account. ## What to read next - **[Saving and loading presets](presets)** — what you can do with synced presets - **[What ReadyPixl costs](../billing/pricing-tiers)** — when you might want to upgrade beyond free - **[Frequently asked questions](../faq/faq)** — broader questions about ReadyPixl --- # Exporting your images: format, DPI, compression and file names URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/exporting Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/exporting.md Section: Getting Started Summary: How to download your finished images — Export All or one image, PNG / JPEG / WebP, DPI, compression, file names, and what to do when the browser asks about multiple downloads. When the preview looks right, download your images. Every tool in your pipeline is applied to every image as it's saved. ## Download all or one - **Download all** (the main button, shown once you have 2+ images) — processes and downloads every image in the batch. - **Download current** — just the image you're looking at. When you download many images, the browser may ask whether ReadyPixl can **download multiple files**. **Always say yes**, or only the first file will save. Check the **blue numbers** under the preview before you download — that's the real size you'll get, after every tool in the pipeline. ## Export settings | Setting | Options | Default | | --- | --- | --- | | **Format** | **PNG**, **JPEG** or **WebP** | PNG | | **DPI** | Any number — 300 for print, 72 for web | 300 | | **Compression** | Off, Low, Medium, High, Very High | High | | **File names** | **Original** (same names), **+processed** (adds a suffix), or **1, 2, 3...** (numbered) | Original | **Transparency needs PNG** (or WebP). JPEG has no see-through pixels, so transparent areas get filled. **Photographic images** can show artifacts at high compression — use Medium or Low for photos. Designs with flat colors are fine on High or Very High. The desktop app also lets you **pick the export folder** (and open it), or **overwrite the original files** in place. ## What you can drop in PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF (first frame) and **SVG**. SVGs come in small — check the blue output size, then use **Resize** (e.g. 2x) or **Reposition** to get the size you want. ## Starting fresh - The red trash **ALL** button clears every loaded image. - **Remove all** in the pipeline clears every tool. ## What to read next - **[Compress](../pipelines/compress)** — put compression inside a preset - **[Reposition](../pipelines/reposition)** — exact canvas size and DPI for print - **[Saving and loading presets](presets)** --- # Keyboard shortcuts in ReadyPixl URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/keyboard-shortcuts Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/keyboard-shortcuts.md Section: Getting Started Summary: Every keyboard shortcut in the ReadyPixl editor — undo, redo, the Spacebar move trick, and the help center search. ReadyPixl has a small set of keyboard shortcuts. Worth memorizing — they speed up everything. ## Editor shortcuts | What you press | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Ctrl + Z** (Windows / Linux) or **Cmd + Z** (Mac) | Undo your last edit | | **Ctrl + Y** (Windows / Linux) or **Cmd + Y** (Mac) | Redo | | **Ctrl + Shift + Z** or **Cmd + Shift + Z** | Redo (alternative) | | **Spacebar (hold)** | Temporarily switch to the **Move** tool — useful for panning the canvas while you're erasing or magic-wanding. Release Spacebar to return to your previous tool. | | **Esc** | Close any open dialog, dropdown, or menu | Undo and redo step back and forward through your recent canvas changes, including manual touch-ups with the Eraser or Magic Wand. The undo stack depth scales based on your image size — bigger images get a smaller stack to keep the browser responsive. For most workflows you'll have 8-20 undos available at any moment. ## Alignment guide shortcuts When you've clicked an alignment guide on the canvas: | What you press | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Delete** or **Backspace** | Remove the selected guide | | **Arrow keys** | Nudge the guide by 1 pixel | | **Shift** or **Alt** + Arrow | Move the guide in bigger steps | ## Help center shortcut When you're on helpcenter.readypixl.com: | What you press | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Ctrl + K** (Windows / Linux) or **Cmd + K** (Mac) | Open the search bar | Type a question or keyword and the search returns matching articles — and if the AI chatbot is enabled, an AI-generated answer too. ## Browser shortcuts that matter These aren't ReadyPixl-specific but matter for your workflow: | What you press | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Ctrl + R** or **Cmd + R** | Refresh the page. **⚠️ Wipes your loaded images and pipeline if not saved as a preset.** | | **Ctrl + Shift + R** or **Cmd + Shift + R** | Hard refresh (clears cache). Same warning. | | **Ctrl + Tab** | Switch tabs. ReadyPixl pauses background tabs — keep ReadyPixl in front during a batch run. | ## What's coming We don't yet have shortcuts for: - Adding a specific tool (you click in the sidebar) - Loading a saved preset (you click in the dropdown) - Triggering Download All (you click the button) If you'd find shortcuts for these useful, post it on [feedback.readypixl.com](https://feedback.readypixl.com) — we read every suggestion. ## Tips - **Cmd / Ctrl + Z is your friend.** Don't be afraid to experiment with pipeline settings. Undo brings you back instantly. - **Hold Spacebar** when you need to look around the canvas while in the middle of erasing or magic-wanding. Release and you're back to your editing tool. - **Ctrl + K** on the help center opens search instantly — faster than clicking the search bar. ## What to read next - **[The editor at a glance](editor-layout)** — visual map of the screen - **[The Selected Tools panel](selected-tools-panel)** — where the undo / redo affects most - **[Saving and loading presets](presets)** — to keep your pipeline safe from accidental refreshes --- # Loading your images into ReadyPixl: every way to get them in URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/loading-images Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/loading-images.md Section: Getting Started Summary: All the ways to get images into the ReadyPixl editor — drag, click, folder, mid-batch. Plus file types and size limits. Three ways to get images into ReadyPixl. They all do the same thing — pick the one that fits your moment. ## Way 1: Drag and drop Easiest if you have your images in a folder on your desktop. 1. Open [readypixl.com](https://readypixl.com) 2. Find your image folder in your computer's file explorer (Finder on Mac, File Explorer on Windows) 3. Select the images (or the whole folder) 4. Drag them onto the **"Drop image here"** area in the middle of the editor 5. Release Thumbnails appear in the filmstrip at the bottom as the images load. The first image loads into the canvas as your preview. ## Way 2: Click to pick Easiest if you'd rather use a file picker. 1. Click anywhere on the **"Drop image here"** area 2. A file picker opens 3. Select one image or many (hold Cmd on Mac / Ctrl on Windows to multi-select) 4. Click Open Same result as drag-and-drop. ## Way 3: Load a whole folder (desktop app) When you have hundreds of images organized into a folder structure, you can drag the whole folder. 1. Find the folder on your computer 2. Drag the **folder** (not its contents) onto the drop zone 3. Release On the **ReadyPixl desktop app**, this loads every image in the folder and its subfolders in one drop — great for organized catalogs. In the **free web version**, browsers don't hand a folder's contents to a website, so dragging a folder itself usually loads nothing; instead open the folder, select the images inside (Ctrl+A / Cmd+A), and drag or pick those. ## Adding more images mid-batch You don't have to clear the editor to add more images. - **Drag more images onto the filmstrip** at the bottom — they get added to your existing batch - Or drag onto the canvas — same result This is useful when you remembered a few extra designs after starting setup. No need to start over. ## File types we accept | Format | Notes | | --- | --- | | **PNG** | First-class. Most common. Supports transparency. | | **JPEG** (.jpg / .jpeg) | First-class. Smaller files. No transparency. | | **WebP** | First-class. Smaller than JPEG at the same quality. | | **GIF** | Supported. The first frame is used (animation isn't preserved). | | **SVG** | Supported. Rasterized at up to 2000 px on the longest edge. | **Not supported:** HEIC (iPhone images), TIFF, PSD (Photoshop), RAW camera files. You'll need to convert these to PNG or JPEG first — your computer's built-in image app can do this in a few clicks. ## Size limits | Limit | Value | What happens | | --- | --- | --- | | Per-image max dimension | 10,000 × 10,000 pixels | Bigger images are blocked with a message asking you to resize first | | Per-image file size | Several hundred MB | Files larger than this can fail to upload | | Per-batch image count | No hard limit | Practical sweet spot is 50 to 500 images | For images at typical sizes (under 4000 pixels, under 20 MB), you'll never hit any of these. ## Common loading questions **Q: I dropped a folder but only some images appeared.**A: ReadyPixl skips files that aren't supported types. If your selection mixes PNG / JPEG / SVG (loaded) and HEIC / TIFF / PSD (skipped), you'll see fewer thumbnails than total files. Convert the unsupported ones first. (Web version: open the folder and select the images inside — dragging the folder itself won't load them. The desktop app is the one that loads whole folders.) **Q: I dropped 100 images but only 80 thumbnails appeared.**A: A few possible reasons: - Some files might be corrupted (browser couldn't decode them) - Some files might be too big (over the 10,000 × 10,000 px limit) - Some files might have non-image extensions despite looking like images (.png that's actually a different format) The error toast in the corner tells you what was skipped and why. **Q: My iPhone images won't load.**A: iPhone images default to **HEIC** format, which we don't support yet. On your phone: **Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible** changes the default to JPEG going forward. For existing HEIC images: open in Mac's Preview and "Export As JPEG", or use any HEIC-to-JPEG converter. **Q: My batch is taking forever to load.**A: Loading 500+ images can take a minute or two depending on your computer and the image sizes. Watch the progress bar. If it's stuck, refresh and try a smaller batch. ## What to read next - **[The editor at a glance](editor-layout)** — what every part of the screen does - **[Your first pipeline in 5 minutes](first-pipeline)** — once your images are loaded, here's the next step - **[The Selected Tools panel](selected-tools-panel)** — building your pipeline --- # Quick manual edits: magic wand, color wand, eraser and paint URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/manual-edit-tools Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/manual-edit-tools.md Section: Getting Started Summary: Fix one image by hand right on the canvas — remove a color with the magic wand, recolor areas, erase or paint — without opening Photoshop. Every edit is kept when you download. Sometimes one image just needs a quick touch-up. The canvas toolbar has simple manual tools so you don't have to open Photoshop. ## The tools | Tool | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Magic Wand** | Click a color and it's removed. Works with any color, not just green. Turn **Contiguous** on to remove only the connected area you clicked. | | **Color Wand** | Click an area to recolor it with the color you pick (for example, click-click-click to turn parts red). | | **Eraser** | Rub out parts of the image — e.g. keep the character and erase the text. | | **Paint** | Paint on the image with a brush. | | **Move** | Pan around the canvas. Hold **Spacebar** to switch to Move temporarily. | | **Undo / Redo** | Step back and forward through your manual edits. | | **Reset to Original** | Throws away the manual edits on this image. | ## Good to know - **Every manual edit is remembered** when you download — you won't lose your touch-ups. - Manual edits apply to **the image you're on**, not the whole batch. For the whole batch, use pipeline tools like Color Removal V2. - These are for **quick fixes**. Don't hand-edit a hundred images this way — at some point your browser can run out of memory. - Zoom with your mouse wheel to work on small details. ## What to read next - **[Keyboard shortcuts](keyboard-shortcuts)** — Spacebar, undo and redo - **[Color Removal V2](../pipelines/color-removal)** — remove chosen colors (like a solid background color) on every image at once - **[Exporting your images](exporting)** --- # Saving and loading presets: the trick that turns hours into seconds URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/presets Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/presets.md Section: Getting Started Summary: How to save your pipeline as a preset and load it again with one click. The single biggest time-saver in ReadyPixl. If there's one feature that turns ReadyPixl from "useful tool" into "my Sunday afternoon back," it's **presets.** A preset is your **pipeline saved for later** — every tool you added, every setting you tweaked, every reorder you made. Save it once, load it with one click forever. ## Why presets matter The first time you build a pipeline (drop images → add tools → tune settings → click Download All), it takes maybe 5 minutes. The fiftieth time, with a saved preset, it takes about 30 seconds: 1. Open ReadyPixl 2. Load your preset 3. Drop in new images 4. Click Download All That difference — 5 minutes vs 30 seconds — multiplied across every batch you'll ever run, is the math behind ReadyPixl's whole pitch. Save your pipelines. ## Saving a preset 1. Build your pipeline (add tools, set settings, get the canvas preview looking right). 2. In the **Selected Tools panel** on the right, click **Save Current Preset**. 3. Type a name you'll remember. 4. Hit Enter or click Save. That's it. Your preset is saved. **Good preset names:** - `Square product photos` - `Etsy 2000 square` - `ChatGPT cleanup` - `Etsy listings 2000` - `Watermarked previews` **Bad preset names:** - `Pipeline 1`, `Test`, `New preset` — you'll have 10 of these in a week and won't know which is which Good naming = fast picking later. ## Loading a preset 1. In the Selected Tools panel, click the **preset dropdown** (next to Save Current Preset) 2. Pick the preset from the list 3. Your whole pipeline loads — every step, every setting, every order The canvas preview updates immediately to show your images with the loaded pipeline applied. You can edit the loaded pipeline (add a step, change a setting) without affecting the saved preset. Saved presets only change when you click Save Current Preset again with the same name (overwrites it) or with a new name (creates a new one). ## Your presets follow you everywhere (when signed in) Sign in with the same ReadyPixl account and your presets are the same everywhere: - **Web version** (readypixl.com) — on any computer or browser - **Chrome extension** side panel - **Desktop app** (Windows and macOS), including its right-click actions and CLI Save a preset in one place and it shows up in the others **automatically, within seconds** — no export, no refresh. Rename, update, or delete it in one place and that change follows too. | You're using ReadyPixl... | Where presets live | | --- | --- | | **Without an account (guest)** | Only in this browser, on this device | | **Signed in (free account is enough)** | In your account — web, extension, and desktop all share them | **Already built presets as a guest?** They aren't lost. The first time you sign in on that same browser, ReadyPixl moves them into your account, and from then on they follow you too. As a guest, presets stay in that one browser: a different browser, a different computer, or clearing your browser data means starting over. A free account (just an email) fixes that. **AI agents use these presets too.** With the desktop app, Claude Code, Codex and other agents can run any of your presets on a folder — see [Using ReadyPixl with AI agents](ai-agents). ## Deleting a preset In the preset dropdown: - Hover the preset name - Click the trash / X icon that appears - Confirm Or open a preset, modify something, and Save Current Preset again with a different name — the original stays put unless you explicitly delete it. ## How many presets should I have? As many as you have repeating workflows. A common set: | Use case | Preset name | | --- | --- | | Product photos | `Square product photos` | | Web images | `Web 1600 compressed` | | Etsy design prep | `Etsy listings` | | Pinterest watermarking | `Pinterest watermark` | | ChatGPT cleanup | `ChatGPT cleanup` | | AI image multi-source | `AI cleanup` | 5-10 presets covers almost everyone. If you're at 30+, you might be over-organizing — consider whether two presets with very similar settings can be merged. ## Tips - **Save the preset before your first big batch run.** Building a pipeline + losing it to a refresh = the most common preventable mistake. - **Save a "test" version of every preset** — same settings but with `_test` suffix. Useful for experimenting without breaking your working preset. - **Update presets as you tune.** If you find Color Removal V2 settings that consistently work better, update the saved preset so you don't re-tune every time. - **Delete unused presets.** A long preset list slows your selection and clutters the UI. Prune monthly. - **Sign up free** so presets follow you to every device, the Chrome extension, and the desktop app. Worth the 30 seconds it takes. ## What presets save and don't save | Saves | Doesn't save | | --- | --- | | Every tool in the pipeline | Loaded images (you load fresh ones each time) | | Every tool's settings | Your account info | | The order of the steps | Your daily download count | | Custom uploaded assets (frame masks, distress masks, watermark images) | The output zip from previous runs | So loading a preset gives you a clean working pipeline ready for new images. It doesn't give you yesterday's batch back. ## What to read next - **[The pipeline concept](pipeline-concept)** — what a pipeline is in the first place - **[The Selected Tools panel](selected-tools-panel)** — where Save Current Preset lives - **[Your first pipeline in 5 minutes](first-pipeline)** — build a pipeline you can save as your first preset --- # Start here: key ReadyPixl guides URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/start-here Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/start-here.md Section: Getting Started Summary: If you only have five minutes — these articles cover everything most people need. Welcome to ReadyPixl. The web version is **free, forever** — that's the most important thing to know. If you're new and not sure where to begin, these articles cover almost everything most people need. Pick the one that matches what you're trying to do. --- ## [Your first pipeline in 5 minutes](first-pipeline) The fastest way to see what ReadyPixl can do. A step-by-step walkthrough you can follow along with right now — no account needed. Drop a few images, build a pipeline, click one button, get a zip back. **Read this first if you want to actually try it.** --- ## [What is ReadyPixl?](what-is-readypixl) A short overview of what the tool does, who it's built for, what it costs, and what's available. Three minutes. **Read this if you want the big picture before jumping in.** --- ## [The pipeline concept](pipeline-concept) The one idea that makes ReadyPixl click. Why "pipelines" are different from regular online image tools, and why most people who try ReadyPixl save themselves hours per week within the first month. **Read this if you've used other online image tools and want to know what's different.** --- ## [Reposition: put your image on a custom-sized canvas](../pipelines/reposition) Puts your image on a fresh canvas at the exact size you need — a square product photo, a social post, a website banner, a print file. **Read this if your images need to come out at an exact size.** --- ## [What ReadyPixl costs](../billing/pricing-tiers) The web version is free, forever. Two paid extras (Chrome extension, desktop app) add power for heavier users. Most people never need to upgrade — this article tells you whether you're one of them. **Read this if you want to know whether anything costs money.** --- ## [Using the Chrome extension](chrome-extension) Use ReadyPixl from almost any website. Click the **+** button on an image, edit it in the side panel, then download or continue in the web version. **Read this if you pull images from ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Kimi, Ideogram, Google Images, or stock sites.** --- ## [Using the desktop app](desktop-app) The paid desktop app adds local AI upscaling, Windows Explorer / macOS Finder right-click actions, and automation tools for heavier batch work. **Read this if you want ReadyPixl outside your browser or you upscale a lot of images.** --- ## [Using ReadyPixl with AI agents](ai-agents) Let Claude Code, Codex or any AI agent that runs terminal commands edit your images for you — using the presets you already built. **Read this if you work with AI agents.** --- ## [Frequently asked questions](../faq/faq) Quick answers to the most common questions. Is it really free? Where do my images go? Can I use the output for business? What about HEIC files from my phone? **Read this if you have a specific question and want a fast answer.** --- ## Still stuck? Use the search box at the top of the help center — it searches every article. If you can't find it, ask on [feedback.readypixl.com](https://feedback.readypixl.com) (where other users may already have asked the same thing) or email [contact@readypixl.com](mailto:contact@readypixl.com). --- # The canvas and filmstrip: previewing your pipeline on different images URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/canvas-filmstrip Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/canvas-filmstrip.md Section: Getting Started Summary: How to use the canvas live-preview and the filmstrip thumbnails to make sure your pipeline works on every image in your batch — not just the first one. Two parts of the editor work together to let you check your pipeline before running on the whole batch: - The **canvas** (big middle area) shows your current pipeline applied to one image in real time - The **filmstrip** (strip of thumbnails along the bottom) lets you switch which image the canvas is previewing Used together, they answer: *"Will this pipeline work on every image I've loaded, or just the first one?"* ## How the canvas preview works When you have images loaded: - The canvas always shows **one image** at a time - Your full pipeline runs on that image - The preview **updates in real time** as you change pipeline settings or reorder steps - This is your "draft" — what the final output will look like By default, the canvas previews **the first image** in your batch. ## How the filmstrip works Along the bottom of the editor: - **Each thumbnail** = one image loaded into the batch - The **currently-previewed image** is highlighted - **Click any thumbnail** to make that image the canvas preview - **Scroll horizontally** if you have more thumbnails than fit on screen Right-click a thumbnail for options like: - **Remove from batch** (just this one) - **Process this image only** (single download) - **Download** (just this one's output) ## The "first image only" gotcha This is the #1 source of *"my batch came out wrong"* support questions: > The canvas preview always shows your first image. **It does not change automatically as you tweak settings on different images.** If your batch has 50 product images and you tuned Color Removal V2 to look perfect on image #1, the same settings get applied to images #2-50 — even if image #20 has a slightly different background that needs a different setting. **Fix:** before clicking Download All, **click through 3-5 random thumbnails** in the filmstrip to preview each. If the pipeline looks good on all of them, run the batch. If one looks wrong, adjust the relevant tool's settings (usually the Color Removal V2 preset or Base Threshold) until it works on the variety of images you have. ## Tips for using preview well - **Test on the most-different images.** The first image you happened to drop in might be the easiest case. Click on the image with the trickiest background, or the one with the most unusual subject. If the pipeline works on the hardest case, it'll work on the rest. - **Use Filters tool's View modes.** The Speckle Remover and Transparency Cleaner have a **View** mode that highlights what would be removed without actually removing it. Use this in the canvas preview to test settings safely. - **Start with 5-10 images, not 500.** Build your pipeline against a small representative batch. Once it works, drop in the full batch and run. - **The filmstrip remembers what's loaded across pipeline changes.** Adding or removing pipeline steps doesn't unload your images. Tweak freely. ## Canvas toolbar Above the canvas, a small toolbar has quick actions: - **Download All** — appears when you have 2+ images. Tooltip: *"Process and download all images."* This is the main action button. - **Download this one** — exports just the currently-previewed image as a single file - **Undo / Redo** — `Ctrl+Z` (or Cmd+Z) to undo, `Ctrl+Y` (or Cmd+Y) to redo. Steps back through recent canvas changes and manual touch-ups. ## Common questions **Q: My preview looks great but Download All gives me wrong-looking files.**A: The preview shows the first image. The other images got the same pipeline applied — but if their content differs significantly from image #1, the result varies. Click through the filmstrip to spot which images look wrong, then adjust the pipeline. **Q: My preview is really slow when I change a setting.**A: Big images take longer to re-render. If you're tuning settings on a 4000+ pixel image, the preview lag is normal. Test settings on a smaller test image first, then load the big batch. **Q: The canvas is empty even though I have thumbnails in the filmstrip.**A: The current preview image might be one that failed to load fully. Click a different thumbnail in the filmstrip — if that one previews fine, the original is corrupt. Right-click the bad one and remove it from the batch. **Q: How do I zoom into the canvas preview?** A: Scroll or pinch to zoom, and drag to pan around the preview (hold **Spacebar** to pan while a touch-up tool is active). For the truest pixel check, you can also download the single image and open it in your computer's image app. ## What to read next - **[The Selected Tools panel](selected-tools-panel)** — building your pipeline - **[The editor at a glance](editor-layout)** — visual map of the whole screen - **[Your first pipeline in 5 minutes](first-pipeline)** — putting all this together --- # The pipeline concept URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/pipeline-concept Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/pipeline-concept.md Section: Getting Started Summary: The one idea that makes ReadyPixl click — set up a list of edits once, then run them on a whole folder of images all at once. If you only read one article, read this one. ## How most image tools work You've used sites that remove backgrounds or resize images. They all work the same way: 1. Upload one image 2. Wait 3. Download the result 4. Open another website for the next edit 5. Upload again 6. Wait again 7. Download again If you have 200 images that each need 4 edits, that's **800 uploads and 800 downloads.** Most people give up around image 10. ## ReadyPixl replaces that with one pipeline A **pipeline** is just a list of edits you set up once, then run on every image at the same time. Think of it like a recipe. You write the recipe once — *"first remove the background. Then cut off the empty edges. Then make it 2000 by 2000 pixels."* You drop in your whole folder of images and click one button. ReadyPixl follows the recipe on every image at once. When it's done, you download a zip with all the finished images. ## How you build one In the editor, you'll see a tool list on the side. Each tool you click gets added to your pipeline as a step. 1. **Drop your images** into the editor. One, ten, or five hundred — doesn't matter. 2. **Click tools** to add them as steps. 3. **Drag the steps to change the order.** Order matters — removing the background *before* trimming the edges gives a different result than the other way around. 4. **Tweak each step's settings** if you want. 5. **Watch the live preview** — the canvas shows what your first image will look like after all the steps run. 6. **Click Download All** when it looks right. ReadyPixl runs the pipeline on every image in your folder and gives you a zip. ## Save it for next time Once you've built a pipeline that works for something you do a lot — like prepping Etsy design prep — you can **save it as a preset.** Next time you have new images that need the same treatment, one click loads the whole recipe. No setup. **Saved pipelines are where the real time savings come in.** The first time you build one takes a few minutes. The fiftieth time you load it takes 30 seconds. ## When a pipeline isn't the right tool - If you're carefully designing one image from scratch, use Photoshop, Figma, or Canva. ReadyPixl isn't for that. - If every image needs a different decision (different crop, different color), a pipeline won't help. Pipelines are for work you do *the same way* to lots of images. - If you just need to remove the background from one image, any free single-tool site works fine. Pipelines shine when the **same edits** need to run across **lots of images.** That's most of the work people actually do — cleaning up AI-generated images, prepping product photos, resizing and compressing images for the web, getting designs ready to print. That's what ReadyPixl was built for. ## What to read next - **[Your first pipeline in 5 minutes](first-pipeline)** — follow along with the editor open. - **[What is ReadyPixl?](what-is-readypixl)** — if you skipped the intro. --- # The ReadyPixl editor at a glance: every part of the screen explained URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/editor-layout Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/editor-layout.md Section: Getting Started Summary: A visual map of the ReadyPixl editor — what every panel, button, and section does. Read this once and you'll know where everything lives. The ReadyPixl editor packs a lot into one screen. Once you know what each part does, it stops feeling overwhelming. This article is a map. Open the editor at [readypixl.com](https://readypixl.com) and follow along. ## The big image The editor has **five main areas:** - **Top bar** — sign in / settings / account - **Tool sidebar** (left) — pick which tools to add - **Canvas** (center) — the live preview - **Selected Tools panel** (right) — your pipeline - **Filmstrip** (bottom) — thumbnails of every loaded image ## The top bar Across the top of the screen: - **ReadyPixl logo** — click to go back to the home view - **Account menu** (top-right) — sign in / sign out, account settings, billing - **Help / chat widget** (bottom-right corner of the page) — opens the help center chatbot - **Daily download counter** (visible to guests + free users) — shows how many of today's batches you've used ## The tool sidebar (left) This is where you pick which tools to add to your pipeline. - **Search box** at the top — type to filter tools (e.g. type "color" to find Color Removal V2) - **Tool list** below — grouped by category (cleanup, transform, effects, watermarks) - **Click any tool** to add it to your pipeline. Paid AI tools (AI Background Removal, AI Upscale) require signing in. ## The canvas (center) The big visual area in the middle. - **When empty:** shows the drop zone with "Drop image here" - **When loaded:** shows a **live preview** of what your first image looks like with all your current pipeline steps applied - **The preview always shows your first image** — to preview a different one, click it in the filmstrip - **Updates in real time** as you change pipeline settings Above the canvas: the **canvas toolbar** with controls like **Download All** (appears once you have 2+ images loaded — tooltip: *"Process and download all images"*), undo/redo, and a download-this-one button. ## The Selected Tools panel (right) This is your pipeline. Every tool you've added shows up here as a step. - **Steps run top-to-bottom** in the order shown - **Drag a step to reorder** (the order matters — see [The pipeline concept](pipeline-concept)) - **Click a step to expand its settings** - **Hover a step** for quick remove / duplicate options - **Save Current Preset button** at the bottom — saves the whole pipeline (steps + settings) for one-click loading later - **Reset all button** — resets all settings to defaults and switches off all your steps - **Remove all button** — removes every step from the pipeline ## The filmstrip (bottom) Thumbnails of every image you've loaded. - **Click any thumbnail** to make that image the live preview - **The currently-previewed image** is highlighted - **Drop more images into the filmstrip** to add to your batch (you don't have to clear it first) - **Right-click a thumbnail** for options like remove from batch The filmstrip is where you check that your pipeline works on more than just the first image. Click through a few before clicking Download All. ## Sign-in and account When you're not signed in, the top-right shows a **"Sign in"** button. Click to: - **Sign up free** (no credit card, takes 30 seconds) - **Sign in to an existing account** - **Reset password** if you forgot When signed in, the top-right shows your avatar / initials. Click for: - **Account settings** - **Billing** — your plan, credit balance and buying credits (everything is one-time; no subscriptions) - **Sign out** ## Quick tips for the layout - **The Selected Tools panel is the most-used part of the screen** once you're working. Resize it wider if your screen has space. - **The filmstrip is easy to forget.** Use it — checking one image's preview isn't enough for a 200-image batch. - **Search the tool sidebar** instead of scrolling. Even if you know the tool exists, typing "trim" or "color" finds it faster. - **Save your pipeline as a preset early.** Don't lose your setup to an accidental refresh. ## What to read next - **[The pipeline concept](pipeline-concept)** — the why behind the Selected Tools panel - **[Loading your images](loading-images)** — every way to get images into the editor - **[Saving and loading presets](presets)** — the time-saver - **[Keyboard shortcuts](keyboard-shortcuts)** — speed up everything --- # The Selected Tools panel: building, ordering, and tweaking your pipeline URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/selected-tools-panel Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/selected-tools-panel.md Section: Getting Started Summary: A guide to the right-side panel in the ReadyPixl editor — where your pipeline lives. How to add tools, reorder them, change settings, save presets, and start over. The Selected Tools panel is on the right side of the editor. Every tool you add to your pipeline shows up here as a **step**. It's the most-used part of the screen once you're working. ## Adding a tool to your pipeline 1. Find the tool in the **left tool sidebar** (use the **"Search plugins..."** box if you know the name) 2. **Click the tool** — it appears as a new step at the bottom of the Selected Tools panel 3. The canvas live-preview updates immediately to show the effect That's it. The same approach for every tool. ## Each step's anatomy When you click a step in the Selected Tools panel, it expands to show that tool's settings: - **Settings controls** — sliders, color pickers, dropdowns, text inputs (different per tool) - **Live preview** — the canvas updates as you tweak each setting - **Default values** — every setting has a sensible default; you only change what you need Click the step's header again to collapse it back to a one-line summary. ## Reordering steps Steps run **top to bottom** in the order shown. Order matters — see [The pipeline concept](pipeline-concept) for why. To reorder: - **Drag a step** by its handle (left edge of the step row) up or down - Steps snap to their new position Common orderings that matter: - **Color Removal V2 → Trim → Reposition** — remove the solid background color, then crop edges, then place on target canvas - **Resize (smaller) → Color Removal V2** — shrinking first makes Color Removal V2 much faster ## Removing a step Two ways: - **Click the X icon** that appears on the right edge of a step when you hover it - Or open the step → click the trash / remove option in its settings The pipeline updates immediately. The canvas live-preview re-runs without that step. ## Duplicating a step Sometimes you want the same tool twice with different settings — like two Filter steps, one with Sharpen + one with Vignette. - **Hover a step** → click the duplicate icon (when present) - Or just **click the same tool again** in the left sidebar — it adds another instance at the bottom You can have the same tool in your pipeline as many times as you want. ## Saving the pipeline as a preset This is the highest-leverage thing in ReadyPixl. **One click and your whole setup loads next time.** 1. Build your pipeline (add steps, set settings) 2. Click **Save Current Preset** (button near the bottom of the Selected Tools panel) 3. Give it a name you'll remember (e.g. *"Etsy listings 2000"*, *"Social posts 1080"*) 4. Save Next time you open ReadyPixl: 1. Open the **preset dropdown** (next to Save Current Preset) 2. Pick your saved preset 3. The whole pipeline (steps + settings + order) loads in one click For full preset details see [Saving and loading presets](presets). ## Starting over Two reset options at the bottom of the Selected Tools panel: | Button | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Reset All** | Resets every setting to its default **and switches off all your steps** (they stay in the list, just disabled). Switch the ones you want back on to reuse them. | | **Remove All** | Removes every step from the pipeline. Starts you over from scratch. | These don't affect your saved presets — those are stored separately and loadable any time. ## Tips - **Build small first.** Add one tool, see what it does to your preview, then add the next. Easier than adding 5 at once and trying to figure out which is doing what. - **Don't be afraid to remove and re-add.** Steps are cheap. If you're not sure what a tool does, add it, look at the preview, remove if not useful. - **Save the preset before you make a big batch run.** Pipelines disappear on browser refresh if you haven't saved them. Saving takes 5 seconds. - **Search the left sidebar** instead of scrolling. Typing "color" or "watermark" finds the tool faster than scrolling through the full list. ## What to read next - **[The pipeline concept](pipeline-concept)** — why order matters - **[Saving and loading presets](presets)** — the full preset workflow - **[All tools at a glance](../pipelines/all-tools)** — every tool you can add, with one-line descriptions - **[The canvas and filmstrip](canvas-filmstrip)** — for previewing your pipeline on different images --- # Using ReadyPixl on a phone or tablet URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/mobile-tablet Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/mobile-tablet.md Section: Getting Started Summary: What works and what doesn't when you open ReadyPixl on a phone or tablet. Short version: small batches work; serious bulk needs a computer. ReadyPixl works in mobile browsers, but **the experience is built for computers.** This article tells you what you can realistically do on a phone or tablet, and what you should save for desktop. ## What works on mobile - **Loading a few images** by tapping the drop zone and using your phone's image picker - **Browsing images in the filmstrip** - **Checking the canvas preview** — see how a pipeline looks - **Reading the help center** — every article reads fine on phones - **Signing in / managing your account** - **Reviewing presets** you previously saved Useful for: checking a result on the go, reviewing presets between batches, reading docs. ## What's harder on mobile - **Building a pipeline from scratch.** The Selected Tools panel and tool sidebar are crowded on small screens. Possible, but slow. - **Tweaking sliders precisely.** Sliders are designed for mouse precision; they're harder to land on exact values with a thumb. - **Drag-and-drop loading.** Mobile browsers don't always support drag-and-drop the way desktop browsers do. Use the click-to-pick instead. - **Big batches.** Mobile browsers have stricter memory limits than desktop. 5-10 images is fine; 50+ may cause slowdowns or crashes. ## What basically doesn't work on mobile - **Loading a folder.** Mobile image pickers don't have a "select folder" option — you'd have to multi-select individual images. - **Heavy AI processing.** The paid AI tools (AI Background Removal and AI Upscale) do work on mobile, but they can be slow and use credits — better run on a desktop. - **Long sessions.** Mobile Safari and Chrome aggressively close idle tabs. A long ReadyPixl session can lose your pipeline if you switch apps. ## Phone vs tablet | Device | Realistic use | | --- | --- | | **iPhone / Android phone (small screen)** | Quick result checks, reading docs. Skip serious work. | | **iPad / Android tablet (medium screen)** | Light work — small batches (5-15 images), simple pipelines. Checking previews. | | **iPad with keyboard + mouse / Surface tablet** | Closer to desktop experience. Real work possible, but Chrome or Edge desktop is still faster. | ## Tips if you have to use mobile - **Use the click-to-pick to load.** Drag-and-drop is unreliable on mobile. - **Save your pipeline as a preset frequently.** Mobile sessions can get lost when you switch apps or get a notification. - **Stick to small batches.** 10 images or fewer. - **Keep the ReadyPixl tab in front the whole session.** Switching apps can pause the browser tab. - **Use Chrome or Safari** — they're better optimized than smaller-share mobile browsers. ## When to switch to desktop - **For batches over 10 images** - **For any pipeline that uses 5+ tools** - **For your first time using ReadyPixl** (the desktop view shows everything at once; mobile hides things behind taps) - **Whenever you have the choice** The free web version on a desktop browser is the same product, way easier to use. ## Are you building a mobile app? Not as a separate native app. The plan is to keep improving the mobile web experience as the product matures. For people who need a serious mobile workflow, the **ReadyPixl desktop app** (a native Windows and macOS app, available now) will be the closest equivalent — it's the webapp wrapped in a native shell. A dedicated phone app isn't on the year-1 roadmap. If that's something you'd want, post or vote for it on [feedback.readypixl.com](https://feedback.readypixl.com) — demand drives priority. ## What to read next - **[The editor at a glance](editor-layout)** — visual layout (read on desktop for best experience) - **[Loading your images](loading-images)** — for the click-to-pick workflow that works on mobile - **[Frequently asked questions](../faq/faq)** — for the broader question of what ReadyPixl is and isn't --- # Using ReadyPixl with AI agents (Claude Code, Codex and others) URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/ai-agents Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/ai-agents.md Section: Getting Started Summary: Let Claude Code, Codex or any AI agent that can run terminal commands edit your images with ReadyPixl: install the CLI skill, build presets, and get reliable results. If you use an AI agent that can run commands on your computer — **Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI** or similar — it can run ReadyPixl for you. You say *"clean up every image in this folder with my ChatGPT cleanup preset,"* and the agent does it. This works through the **ReadyPixl CLI**, a command-line tool installed with the [desktop app](desktop-app). The agent runs the CLI; you never have to open a terminal yourself. ## What you need - The **ReadyPixl desktop app** (Windows or macOS), installed and **signed in**. The 7-day free trial works too. - An AI agent that can run terminal commands. The web version and Chrome extension don't have a CLI — they're for you to use directly. Anything you save there (like presets) still reaches the agent, because it syncs to the desktop app. ## Set it up once (2 minutes) 1. Open the desktop app and go to **Automation** → **CLI / Automation**. 2. Click **Export SKILL.md** and choose your agent's skills folder. ReadyPixl creates a `readypixl-skill` folder with a `SKILL.md` file inside. - Claude Code: your project's `.claude/skills/` folder, or `~/.claude/skills/` for every project. - Codex and other agents: wherever that agent keeps skills, or just tell the agent where the file is. 3. Open a **new** terminal (terminals opened before installing don't see the `readypixl` command). 4. Ask your agent: *"Run `readypixl --version` to check ReadyPixl works."* That's it. The skill file teaches the agent every ReadyPixl command, every tool, every setting, and what each error means. **The skill keeps itself up to date.** The desktop app updates on its own, so a saved skill file can go stale. The skill tells the agent to compare itself with `readypixl docs` (the live documentation built into the installed app) and refresh itself when they differ. You can also click **Export SKILL.md** again any time. ## Presets are the secret to reliable results An agent *can* set every tool and every setting by itself. But the more settings it has to choose, the more chances it has to get one wrong — especially smaller or cheaper models. **The reliable way:** you build the pipeline in the editor, where you can see the preview, and save it as a [preset](presets). The agent only has to pick the preset name and the folder. The settings are exactly what you tested. 1. Build the pipeline in ReadyPixl (web, extension or desktop) and check the preview on a few images. 2. **Save Current Preset** with a clear name — e.g. `ChatGPT cleanup`, `Square product photos`, `Web 1600 compressed`. 3. Tell your agent: *"Use the ReadyPixl skill with the **ChatGPT cleanup** preset on `D:\Images\new`."* The agent runs something like: ``` readypixl process "D:\Images\new" --preset "ChatGPT cleanup" ``` **Presets you save anywhere reach the agent.** Signed in with the same account, presets from the web version and the Chrome extension sync to the desktop app, and the CLI uses them. Build a preset in the browser at lunch, and your agent can use it on your desktop that evening. Ask the agent to run `readypixl presets list` to see them all. **Multi-step pipelines come from the editor.** The agent can create simple one-tool presets on its own (`readypixl presets create`), but anything with several steps — remove background, trim, upscale, reposition — is best built and saved in the editor. ## Things you can ask your agent - *"List my ReadyPixl presets."* - *"Run my Square product photos preset on every folder inside D:\Shop\Incoming."* - *"Compress everything in this folder to high quality."* - *"Run Color Removal V2 on High directly on this one image, no preset."* - *"What settings does the Reposition tool have?"* (the agent runs `readypixl plugins show reposition`) - *"Set ReadyPixl to put results in a readypixl-output subfolder instead of next to the originals."* - *"Assign my ChatGPT cleanup preset to right-click slot A."* - *"Every morning, process whatever landed in my Downloads\readypixl folder."* (the agent can write a scheduled script) ## Where the results go By default ReadyPixl saves a new file next to each original: `image.png` → `image-readypixl.png`. Your originals are never touched unless you ask for that. The agent can change this per run (`--output `, `--overwrite`) or permanently (a `readypixl-output` subfolder, or overwrite). ## Paid AI tools and credits **AI Background Removal** and **AI Upscale** work from the CLI too, using the credits on your account (15–20 credits per background removal, 10 per upscale). If you're out of credits, the agent gets a clear error and can tell you. The free **Upscaler** in the desktop app costs nothing. ## When the agent says ReadyPixl needs you The CLI reports problems with exit codes the skill already explains to the agent: | Code | What it means | What you do | | --- | --- | --- | | 3 | Preset not found | Check the preset name — the agent can run `readypixl presets list` | | 4 | Tool unavailable or not enough credits | Buy credits on your account page | | 5 | Not signed in | Open the desktop app and sign in | | 6 | Desktop license needs checking | Open the desktop app while online (or your trial ended) | Most of the time you won't see these: the CLI quietly asks the desktop app to refresh your sign-in and license in the background. ## Agents can read our docs and feedback board too - **This help center:** every article is plain markdown for agents. Add `.md` to any article URL, or read the whole help center at once from [helpcenter.readypixl.com/llms-full.txt](https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/llms-full.txt). - **The feedback board:** [feedback.readypixl.com/llms.txt](https://feedback.readypixl.com/llms.txt) tells agents how to read requests and answers on the [feedback board](https://feedback.readypixl.com). So if your agent gets stuck, *"check the ReadyPixl help center"* is a useful thing to say. ## What to read next - **[Presets](presets)** — build, save and sync the presets your agent will use - **[Using the desktop app](desktop-app)** — install, trial, right-click actions - **[All pipeline tools](../pipelines/all-tools)** — what each tool does - **[AI image cleanup](../workflows/ai-image-cleanup-multi-source)** — a good first preset to hand an agent --- # Using the ReadyPixl Chrome extension URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/chrome-extension Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/chrome-extension.md Section: Getting Started Summary: How the ReadyPixl Chrome extension works, how to sign in, edit images from any website, save presets, and continue in the web version. The ReadyPixl Chrome extension lets you use ReadyPixl on images from almost any website. It is built for people who collect images from places like ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Kimi, Ideogram, Google Images, Freepik, stock sites, or supplier pages. ## What the extension does The extension adds ReadyPixl as a side panel in Chrome. When the side panel is open, ReadyPixl can show a **+** button on images on the page. Click **+** to send that image into the extension editor. From there, you can: - Add images from the page. - Drop in images from your computer. - Build a pipeline. - Save and load presets. - Process one image or a batch. - Download finished images. - Continue the same batch in the web version. ## Sign in first The extension asks you to sign in with ReadyPixl. Sign-in matters because it lets the extension: - Sync your presets. - Save your extension preferences. - Check your download limit. - Use the same account as the web version. If you do not have an account yet, use the **Create one free** link in the sign-in screen. ## Add an image from a website 1. Open a page with images. 2. Click the ReadyPixl extension icon. 3. Sign in if asked. 4. Click the **+** button on the image you want. 5. The image appears in the ReadyPixl side panel. You can add several images before processing. ## Build a pipeline in the side panel 1. Pick tools from the tool row. 2. Adjust the settings in the **Selected Tools** panel. 3. Preview the image on the canvas. 4. Use the image row at the bottom to switch between images. 5. Open **Export Settings** to pick format, compression, filename style, DPI, and auto-download. The extension uses the same core ReadyPixl tools as the web version. Some tools may be hidden if they only work in the desktop app. ## Use presets Presets are saved pipelines. Use them when you run the same edits often. 1. Build your pipeline. 2. Click **+ Save** in the presets area. 3. Name the preset. 4. Load it later from the preset list. Presets are shared with your account: a preset you save here appears in the web version and desktop app within seconds, and presets you already built there are already in this list. See [Presets](presets). ## Use Auto DL **Auto DL** means ReadyPixl downloads the image after it finishes processing. Use it when you want a faster one-click pattern: 1. Turn on **Auto DL** in the bottom export row. 2. Pick your tools and settings. 3. Click **+** on an image on the page. 4. ReadyPixl processes it and downloads the result. If you turn on Auto DL, auto-processing turns on too. ## Move the + button, pick a download folder - **Move the + button to any corner** (top left, top right, bottom left, bottom right) in the extension settings. Some sites put their own buttons in a corner — for example Ideogram's share button sits top right — so move the **+** out of the way. - On big canvas-style apps the **+** can drift off the image; click anywhere on the page and it snaps back. - **Pick a download subfolder.** Downloads go into a **readypixl** folder inside your Downloads folder by default; you can change the name. - When you download several images at once, Chrome may ask whether ReadyPixl can download multiple files — **always say yes**. ## Edit while you generate The side panel is the whole web app. Load a preset (for example "clean + square" or "frame distress"), turn on **Auto download**, then click **+** on each image as your AI tool generates it. Every image downloads already edited — upscaled, repositioned, cleaned — before it ever needs a second step. Without Auto download, use **Process all** / **Download all**, or click an image and download it. **Just need an image downloader?** With no tools in the pipeline and Auto download on, **+** simply downloads the image. ## Continue in the web version Use **Continue in Web App** when the batch needs more room. That button sends your current images, active tools, settings, preset, canvas state, and export settings into the ReadyPixl web editor. This is useful when: - The side panel feels too small. - You added a big batch. - You want the full editor layout. - You want to finish on another screen. ## Download limits The extension has its own download limit. | Account | Extension downloads | | --- | --- | | Free account | 10 images per day | | Pro (one-time) | Unlimited | The limit resets each day. If the extension says your daily limit is reached, wait until tomorrow or upgrade for unlimited extension downloads. The web version has a separate free limit. The desktop app is separate too. ## Privacy The extension needs access to websites so it can find images you choose to edit. Your images are processed on your device. The extension stores your sign-in state, preferences, presets, and side panel state in Chrome extension storage. ## What to read next - **[Using the desktop app](desktop-app)** — local upscaling, right-click actions, and automation - **[What ReadyPixl costs](../billing/pricing-tiers)** — free, Pro, desktop, and credits - **[Your first pipeline in 5 minutes](first-pipeline)** — the easiest way to learn pipelines - **[AI-image cleanup](../workflows/ai-image-cleanup-multi-source)** — clean up images from AI tools --- # Using the ReadyPixl desktop app URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/desktop-app Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/desktop-app.md Section: Getting Started Summary: How to install the ReadyPixl desktop app, start the free trial, use the local AI upscaler, and set up right-click actions. ReadyPixl Desktop is the paid app version of ReadyPixl for Windows and macOS. Use it when you want ReadyPixl outside your browser, local AI upscaling, right-click actions, and automation tools for bigger batches. ## What you get The desktop app includes the same editor idea as the web version: - Drop in one picture or a whole folder. - Pick tools from the tool row. - Build a pipeline — a list of edits you run on every picture. - Save presets so you can reuse the same setup later. - Download one image or the whole batch. It also adds desktop-only tools: - **Overwrite original file** — save edits straight onto the files where they are, instead of downloading new copies and deleting the old ones. - **Upscaler (free)** — local AI upscaling; its Extra High tier reaches 8x (the web version's free Upscaler stops at 4x). - **Works offline** for 7 days after the last online license check. - **Right-click actions** in Windows Explorer or macOS Finder. - **CLI / Automation** settings — run presets from scripts, terminal tools, or AI agents like Claude (see below). - Local app updates through the official ReadyPixl release channel. ## Price and trial You can try ReadyPixl Desktop free for 7 days. No credit card is required for the trial. After the trial, the desktop app is a one-time purchase: | Price | What it means | | --- | --- | | **$89** | Regular one-time price | | **$49** | Launch price while the launch offer is active | You buy it once and keep using the app. The purchase includes 1 year of free updates; after that your installed version keeps working. There are no refunds after purchase, so use the trial to test everything. ## Install it 1. Go to [readypixl.com/download](https://readypixl.com/download). 2. Pick the download for your computer. - Windows: choose the Windows installer. - Mac with Apple Silicon: choose macOS Apple Silicon. - Older Intel Mac: choose macOS Intel. 3. Install the app. 4. Open ReadyPixl Desktop. 5. Sign in with your ReadyPixl account. Signing in starts your 7-day desktop trial if you have not used it before. ## First use 1. Open ReadyPixl Desktop. 2. Drop in a picture or folder. 3. Add a tool like **Reposition**, **Color Removal V2**, or **Upscaler (free)**. 4. Adjust the settings. 5. Click **Download All** when the preview looks right. Sign in with your ReadyPixl account and every preset you saved on the web or in the Chrome extension is already here — and new ones you save in the desktop app show up there too. Right-click actions and the CLI use the same presets. See [Presets](presets). ## Overwrite original files Turn on **Overwrite original file** in the editor and ReadyPixl saves the edited image over the original, in the same place with the same name. No more downloading new files, deleting old ones and moving things around. ## Use the free local upscaler The desktop app's **Upscaler (free)** runs on your computer with no credits. Use it when a picture is too small and you need a larger version for print, listings, or mockups. 1. Add **Upscaler (free)** to your pipeline. 2. Pick a quality tier — start with **Standard**, and only move to **High** or **Extra High** once you know your computer handles it (higher tiers can crash a slow machine). 3. Pick a scale: - **2x** for a normal size bump. - **4x** for small AI images or low-resolution art. - **8x** (Extra High) only when you really need a large jump. 4. Put **Reposition** after it if you need a specific canvas size. 5. Download the result. The first time you use it, ReadyPixl may download the upscaler files it needs. Let that finish before closing the app. ## Set up right-click actions Right-click actions let you process images without opening the full editor first. On Windows, they appear in **Windows Explorer**. On Mac, they appear in **Finder** under the Services menu. To turn them on: 1. Open ReadyPixl Desktop. 2. Go to **Automation**. 3. Turn on the Explorer or Finder integration. 4. Save a few presets in the editor. 5. Assign those presets to **Preset A**, **Preset B**, **Preset C**, or **Preset D**. 6. Choose how outputs should be saved: - **Suffix beside original** keeps the original and adds a new file. - **Overwrite original** replaces the original. - **Create subfolder** puts outputs in a new folder. Then right-click an image or folder and choose a ReadyPixl action. Common actions: - **Open in ReadyPixl** — opens the selected images in the editor. - **Process with Preset A-D** — runs the preset you assigned. - **Upscale Images** — runs the desktop upscaler. - **Compress Images** — makes files smaller. ## Use ReadyPixl with AI agents (CLI and skill file) The desktop app includes a **CLI** that AI agents (Claude, Codex and others) can use to run ReadyPixl on folders of images. 1. Open **Automation** settings → **CLI / Automation**. 2. Click **Export SKILL.md** and save the skill file where your agent keeps its skills. 3. Build and save a **preset** for the job (for example "clean + square"). 4. Tell your agent: *"Use the ReadyPixl skill with the clean + square preset on this folder."* **Use presets, not individual tool settings.** An agent can set every tool by itself, but a less capable model may miss a setting. With a preset, the settings are already right and the agent only has one thing to run. If your agent tries to do extra checks you don't need, tell it to update the skill so it just runs the preset. Once it's set up, you never have to open the app for that job. Full guide: **[Using ReadyPixl with AI agents](ai-agents)**. ## If right-click actions do not show up Try this: 1. Close and reopen ReadyPixl Desktop. 2. Go back to **Automation** and turn the integration off, then on again. 3. On Mac, open **System Settings → Login Items & Extensions → Finder** and make sure the ReadyPixl actions are enabled. ## What to read next - **[Chrome extension](chrome-extension)** — use ReadyPixl on images from any website - **[What ReadyPixl costs](../billing/pricing-tiers)** — web, Pro, extension, and desktop pricing - **[Reposition](../pipelines/reposition)** — put designs on the exact canvas size you need - **[AI Upscale](../pipelines/ai-upscale)** — the credit-based upscaler in the web version and extension - **[Using ReadyPixl with AI agents](ai-agents)** — Claude Code, Codex and other agents running your presets - **[Saving and loading presets](presets)** — the key to reliable results with right-click actions and AI agents --- # What is ReadyPixl? URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/what-is-readypixl Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/what-is-readypixl.md Section: Getting Started Summary: A free tool that edits hundreds of images at once, right in your browser. Drop a folder, pick what you want done, click one button. ReadyPixl is a **free** tool that edits hundreds of images at once. You drop in a folder of images. You pick what you want done — like remove the background, or make them all the same size. You click one button. ReadyPixl does the work on every image at the same time. A few minutes later, you download a zip with everything finished. It works right in your web browser. **No installing.** **No account needed.** ## Who uses it People who edit a lot of images the same way, over and over, like: - **People who use AI to make images** — ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Kimi, Ideogram — and need to clean them up before using them. - **Online sellers** (Etsy, Shopify, Amazon, print-on-demand) who need product images and designs to come out clean and the same size. - **Designers, marketers, and content creators** prepping graphics for websites, social media, and digital downloads. - **Photographers and anyone with a folder of photos** that need resizing, compressing, watermarking, or adjusting. - **Anyone who's ever opened Photoshop, done the same five edits to one image, and thought "I have 200 more of these."** If that sounds like you, ReadyPixl was built for you. ## What it costs The web version is **free, forever.** Not a free trial. Not "free until you actually use it." Free. You can use it without signing up — you'll just be capped at **10 downloads per day.** Sign up free (only takes an email) to bump that to **100 per day.** Optional extras — all **one-time payments**, no subscriptions: - **Chrome extension** — adds a ReadyPixl **+** button to images on other websites like ChatGPT, Gemini, and stock image sites. Free with a free account (10 downloads a day); **Pro** ($29 launch / $49, one-time) removes the web and extension download caps. - **Desktop app** ($49 launch / $89, one-time, 7-day free trial) — same ReadyPixl as an app for Mac and Windows, plus overwrite-in-place, right-click actions, a stronger free upscaler (up to 8x), and a CLI for AI agents. Most people stick with the free web version forever. That's by design. ## Your images stay on your computer When you use ReadyPixl in your browser, **your images never get sent to our servers.** All the editing happens right inside your browser, on your own computer. We never see what you're working on. We don't want to. The one exception is two paid AI tools (AI Background Removal and AI Upscale). Those call outside AI services, so using them does send the image out. They're clearly labeled, sign-in required, and they cost credits to use. Everything else stays on your computer. ## What you can do today (all free) - **Remove colors** (Color Removal V2), which also clears solid-color backgrounds your design doesn't share - **Resize** to any size you want - **Cut off empty edges** (Trim) - **Put your design on a custom-sized canvas** (Reposition) - **Rotate or flip** - **Erase corners** (great for hiding watermarks) - **Clean up tiny stray pixels** (Speckle Remover, Transparency Cleaner) - **Adjust brightness, contrast, color** (Image Adjustment) - **Add filters and grunge effects** (Filters, Distress) - **Apply shape masks** (Clipping Mask) - **Give square images an artistic edge** (Frames) - **Add outlines** (Outline / Stroke) - **Remove green-screen backgrounds** (Green BG Remover) - **Make screen-print halftones** (Halftone) - **Upscale 2x / 4x on your own computer** (Upscaler, free) - **Add text or image watermarks** - **Quick manual fixes** — magic wand, eraser, recolor and paint right on the canvas You can use any tool by itself on one image. Or **combine them in any order** to edit a whole folder at once. That combination is called a **pipeline** — explained in the next article. ## Paid AI tools (use credits) Two AI tools are paid because they call outside AI services that cost real money: - **AI Background Removal** — the real background remover, for images whose background isn't one solid color your design avoids. **Recraft AI** (15 credits per image) or **Ideogram** (20 credits). With Recraft, **15 credits per image** (about 1.5¢ each at 1,000 credits per $1). - **AI Upscale** — makes small images bigger without making them blurry. Pick **2x**, **4x**, or **8x**. **10 credits per image** (about 1¢ each). Sign in to use these. The free tools handle most jobs without needing either one. ## What to read next - **[The pipeline concept](pipeline-concept)** — the one idea that makes ReadyPixl click. Read this second. - **[Your first pipeline in 5 minutes](first-pipeline)** — a step-by-step walkthrough you can follow along with right now. --- # Your first pipeline in 5 minutes URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/first-pipeline Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/first-pipeline.md Section: Getting Started Summary: A quick walkthrough — drop some images, build a pipeline, click one button, download a zip. No account needed. This is **free** — no account, no installation, no credit card. Open [readypixl.com](https://readypixl.com) and follow along. Takes about five minutes. ## Before you start Grab 3 to 5 test images from your computer — PNG, JPEG, or WebP all work. SVG works too. Keep the batch small for your first run so the preview stays quick and you can see what each step does. No account? No problem. You can use ReadyPixl without signing up — you'll just be capped at 10 downloads per day. Sign up free for 100 per day. ## Step 1 — Drop your images in When the editor loads, you'll see a box in the middle that says **"Drop image here."** - **Drag** your images from your desktop onto it, or - **Click the box** to pick files from your computer The first image loads into the big canvas area as your preview. The rest wait in line for when you click Download All. ## Step 2 — Add three tools to your pipeline Find the tool list on the side of the screen (it has a **"Search plugins…"** box at the top — those are the same as tools, the name in the code is different). Click a tool to add it to your pipeline. For your first run, add these three in order: 1. **Color Removal V2** — removes the background color (works when the background is one solid color that isn't in your design) 2. **Trim** — cuts off any empty edges left behind 3. **Reposition** — puts your image on a custom-sized canvas Each tool you add shows up as a step in the **Selected Tools** panel. The canvas updates the preview as you change each step's settings, so you can see how things look before running the full batch. ## Step 3 — Change the settings (if you want) Click any step to open its controls. Don't sweat it — the default settings are fine for most images. If you want to change something: - **Trim:** set how much space to leave around the edges (try 4 to 10 pixels) - **Reposition:** pick your target width and height. Use whatever size you need — for example 2000 by 2000 for a square product photo. Center alignment works for most images. ## Step 4 — Drag the steps to change the order (if needed) Steps run **top to bottom.** The order matters. For this pipeline, **Color Removal V2 → Trim → Reposition** is the right order. Remove the background first (so Trim can find the edges), then trim the edges, then place the result on your target canvas. If you want to try a different order later, drag the steps up or down in the Selected Tools panel. ## Step 5 — Save it as a preset (optional) Click **Save Current Preset** to save your pipeline. Give it a name you'll remember, like *"Square product photos"* or *"Clean AI images."* Next time you have new images that need the same treatment, one click loads the whole pipeline. No setup. ## Step 6 — Run it Once you have at least 2 images loaded, a **Download All** button appears in the canvas toolbar. Hover it and you'll see the tooltip *"Process and download all images."* Click it. ReadyPixl runs your pipeline on every image you loaded. A progress bar shows up. Small batches finish in under a minute. When it's done, your browser downloads a zip file with every finished image inside. Original filenames are preserved. That's it. You ran your first pipeline. ## Common first-run questions **Do I really not need an account?**Right — no signup. You can do up to 10 downloads per day this way. Sign up free for 100 per day. **My preview looks great but some images in the batch came out wrong.**The preview always shows your **first image.** If the rest of your batch has very different content (different background colors, much bigger or smaller), the settings tuned for image 1 might not be right for everything else. Click through a few images in the filmstrip at the bottom to check before running the full batch. **The background removal missed some spots.**Try adding a **Speckle Remover** or **Transparency Cleaner** step after it. Both are free. If that's still not clean enough, the **AI Background Removal** tool (15 credits per use, sign-in required) handles the trickiest cases. **I want to make my images bigger.**Use the **AI Upscale** tool — paid, 10 credits per image (about 1¢ each at 1,000 credits per $1), sign-in required. For free, the Reposition tool can place a small image on a bigger canvas, but it won't make the image itself sharper. **I hit the 10-batch guest limit.**Sign up free to bump it to 100 per day. Or come back tomorrow — the cap resets daily. **My browser feels slow after a big batch.**Close the tab and reopen it. That clears out the memory. You'll lose your current pipeline — save it as a preset first if you want to keep it. ## Where to go next - **[The pipeline concept](pipeline-concept)** — the idea behind all of this - Browse the **Pipelines** section for a deeper look at each tool - Browse the **Workflows** section for complete recipes (AI image cleanup, Etsy and Shopify images, watermarking, print prep) --- # AI Background Removal: when Color Removal V2 isn't enough URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/ai-background-removal Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/ai-background-removal.md Section: Pipelines Summary: AI background removal for tricky images that the free Color Removal tool can't handle. Recraft AI (15 credits) or Ideogram (20 credits) per image. Sign-in required. AI Background Removal uses an AI model to cut out the background of tricky images — hair, fur, soft edges, gradients, and busy photos where the regular **Color Removal V2** tool can't get clean. It's a **paid** tool: **15 credits per image with Recraft AI** (20 with Ideogram), and you need to be signed in. *(In the app it's labeled "AI Background Remover".)* ## When to use it - Photos of people, animals, or products with fine edges (hair, fur, fuzz). - Backgrounds with gradients or lots of detail, where color-based removal leaves a mess. - Anything Color Removal V2 can't clean no matter the settings. ## How to use it 1. Sign in (the paid AI tools need an account with credits). 2. Add **AI Background Removal** to your pipeline. 3. **Turn the tool on.** It's added switched off on purpose, because every image it processes costs credits. 4. Pick the model: **Recraft AI** (default, 15 credits) or **Ideogram** (20 credits). 5. Adjust **Transparency Cleanup** and **Auto-Trim** if you want (see below). 6. Run it — credits are charged per image actually processed. The same settings apply to every image in the batch. ## The settings | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Model** | **Recraft AI** (default, 15 credits) — clean edges and the most affordable option. **Ideogram** (20 credits) — a second engine to try when Recraft's result isn't right. | | **Transparency Cleanup** (0–100%, default 5) | Cleans up faint, semi-see-through fragments left around the edges after removal. Around **30%** clears leftover bits you might not even notice. | | **Auto-Trim** (default ON) | Trims the empty edges after removal so your subject sits snug in the frame. | ## Cost and credits - **15 credits per image with Recraft AI** (about 1.5¢), **20 with Ideogram** (about 2¢). Credits are **$1 per 1,000** — $5 covers about 330 Recraft removals. - You're only charged when an image is actually processed. - Credits are bought separately (one-time top-ups); Pro doesn't include credits. - Your image is sent to the AI service, processed there, and sent back — that's why it's fast, and why it costs credits. ## Limits - Sign-in required. - Images over **20 megapixels** are skipped (for example, bigger than roughly 4500×4500). Add a **Resize** step before it to shrink big sources. - Upload limit per image: 50 MB with Recraft AI, 25 MB with Ideogram. ## AI Background Removal vs. Color Removal V2 - **Color Removal V2** (free): best for flat, solid-color backgrounds. Instant, no credits. - **AI Background Removal** (paid): best for hair, fur, soft edges, gradients, and photos. Costs credits. Try Color Removal V2 first; reach for AI only when it can't get clean. ## What to read next - **[Color Removal V2](color-removal)** — the free tool that removes chosen colors (only works as a background remover on solid-color backgrounds) - **[Transparency Cleaner](transparency)** — clean up faint edges - **[AI Upscale](ai-upscale)** — make small images bigger - **[All tools at a glance](all-tools)** --- # AI Upscale: make small images bigger without going blurry URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/ai-upscale Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/ai-upscale.md Section: Pipelines Summary: AI upscaling for small or low-res images. Pick 2x, 4x, or 8x. 10 credits per image. Sign-in required. Free Resize just stretches pixels — this adds real detail. AI Upscale takes a small image and makes it bigger — **with sharp edges and added detail**, not the blurry stretched-pixel result you get from regular Resize. **This is a paid AI tool.** Each use costs **10 credits** (about 1¢ at $1 per 1,000 credits; $5 = about 500 upscales). You need to sign in to use it. Your image is sent to a server, processed there, and deleted right away. ReadyPixl also has a **free Upscaler** that runs on your own computer. **Try the free one first** — if your computer handles it, you don't need to spend anything. Use AI Upscale when your computer struggles or crashes with the free one, or when you need **8x** (on the web, only AI Upscale has 8x). ## When to use AI Upscale vs free Resize | Use this | When | | --- | --- | | **Resize** (free) | Making images smaller, or scaling up by less than ~25% (existing detail is fine, just need slightly bigger) | | **Upscaler** (free) | Making images bigger by 2x or 4x on your own computer. Quality tiers Standard, High and Extra High — start with Standard; higher tiers can crash a slow PC or Mac | | **AI Upscale** (paid) | 2x, 4x, or 8x on our servers — when your computer can't handle the free Upscaler, or you need 8x | The classic case for AI Upscale: a 1024×1024 AI-generated image that needs to be much bigger — for a print, a large web banner, or a product listing. Resize would just stretch the pixels and look soft. AI Upscale at 4x gets you to 4096×4096 with sharp detail you can crop or re-canvas. ## How to use it 1. Add **AI Upscale** to your pipeline. 2. Pick a scale (**4x** is the default): - **2x** — doubles the image dimensions (1024 → 2048) - **4x** — quadruples (1024 → 4096) - **8x** — eight times bigger (1024 → 8192) 3. Optionally set **Skip if already larger than** (see below). If you also have the free Upscaler in the pipeline, turn it off so the image isn't upscaled twice. **Size limits:** your source image can be up to **2500 px per side for 2x and 4x**, and up to **1700 px per side for 8x**. Bigger sources are skipped, so resize very large images down first. (Small AI images like 1024 px are well within these limits.) ## The settings | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Scale** | Pick **2x**, **4x** (default), or **8x**. Always 10 credits per image regardless of scale, but bigger output = bigger file = slower processing. | | **Skip if already larger than** (500–2560 px, default 2560) | Skips images that are already this big, so you don't spend credits upscaling images that don't need it. Matters most in mixed batches. | No noise reduction, no sharpness slider — the AI handles everything. ## Common uses - **AI-generated images** — ChatGPT / Gemini / Grok outputs are usually around 1024px; prints and large images need much more. Upscale 4x bridges the gap. - **Small product images sourced from vendors** — vendor-supplied product images are often 800-1200px, too small for catalog hero positions. Upscale 2x or 4x gets them to spec. - **Old or low-resolution stock images** that you've licensed but can't replace with bigger versions. - **Designs at the wrong export size** that you don't want to re-render from scratch. ## Tips - **Run AI Upscale near the end of your pipeline.** Cleanup tools (Color Removal V2, Trim) are faster on the smaller original. Upscale last to get the final big image at the size you need. - **Pick the smallest scale that hits your target.** Don't 8x if 4x is enough — same credit cost, but the bigger file is slower to process and download. - **Large print file from a 1024 source: use 4x.** That gives 4096px. - **For Etsy 2000×2000 from a 1024 source: use 2x.** That gives 2048px which Reposition can canvas to 2000. - **Try the free Upscaler first.** On the web it runs in your browser on your own computer (2x / 4x). The Desktop app's free Upscaler also works offline and its Extra High tier goes up to 8x — if you upscale a lot, the Desktop app can pay for itself. ## Things AI Upscale doesn't do - **It doesn't sharpen blurry sources.** If your source is out of focus, the upscale just makes it a bigger out-of-focus image. AI Upscale adds detail where the original had detail to work from. It can't invent focus that wasn't there. - **It doesn't fix compression artifacts.** Heavily compressed JPEGs (visible banding, blockiness) sometimes get the artifacts upscaled too. Use the highest-quality source you have. - **It doesn't change the aspect ratio.** A 1024×768 source upscaled 4x becomes 4096×3072 — same shape, just bigger. To get a different shape, use Reposition. - **It doesn't work without sign-in.** The credits system requires an account so we can track usage. - **It can't be undone after credits are spent.** Once you click Download All and the AI processes your batch, the credits are deducted. Test with one image before running on 200. ## How credits work - **1,000 credits cost $1.** Buy in bundles from your account page. - Each AI Upscale use is **10 credits (~1¢)** per image, regardless of scale (2x / 4x / 8x all cost the same). - A typical 100-image batch costs **1,000 credits ($1)**. - Credits don't expire. - You can buy credits from **$5** (5,000 credits) up to $500. - Both the web version and the Desktop app also have a **free Upscaler** that runs on your computer. AI Upscale is the pay-as-you-go option for when your computer can't keep up or you need 8x. ## A typical AI-image cleanup pipeline For AI-generated images that need to end up large, the pipeline looks like: | Step | Tool | What it does | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **AI Background Removal** | Cuts out the AI-generated scene background | | 2 | **Trim** | Removes the empty edges | | 3 | **AI Upscale (4x)** | Brings a 1024px AI image up to ~4096px | | 4 | **Reposition** | Centers the result on your target canvas (for example 4000 × 4000 at 300 DPI for a print) | That's a 25-credit cost per image (15 + 10), about 2.5¢. For a 100-image batch: $2.50. ## What to read next - **[AI Background Removal](ai-background-removal)** — paired AI tool for backgrounds - **[Resize](resize)** — the free tool, fine for smaller scale changes - **[Reposition](reposition)** — for putting upscaled images on a target canvas - **[AI image cleanup workflow](../workflows/ai-image-cleanup-multi-source)** — full pipeline for AI-generated images - **[What ReadyPixl costs](../billing/pricing-tiers)** — full pricing breakdown - **[All pipeline tools](all-tools)** — overview of the full toolset --- # All tools at a glance: every ReadyPixl tool in one list URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/all-tools Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/all-tools.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Quick reference for every ReadyPixl tool — what it does, when to use it, links to full how-to. Bookmark when picking tools for a pipeline. Every tool in ReadyPixl, grouped by what it's for. Click any tool name for the full how-to article. ## 🧹 Cleanup tools — fix your images | Tool | What it does | Common pairing | | --- | --- | --- | | **[Color Removal V2](color-removal)** | Removes up to 10 colors you choose, everywhere in the image, leaving see-through pixels. Doubles as a background remover only when the background is one solid color your design doesn't use. | Trim · Speckle · Transparency Cleaner | | **[Trim](trim)** | Cuts off the empty (see-through) edges around your subject. | After Color Removal V2 | | **[Speckle Remover](speckle)** | Erases tiny stray pixel groups that Color Removal V2 missed. | After Color Removal V2 | | **[Transparency Cleaner](transparency)** | Erases faint, semi-see-through edge pixels (the ones that print as halos). | After Color Removal V2 + Speckle | | **[Corner Erase](corner-erase)** | Removes AI generator badges (like Gemini's) automatically, or clears a chosen corner. | Standalone | | **[Green BG Remover](green-bg-remover)** | Removes a bright green-screen background with soft, clean edges. Made for AI images generated on green. | Before Trim | ## 🔄 Transform tools — change shape, size, or orientation | Tool | What it does | Common pairing | | --- | --- | --- | | **[Resize](resize)** | Changes the actual pixel size of your images. | Early in pipeline (smaller = faster downstream) | | **[Reposition](reposition)** | Places your image on a custom-sized canvas with exact width / height / DPI. | Late in pipeline (after cleanup) | | **[Rotate / Flip](rotate-flip)** | Turns your image by 90 / 180 / 270 / custom angle, or mirrors it. | Standalone or early | | **Canvas Fill** | Fills the space behind your image with a solid color (plus optional padding). Turns a transparent cut-out into a colored background. | After Color Removal V2 | | **Padding** | Adds empty space (a margin) around your image — see-through, or filled with a color. | After cleanup | | **[Upscaler (free)](upscaler)** | Makes images 2x or 4x bigger with AI, running on your own computer. No credits. | Before Reposition | | **[Compress](compress)** | Sets how much the exported files are compressed (Off to Very High). Applied once when saving. | Last step | ## ✨ Effects tools — change the look or feel | Tool | What it does | Common pairing | | --- | --- | --- | | **[Image Adjustment](image-adjustment)** | Brightness, contrast, color balance, saturation, vibrance, hue — plus Colorize, Invert and Greyscale. | After Color Removal V2 | | **[Filters](filters)** | Nine quick visual effects: Blur · Pixelate · Vignette · Sharpen · Emboss · Edge Detect · Noise · Sepia · Posterize. | After Color Removal V2 | | **[Distress](distress)** | Adds vintage / grunge texture by erasing parts of your design with a texture mask. | After cleanup, on solid designs | | **[Clipping Mask](clipping-mask)** | Cuts your design into a custom shape (circle, hexagon, anything). | After Color Removal V2, before Reposition | | **[Frames](frames)** | Adds a decorative border around your design. | Late in pipeline | | **[Outline / Stroke](strokes)** | Adds one or more colored outlines around your design — like a sticker edge. Stack several for a layered look. | After Color Removal V2 | | **[Halftone](halftone)** | Turns a design into a transparent halftone (dots) for screen printing. Auto mode, or Custom for LPI, angle and dot shape. | After cleanup | ## 🏷️ Watermark tools — brand or protect your designs | Tool | What it does | Common pairing | | --- | --- | --- | | **[Watermark (Text)](watermark-text)** | Adds custom typed text (shop name, copyright) to every image. | Last step | | **[Watermark (Image)](watermark-image)** | Adds your logo or any image as an overlay. | Last step | ## Paid AI tools (use credits) | Tool | What it does | Cost | | --- | --- | --- | | **[AI Background Removal](ai-background-removal)** | Higher-quality background removal for tricky images (hair, fur, soft edges) where regular Color Removal V2 can't get clean enough. **Recraft AI** or **Ideogram**. | 15 credits (Recraft) · 20 credits (Ideogram) | | **[AI Upscale](ai-upscale)** | Makes small images bigger on our servers. Pick **2x**, **4x**, or **8x** (8x is paid-only on the web). | 10 credits per use | Credits cost **$1 per 1,000 credits** — so AI Background Removal works out to about 1.5¢ per image and AI Upscale about 1¢. Sign in to use these. ## A typical pipeline order For most product / design / AI-image cleanup work, this order works well: ``` 1. Color Removal V2 (remove the solid background color) 2. Speckle Remover (cleanup stray pixels) 3. Transparency Cleaner (cleanup faint edges) 4. Trim (cut off empty edges) 5. Reposition (place on target canvas size) 6. Watermark (brand it — optional) ``` Drop in images, run, get a finished zip. Build it once, save as a preset, run on every future batch. ## How many tools can I add to a pipeline? As many as you want. The tools run top-to-bottom in the order you set, and each one's output becomes the next one's input. Most working pipelines use 3-7 tools. ## Where to read next - **[The pipeline concept](../getting-started/pipeline-concept)** — the why behind chained tools - **[Your first pipeline in 5 minutes](../getting-started/first-pipeline)** — guided walkthrough using a few of the tools above - **[Start here](../getting-started/start-here)** — the broader help center entry point --- # Canvas Fill: put your design on a solid-color background URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/canvas-fill Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/canvas-fill.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Fill the space behind your image with a solid color, with optional padding. **Canvas Fill** puts a solid color behind your image. If your design has a see-through (transparent) background, Canvas Fill drops a color behind it — turning a cut-out into a finished image on a colored background. ## When to use it - You removed the background (with Color Removal V2) and now want your subject on a colored background instead of transparent. - You want every image in a batch to sit on the same brand color. - You want a little breathing room (padding) around the subject. ## How to use it 1. Add **Canvas Fill** to your pipeline. 2. Pick the **Color** you want behind your image. 3. Set **Padding** if you want space between your subject and the edges. ## The settings | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Color** | The solid color placed behind your image. Click the color box or paste a hex code (like `#FFFFFF` for white). | | **Padding** (0–200) | Adds space around your image before filling. 0 fills right up to the edges; higher numbers leave a border of the fill color around your subject. | ## Canvas Fill vs. similar tools - **Reposition** — use it when you need an exact canvas size (width / height / DPI) for a specific product. Canvas Fill just puts a color behind whatever size you already have. - **Frames** — adds a decorative border. Canvas Fill fills the whole background with one flat color. ## Tips - Put Canvas Fill **after** Color Removal V2 — remove the old background first, then add the new color. - Save it in a preset so every batch gets the same background color automatically. ## What to read next - **[Color Removal V2](color-removal)** — clear the old background first - **[Reposition](reposition)** — for exact canvas sizes - **[All tools at a glance](all-tools)** — the full tool list --- # Clipping Mask: trim your design into a custom shape URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/clipping-mask Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/clipping-mask.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Uses a mask image to cut your design into a custom shape — circles, hexagons, anything. Like cookie-cutting your batch with one shape. Clipping Mask uses a second image (the **mask**) to cut your design into a custom shape. Wherever the mask is opaque (solid), your design shows. Wherever the mask is transparent or empty, your design gets cut out. It's like a cookie cutter — pick a shape, run your whole batch through it, every image comes out in that shape. ## Why this step matters Lots of design needs aren't rectangles. Etsy product thumbnails sometimes look better as circles. Sticker designs need to be cut to the sticker's outline. Logos for round badges need to be circular. Without Clipping Mask, you'd have to manually cut every image to shape — hours of work. With it, you set up the mask once and your whole batch comes out cookie-cut to that shape. ## How to use it 1. Add Clipping Mask to your pipeline. 2. Pick or upload a **mask image**. The mask tells the tool what shape to cut your design into. 3. (Optional) Use **Rotation** and **Flip** to orient the mask exactly how you want. The mask should be an image where the **opaque (solid) area is the shape you want to keep**, and the rest is transparent (PNG with see-through background works perfectly). ## The settings | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Mask** | The shape image. The opaque area = what your design will be cut to. ReadyPixl ships with built-in masks; you can also upload your own. | | **Rotation** | Rotates the mask before applying. Useful when the mask's natural direction doesn't match your design. | | **Flip** | Mirrors the mask horizontally / vertically / both. | ## Common uses - **Round product thumbnails** for Etsy or Shopify catalog listings — apply a circle mask to every product image, get a consistent round look across your shop. - **Sticker batch prep** — clip designs to the actual sticker outline (for die-cut stickers) before exporting. - **Themed shape designs** — heart-shaped Valentine's Day designs, leaf-shaped fall designs, star-shaped award stickers — pick the shape mask, batch-apply. - **Badge / coin / award designs** — circular masks for medal-style designs. - **Custom social media post shapes** — Instagram Stories vs feed posts often need different shape considerations. ## How to make your own mask Any image with a clear opaque area + transparent background works: 1. Start with a black or solid-colored shape on a transparent background. 2. Save as PNG (transparent backgrounds need PNG). 3. Upload it as the mask. The mask is automatically scaled to fit your design. Crisper edges in the mask = crisper cuts in the result. ## Tips - **Run AFTER Color Removal V2 and Trim** so you're clipping a clean isolated subject, not a rectangle with a background. - **Run BEFORE Reposition** so the clipped shape gets placed on the canvas as a unit. - **Match mask shape to use case.** Round masks for thumbnails, sticker-shape masks for stickers, star/heart shapes for themed designs. ## What to read next - **[Frames](frames)** — related compositional tool for borders that fit around your masked subject - **[Color Removal V2](color-removal)** — typically run before Clipping Mask to get a clean isolated subject first - **[Reposition](reposition)** — typically run after Clipping Mask to place the masked result on your target canvas - **For consistent batches**, save the pipeline (with the chosen mask) as a preset. Next batch loads in one click. - **Test on one image first** to make sure the mask is sized and oriented how you expect. ## Things Clipping Mask doesn't do - **It doesn't generate the mask for you.** You either pick a built-in mask or upload your own. There's no AI-generates-a-shape-from-text option. - **It doesn't smart-detect what to keep.** It uses the mask shape exactly. If your design is bigger than the mask shape, the parts outside the mask get cut away. - **It doesn't add a background color.** The cut-away areas become transparent. To put a colored background behind, use Reposition or Frames. - **It doesn't deform your design.** Whatever shape the mask is, that's what gets cut. Your design isn't stretched or warped to fit. --- # Color Removal V2: remove chosen colors from every image URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/color-removal Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/color-removal.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Removes up to 10 colors you choose, everywhere they appear in the image, and leaves see-through pixels. Works as a background remover only when the background is one solid color your design doesn't use. Color Removal V2 removes **colors**, not backgrounds. You choose a color (or up to **10** of them), and every pixel close to that color becomes see-through, wherever it is in the image. That makes it a fast background remover in one specific case: **the background is a single solid color that does not appear anywhere in your design.** A design on flat white with no white in it, or a subject generated on a color it doesn't contain, comes out clean. If the same color is also inside your design, Color Removal V2 removes it there too. ## Why this step matters Logos, stickers, product cut-outs, and AI images often need transparent backgrounds — so whatever sits behind them (a web page, a product, another photo) shows through. When your images sit on a solid background color that your designs don't use, Color Removal V2 in your pipeline turns that color see-through on every image at once, free and instantly. It's also useful beyond backgrounds: dropping a color out of a design, or removing a colored guide or border. ## How to use it 1. Add **Color Removal V2** to your pipeline. 2. Choose how it finds the color: **Auto** (it samples the color at the corners of your image, which is usually the background) or **Manual** (you pick the exact color with the picker or a hex code). 3. Pick a **Preset** — Low, Medium (the default), or High. 4. If it's not quite right, nudge the **Base Threshold** slider. 5. Need to remove more than one color? Click **Add another color** (up to 10). ## The settings | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Color Mode** (Auto / Manual) | **Auto** reads the color at the edges of your image (usually the background). **Manual** lets you click a color or paste a hex code (like `#FFFFFF` for white). | | **Preset** (Low / Medium / High) | A one-click strength. **Low** removes less (safest), **Medium** is the default, **High** removes more (for colors with lots of slightly different shades). Choosing a preset sets the Base Threshold for you. | | **Base Threshold** (0–100) | Fine-tune how close a color has to be to get erased. Higher removes a wider range (can start eating into your subject); lower is stricter. | | **Auto-Trim** (default ON) | After removing the color, automatically cuts off the empty see-through edges — saves adding a separate Trim step. | | **Contiguous** (default OFF) | When ON, only removes the chosen color where it's *connected* to the edges of the image, keeping any matching color *inside* your design. This is what lets it act like a background remover when your design shares the background color. | | **Advanced** (toggle) | Opens fine-tuning for tricky images — interior controls (for gaps inside the design) and **Halo Width** (removes the faint colored ring left around a subject). Most people never need these. | | **Add another color** | Stack up to **10** colors to remove in one pass. Each color has its own settings. | ## Tips - **Start with Medium + Auto.** That handles most images. - **Color not fully gone?** Switch the preset to High, or raise Base Threshold a little. **Eating into your design?** Lower it, or drop to Low. - **Part of your design is the same color you're removing?** Turn on **Contiguous** so only the color touching the edges goes. - **Faint colored halo around your subject?** Turn on **Advanced** and raise **Halo Width**. - **Background made of a few solid colors?** Use **Add another color** and pick each one. ## Why Color Removal sometimes fails If Color Removal V2 leaves patches when you use it on a background, the background usually **isn't truly one flat color**. AI generators often make backgrounds that look flat to your eye but are full of slightly different shades to a computer. When the background really is one flat color, removal is clean with no halo. What to do: - Turn **Contiguous** off to also remove matching color inside the design (e.g. between letters). - Try the **High** preset, or **Advanced** for tricky edges. - For batches, ask your AI to generate on **neon green** and use **[Green BG Remover](green-bg-remover)** at Threshold 60 — it handles uneven green much better. ## When to use a real background remover instead - **Hair, fur, or soft/photographic edges:** **AI Background Removal** (15 credits per image) handles these far better. - **Gradients, textures, photos or busy scenes** with no single background color: use AI Background Removal. - **Your design uses the background color all over** (white text on a white background, for example): use AI Background Removal, which looks at the subject instead of the color. ## Things Color Removal V2 doesn't do - **It is not a background remover.** It sees colors, not objects or backgrounds. If your subject contains the color you remove, that color disappears from the subject too (Contiguous helps only when those parts don't touch the edges). - **It doesn't add a new background.** It just makes the chosen color transparent. To put your subject on a colored background, add **Canvas Fill** or **Reposition**. ## What to read next - **[AI Background Removal](ai-background-removal)** — the actual background remover (AI, paid) for anything that isn't a solid color background - **[Speckle Remover](speckle)** — cleans up stray pixels left behind - **[Transparency Cleaner](transparency)** — removes faint halos around the cut subject - **[Canvas Fill](canvas-fill)** — put your subject on a colored background --- # Compress: control the exported file size URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/compress Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/compress.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Sets how much your downloaded images are compressed — Off, Low, Medium, High or Very High. Applied once when the image is saved. Compress sets **how much your exported files are compressed**. Smaller files upload faster and save space; too much compression on photos can leave visible artifacts. There are two places to set compression, and they do the same thing: - **Export settings** next to the download buttons (Off / Low / Medium / High / Very High; default **High**). - The **Compress** tool in your pipeline. When it's in the pipeline, it **overrides** the export setting. Why use the tool then? Because it's saved inside your **preset**. Put Compress in a preset and every run — on the web, in the Chrome extension, in the desktop app, from right-click or from an AI agent — uses the same compression. ## The setting | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Compression Level** | **Off**, **Low**, **Medium**, **High** (default) or **Very High**. Applied once, when the image is saved — it doesn't matter where Compress sits in the pipeline. | ## Tips - **Designs and graphics with flat colors** compress very well — High or Very High keeps even a large PNG around a megabyte or two. - **Photographic images** can show artifacts at high compression. Use Medium or Low, and check the result. - Very colorful images end up bigger files even at the same setting. ## What to read next - **[Exporting your images](../getting-started/exporting)** — format, DPI, file names and downloading - **[Saving and loading presets](../getting-started/presets)** --- # Corner Erase: remove watermarks from an image corner URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/corner-erase Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/corner-erase.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Erases a chosen corner of every image in your batch — and optionally fills it back in to look natural. Built for hiding watermarks like the Gemini AI badge. Corner Erase wipes out a corner of your image (top-left, top-right, bottom-left, or bottom-right) and optionally fills it back in so it doesn't look like there's a hole there. It's built for one job: removing watermarks that sit in a corner. Like the Gemini AI watermark, the small "made with X" badges some AI tools add, or any consistent corner mark across a batch. ## Why this step matters Lots of free tools add a small watermark or logo to the corner of every output image — often as their way of saying "made with our tool." If you're using those images for your designs or product images, the watermark needs to go. Doing it by hand in Photoshop on 200 images is hours of work. Corner Erase does the same job in one pipeline step. ⚠️ **Only use this on images you have the right to remove the watermark from.** Some tools allow watermark removal in their paid tiers; others don't. Check before you batch-erase. ## How to use it 1. Add Corner Erase to your pipeline. 2. Leave **Fill Mode** on **Patch** (the default) with **Patch Mode: Auto**. It finds the AI badge on its own — the Gemini watermark (bottom right) and the Kimi watermark (bottom left) — and skips images that don't have one. No corner or size to set. 3. Toggle the tool off and on to compare: off shows the watermark, on shows it gone, on every image in the batch. 4. If Patch isn't right for your images, switch Fill Mode to **Transparent**, **Color** or **Mirror**, then pick the **Corner** and the **Width**/**Height** of the area to erase. ## The settings ### Basic | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Fill Mode** | How to clear the corner. Four choices below. **Default: Patch.** | | **Corner** (Transparent / Color / Mirror) | Which corner to erase: **Top Left** · **Top Right** · **Bottom Left** · **Bottom Right**. Default: Bottom Right (where most watermarks sit). | | **Width** / **Height** (0–25%, Transparent / Color / Mirror) | Size of the erase area as a percentage of the image. Default: 10% each. Push them too far and you'll start to see distortion. | ### Fill modes | Mode | What it does | When to use | | --- | --- | --- | | **Patch** (default) | Removes the small AI generator badge (like Gemini's) and repairs the area. **Auto** finds the badge itself and skips images without one; **Custom** removes at the exact size and margins you set. | The best option for AI watermarks. | | **Transparent** | Makes the corner fully see-through. | When you'll run background removal afterward and don't want the watermark interfering. | | **Color** | Fills the corner with a solid color you pick (default white). | When you need to match a specific background color. | | **Mirror** | Copies texture from the image's edge into the corner with some variation. | Textured backgrounds where a solid fill would show. | ### Patch → Custom settings | Setting | What it does | Default | | --- | --- | --- | | **Strength** (25–200%) | How strongly the badge is removed. | 100% | | **Badge Size** (16–256 px) | Size of the badge to remove. | 96 | | **Margin Right** / **Margin Bottom** (0–512 px) | Distance of the badge from the image's right and bottom edges. | 64 / 64 | ### Mirror settings | Setting | What it does | Default | | --- | --- | --- | | **Sample Depth** (10–50) | How deep into the image to look for sample pixels. | 30 | | **Variation** (0–10) | How much to randomize the fill so it doesn't look like an obvious copy-paste. | 4 | | **Blend Depth** (0–5) | How softly to blend the fill into the surrounding image. | 2 | ## What to read next - **[Color Removal V2](color-removal)** — to remove a solid background color across the whole image instead of just corners - **[Speckle Remover](speckle)** — similar pixel-cleanup concept for stray dots - **[Trim](trim)** — for removing empty edges after Corner Erase ## Tips - **Start with Patch → Auto.** It handles AI badges like Gemini's on its own. Use Transparent, Color or Mirror for other corner marks. - **In Transparent / Color / Mirror, make the erase area slightly bigger than the watermark.** 10% × 10% covers most corner watermarks. Going much bigger starts to distort the image. - **For consistent watermark batches** (every image has the same watermark in the same spot), set up Corner Erase once, save it as a preset, run it on every batch. - **Combine with other tools** — Corner Erase + Color Removal V2 in the same pipeline can both clean a watermark AND remove the background in one batch run. ## Things Corner Erase doesn't do - **Outside Patch → Auto, it can't find watermarks for you.** You tell it which corner; it erases that corner. If the watermark moves between images or is in the middle of the image, this tool can't help. - **Transparent / Color / Mirror aren't selective.** They erase everything in the corner area you defined, not just the watermark. If your corner has important design elements, those go too. - **It doesn't work on watermarks in the center or middle-edge of images.** This is corner-only by design. For other areas, you'd need to use a different image editor. - **Only Patch → Auto detects anything,** and only the AI generator badge. For everything else you define the area. --- # Distress: add vintage grunge texture by knocking out parts of your design URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/distress Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/distress.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Uses a texture image to selectively erase parts of your design for a worn / vintage / grunge look. Built-in masks plus upload-your-own. Distress takes a second image (the **distress mask** — a black-and-white texture image) and uses it to **erase parts of your main image**. Wherever the mask is dark, the main image stays. Wherever the mask is light, the main image gets see-through. The result: a worn, grungy, vintage-textured version of your design. Perfect for retro designs, hand-distressed-looking logos, or any look where you want texture instead of clean edges. ## Why this step matters Distress is the difference between **clean, perfect-looking designs** (which look generic) and **textured, vintage designs** (which sell better in retro / lifestyle / craft markets like Etsy and Redbubble). Doing this by hand in Photoshop on every design = hours. With Distress in your pipeline, every image in your batch gets the same texture in one click. ## How to use it 1. Add Distress to your pipeline. 2. The tool ships with **built-in distress masks** — pick one from the included library, or upload your own. 3. (Optional) Adjust **Rotation** and **Flip** so the texture sits where you want. 4. (Optional) Adjust **Alpha Threshold** to control how aggressive the distress is. ## The settings | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Distress Mask** | The texture image used to erase parts of your design. Wherever the mask is **solid (opaque)**, your design becomes see-through; where the mask is **transparent**, your design stays. Pick one of the built-in textures (or **See all**) or upload your own PNG texture. | | **Rotation** | Rotates the distress mask before applying. Useful when the texture's natural direction doesn't match your design's orientation. | | **Flip** | Mirrors the distress mask horizontally / vertically / both. | | **Alpha Threshold** (0–255, default 80) | How solid a part of the mask has to be before it erases your design. **Lower = more intense** (more of your design gets eaten away). **Higher = more subtle** (only the most solid parts of the mask erase). | ## Common uses - **Vintage-style designs** — start with a clean text logo, add Distress with a subtle texture mask, get a worn, retro-looking graphic. - **Hand-distressed-looking logos** — apply Distress to a clean logo to mimic letterpress / aged-paper printing. - **Stamped or stenciled effects** — combine Distress with Posterize (in Filters) for bold stenciled graphics. - **Aged-look edges** — apply a vignette-style distress mask to product images for a worn aesthetic. ## Tips - **Subtle is usually better.** The first time you use Distress, set Alpha Threshold high (subtle) and lower it until you like the look. Heavy distress makes designs hard to read. - **Stack layers.** You can add a second or third distress texture, each with its own rotation and threshold — for example lines going two directions, each kept subtle. - **Match the texture to the medium.** Coffee-stain textures suit cafe-themed designs. Concrete textures suit industrial designs. Consistent style sells better than mixed-style batches. - **Run Distress AFTER Color Removal V2 and Trim** so the texture only affects the actual design, not the background. - **Use the same mask across a whole batch** for visual consistency. Save the pipeline as a preset so you don't have to re-pick the mask each time. - **Distress works best on solid-color or high-contrast designs.** Photorealistic images get muddy when you erase chunks of them. ## Things Distress doesn't do - **It doesn't add color or texture to your design.** It only erases parts of it. To paint texture onto a design, you'd combine with Frames or Watermark Image. - **It doesn't generate masks for you.** You either use the built-in masks or upload your own. There's no "make me a grunge texture" button. - **It doesn't selectively distress only certain colors or areas of your design.** The mask covers the whole design uniformly. - **It doesn't undo by lowering the threshold mid-batch.** Once Distress runs in your pipeline, the eaten-away pixels are gone for that batch run. ## What to read next - **[Filters](filters)** — related visual-effects tool for non-destructive styling - **[Frames](frames)** — for combining distress effects with decorative borders - **[Watermarking designs](../workflows/watermarking-designs)** — workflow that often pairs Distress with brand watermarks --- # Filters: blur, sharpen, vignette, and other quick visual effects URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/filters Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/filters.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Nine ready-to-use visual effects you can apply across a whole batch — Blur, Pixelate, Vignette, Sharpen, Emboss, Edge Detect, Noise, Sepia, and Posterize. Filters bundles nine common visual effects into one tool. Pick a filter, set its strength, run on your batch. Most are creative effects (Sepia, Vignette, Posterize). A couple are practical (Sharpen for crispness, Blur for softening). ## How to use it 1. Add Filters to your pipeline. 2. Pick which **Filter** you want from the dropdown. 3. Adjust the strength slider that appears (different per filter). You can chain multiple Filters by adding the tool more than once — Sharpen + Vignette + Sepia in three separate Filter steps if you want all three. ## The filters | Filter | What it does | Strength setting | | --- | --- | --- | | **Blur** | Softens the image by blending nearby pixels. Useful for hiding small flaws or creating soft backgrounds. | **Blur Radius** (1–100) — bigger = blurrier. | | **Pixelate** | Reduces the image to chunky blocks. Privacy / artistic effect. | **Block Size** (1–200) — bigger = chunkier blocks. | | **Vignette** | Darkens the corners of the image, drawing the eye to the center. Classic vintage look. | **Strength** (0–100) — higher = darker corners. | | **Sharpen** | Increases the crispness of edges. Counteracts soft / blurry source images. | **Amount** (0–100) — higher = crispier (and noisier at extreme values). | | **Emboss** | Turns the image into a 3D-relief effect, like stamped metal. Creative only. | (No strength slider — fixed effect.) | | **Edge Detect** | Highlights only the edges of objects. Looks like a line drawing. Creative / technical. | (No strength slider — fixed effect.) | | **Noise** | Adds random grain texture. Useful for matching grainy stock images or adding a film look. | **Amount** (0–100) — higher = more visible grain. | | **Sepia** | Brown-tinted vintage look. Classic retro treatment. | (No strength slider — fixed effect.) | | **Posterize** | Reduces the image to a small number of distinct colors. Cartoon-poster effect. | **Levels** (2–16) — fewer levels = more cartoony, more levels = closer to the original. | ## Common uses - **Sharpen across a batch of slightly soft AI-generated images** — Sharpen at 25–40 makes them look crisp without going noisy. - **Vignette every product image** for a subtle Etsy / boutique aesthetic — Strength 30–50 is usually right. - **Blur backgrounds you've already isolated** — useful when you want a soft-focus product look. Blur Radius 15–30. - **Sepia + Noise in two stacked Filters** for a vintage look. - **Posterize at 4–6 levels** turns images into bold poster-style art for sticker batches. - **Pixelate for privacy** at Block Size 20–40 obscures faces or sensitive details. ## Tips - **Add Filters AFTER Color Removal V2 and Trim.** Filters work on the actual visible pixels — you want those clean before adding effects. - **Add Filters BEFORE Reposition.** That way, the filter applies to your raw image, not to the empty canvas around it. - **Subtle is usually right.** Sharpen 25 looks great. Sharpen 80 looks like a smartphone over-processing image. Same for most filters. - **Stack filters by adding multiple Filter steps** to your pipeline. Each runs in order, top to bottom. - **Test on one image first** before running on a 500-image batch. Filter effects can be dramatic and not always what you expected. ## Things Filters doesn't do - **It doesn't have unlimited filter options.** Just the nine listed above. For more advanced effects (HDR, gradient maps, channel mixing), you'd need a dedicated image editor. - **It doesn't undo itself.** Once a filter has been applied to a batch, the original is in the input file. Always keep originals. - **It doesn't combine filters into one slider.** If you want Sharpen + Vignette + Sepia, you add the Filter tool three times to your pipeline, once per effect. - **It doesn't auto-tune to your image.** You pick the strength manually. There's no "smart" mode. ## What to read next - **[Image Adjustment](image-adjustment)** — color correction companion (run before Filters for the cleanest result) - **[Distress](distress)** — related visual-effects tool for vintage/grunge looks - **[Frames](frames)** — for adding decorative borders alongside filter effects --- # Frames: give square images an artistic edge URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/frames Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/frames.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Cuts your image's edges into an artistic frame shape (a circle, rough edges, ornate shapes) so you don't upload a plain square. Built-in frame library plus upload-your-own. Frames gives every image in your batch an **artistic edge** so you're not uploading a plain, boring square. It doesn't draw a border on top — it **deletes pixels** around the edges in the shape of a frame (a circle, rough brush edges, ornate shapes), the same on every image. The shape comes from a separate image (the **frame mask**) that you pick from the built-in library (**See all** shows every frame) or upload yourself. Great for images where you don't need to remove the background but still want them to look designed on a shirt. ## Why this step matters A framed edge makes a full-bleed image look finished instead of like a pasted rectangle: - **Designs** made from scenes or photos where removing the background isn't the goal - **Vintage / artistic looks** — rough or circular edges - **Batches** where every image should get the same shape Doing this by hand on every image in a batch = tedious. Frames does it consistently across the whole batch in one step. ## How to use it 1. Add Frames to your pipeline. 2. Pick a frame from the built-in library (or **See all**), or upload your own frame image. 3. (Optional) Adjust **Rotation**, **Flip**, and **Alpha Threshold** — rotate the frame to move the rough edge to a different side. 4. (Optional) **Add a second frame** — e.g. a circle plus a rough edge — and the effects layer. Pair it with **Distress** for a worn look. ## The settings | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Frame Mask** | The frame shape. Wherever the mask is solid, your image is cut away; where it's transparent, your image stays. Built-in frames included; uploading your own is supported (a PNG with a transparent center works best). | | **Rotation** | Rotates the frame mask. Useful when the frame's natural direction doesn't match your design. | | **Flip** | Mirrors the frame horizontally / vertically / both. | | **Alpha Threshold** (0–255, default 80) | Wherever the frame mask is at least this solid, your image is cut away. **Lower = more intense** (more of the edges get cut); **higher = more subtle**. | ## How to make your own frame A custom frame image is just a PNG with: - **A transparent (see-through) center** — that part of your image is kept - **Solid areas around the edge** (any color) — those parts of your image are cut away Save as PNG, upload it as your frame mask, and ReadyPixl scales it to fit each image in your batch. ## Common uses - **Circle crop for every image** — the plain circle frame turns a batch of squares into round designs. - **Rough, brushed edges** on full-scene AI images for a vintage look. - **Ornate frame shapes** for antique-themed designs. - **Custom hand-drawn edges** uploaded as PNG, batch-applied for a unique look across your shop. Frames removes pixels; it never adds a colored border. For a colored outline, use **Outline / Stroke**; for a colored margin, use **Padding** or **Canvas Fill**. ## Tips - **Best on images that keep their background** (scenes, full-bleed AI art) — that's where a plain square looks boring. - **Run BEFORE Reposition** so the framed design gets placed on the canvas as a unit. - **Rotate the frame** to put its roughest edge on the side you want, and **stack two frames** (e.g. circle + rough edge) for a layered effect. - **For very tall or very wide images**, the frame stretches to fit. If that distorts a circular frame into an oval, consider using a frame that already has the right proportions. - **Save the pipeline as a preset** once you've picked your frame. Every batch loads the same frame in one click. ## Things Frames doesn't do - **It doesn't generate frames for you.** Use built-in frames or upload your own. There's no AI-generates-a-frame button. - **It doesn't change the image's overall size.** The frame fits within your existing canvas. To increase the canvas size around the design, use Reposition first with extra padding. - **It doesn't add color, text or other elements.** For text, use Watermark Text. For a logo overlay, use Watermark Image. ## What to read next - **[Reposition](reposition)** — for setting the canvas size that Frames sits inside - **[Clipping Mask](clipping-mask)** — related shape-cutting tool - **[Distress](distress)** — pairs well with Frames for a worn look --- # Green BG Remover: remove green-screen backgrounds cleanly URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/green-bg-remover Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/green-bg-remover.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Removes a bright green background with soft, clean edges. Made for AI images generated on neon green when the regular Color Removal V2 struggles. Free. Green BG Remover removes a **green-screen background** and leaves clean, softly feathered edges with the green tint taken out of them. It's free and runs on your computer. ## When to use it Use **Color Removal V2** first. If it struggles, the usual reason is that the AI didn't make a truly flat background color — it looks flat to you, but a computer sees lots of slightly different colors. That's where Green BG Remover comes in. It's built around a **single color** (green), so it handles uneven green backgrounds much better. **The bulk trick:** ask your AI image generator to put every image on a **neon green background**, then run Green BG Remover on the whole batch. You get far more consistent removals than with random background colors — especially with lower-quality generators. ## How to use it 1. Add **Green BG Remover** to your pipeline (type "green" in the tool search). 2. Leave **Threshold** at **60** — that's the sweet spot for most green backgrounds. 3. Check a few images in the filmstrip. Nudge Threshold up or down only if needed. 4. Add **Trim** after it to cut away the empty space. ## The settings | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Threshold** (0–255, default 60) | How green a pixel has to be to be removed. 60 works for most images; test other values if edges look wrong. | | **Custom Settings** (default off) | Unlocks fine-tuning: **Min Saturation** (0–1, default 0.08), **Min Green** (0–255, default 20), **Feather Radius** (0.5–10, default 3), **Choke Low** (default 0.3) and **Choke High** (default 0.7). Most images don't need these. | If you find yourself fighting the Custom Settings, the background color is probably too inconsistent to remove cleanly — regenerate it on a cleaner neon green. ## What to read next - **[Color Removal V2](color-removal)** — try this first for any solid-color background - **[Picking the right background color](../background-removal-tips/picking-background-color)** — prompt tips for clean backgrounds - **[Trim](trim)** — cut off the empty edges afterward - **[AI Background Removal](ai-background-removal)** — paid option for photos, hair and fur --- # Halftone: screen-print style designs for black shirts URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/halftone Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/halftone.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Turns a design on a black background into a transparent halftone (dots or lines) for screen printing — great for shadows, fire and glow that a normal background remover can't keep. Free. Halftone turns a design into a **transparent halftone** — the dot pattern from the old screen-printing days that still sells well today. It's a form of background removal made for **black shirts**. ## When to use it - Your design is on a **black background** and has shadows, smoke, fire, glow or semi-transparent parts that would look bad after a remove a solid background color. - You want a vintage screen-print look. Right now Halftone is designed for **black backgrounds** (other colors are planned). Preview on a black canvas background to see how it will print on a black shirt, and on white to see the dots themselves. ## How to use it 1. Add **Halftone** to your pipeline. 2. Leave **Mode** on **Auto** — it works well for most images. 3. Switch the canvas preview to **black** to check the result. 4. Want more control? Switch Mode to **Custom** (see below). It works across your whole batch, like every ReadyPixl tool. ## Custom settings Custom is all about preference — there's no right or wrong. | Setting | What it does | Default | | --- | --- | --- | | **Crop Background** | Trims the background around the edges. | On | | **Crop Threshold** (0–255) | How dark counts as background when cropping. | 25 | | **Black Point** / **White Point** (0–255) | Which tones become no-dots and full dots. | 16 / 100 | | **Gamma** (0.1–3) | Brightens or darkens the midtones. Higher can add a lot of color and brightness. | 1 | | **Invert for Dark Garment** | Inverts the tones for dark shirts. | Off | | **Method** | **Halftone** (dots or lines) or **Diffusion** (scattered dither). | Halftone | | **Screen Frequency (LPI)** (5–100) | How many lines per inch — bigger number = smaller, finer dots. | 35 | | **Screen Angle** (0–90°) | The direction of the dot / line rows. | 23.5° | | **Dot Shape** | **Round** dots or **Line** shapes. | Round | | **Screen DPI** (72–1200) | The print resolution the pattern is built for. | 300 | ## Tips - Pair it with **Image Adjustment** — **Colorize** gives halftones a nice single-color look. - Try both: run one batch with normal background removal and another with Halftone, and keep whichever looks better. Save each as a preset. ## What to read next - **[Image Adjustment](image-adjustment)** — brightness, contrast and Colorize - **[Color Removal V2](color-removal)** — normal background removal - **[Saving and loading presets](../getting-started/presets)** --- # Image Adjustment: tweak brightness, contrast, and color across a batch URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/image-adjustment Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/image-adjustment.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Adjusts the look of every image in your batch — brightness, contrast, color channels, saturation, vibrance, and hue. Eight sliders, one consistent result. Image Adjustment is your batch-level color correction tool. Eight sliders to fix lighting, color cast, and saturation across every image at once. If your batch of source images came out at slightly inconsistent brightness or color — different mockup tools, different stock libraries, different AI generations — this is the tool that brings them in line. ## Why this step matters Even carefully-sourced batches end up inconsistent — different generations, different mockup exports, different stock libraries each have their own brightness and color bias. For product listings or print-on-demand where consistency matters, you want the whole batch to look like one shop, not 40 different sources. Image Adjustment applies the same correction to every image, so they all end up in the same visual range. ## How to use it 1. Add Image Adjustment to your pipeline. 2. Move the sliders to taste. Watch the live preview — it shows your first image being adjusted in real time. 3. When the preview looks right, run the pipeline. Every image in the batch gets the same treatment. ## The sliders All sliders default to **0** (no change). Negative values reduce; positive values increase. | Slider | Range | What it does | | --- | --- | --- | | **Brightness** | −50 to +50 on the slider (type a value for up to ±100) | Makes the image lighter (positive) or darker (negative). | | **Contrast** | −100 to +100 | Punches the difference between light and dark areas (positive) or flattens it (negative). | | **Saturation** | −100 to +100 | Strengthens (positive) or weakens (negative) ALL the colors at once. −100 = black and white. | | **Vibrance** | −100 to +100 | Like Saturation, but smarter — boosts muted colors more than already-bright ones. Less likely to make skin tones look weird. | | **Hue** | −180 to +180 | Shifts every color around the color wheel. Reds become greens, etc. Use sparingly — small shifts (5–15) for white-balance fixes; big shifts for creative recoloring. | | **Red** | −100 to +100 | Strengthens or weakens just the red channel. Useful for warming/cooling images. | | **Green** | −100 to +100 | Same for green. | | **Blue** | −100 to +100 | Same for blue. Often used to fix blue color casts from fluorescent light. | | **Colorize** | On / Off, with **Colorize Hue** 0–360 (default 180) | Tints the whole image with one hue — a quick single-color look. | | **Invert** | On / Off | Flips every color to its opposite, like a photo negative. | | **Greyscale** | On / Off | Removes all color (black and white). | ## Common adjustments | Goal | Settings to try | | --- | --- | | **Images look slightly washed out** | Contrast +15, Saturation +10 | | **Images look too dark** | Brightness +15, Contrast +5 | | **Images have a yellow/warm cast** | Blue +10, Red −5 | | **Images have a cold/blue cast** | Red +10, Blue −10 | | **Want a vintage / muted look** | Saturation −25, Contrast +10 | | **Want punchier social-media colors** | Saturation +15, Vibrance +20, Contrast +10 | | **Convert batch to black and white** | Saturation −100 | ## Tips - **Start small.** Big slider moves are rarely right. ±10 is usually enough to shift the look meaningfully. - **Vibrance > Saturation** for most product images — Vibrance keeps skin tones natural while still boosting product colors. - **Watch the preview, not the numbers.** What looks "+30 brightness" on one batch might be too much on another. - **For batches with very different content** (some bright, some dark), Image Adjustment will shift them all by the same amount — so the bright ones get *more* bright and the dark ones get *more* dark. If your batch needs different corrections per image, separate them. - **Combine with Filters.** Use Image Adjustment for normal correction, then a Filter (Sharpen, Vignette) for creative touches. ## Things Image Adjustment doesn't do - **It doesn't auto-correct.** No "auto white balance" or "auto brightness" button — you set the sliders manually. - **It doesn't fix per-image differences.** The same correction applies to every image in the batch. If image 1 needs +10 brightness and image 2 needs −10, this isn't the right tool. - **It doesn't replace selective edits.** Brightness and contrast affect the whole image. To brighten just a face or just a background, you'd need a different image editor. - **It doesn't change the image's size, shape, or transparency.** Pure color and tone work — no geometry. ## What to read next - **[Filters](filters)** — creative effects (sharpen, vignette, sepia) for batch styling after color correction - **[Color Removal V2](color-removal)** — often used together for batch consistency across a batch - **[Quality issues](../troubleshooting/quality-issues)** — when output has color cast or brightness problems --- # Padding: add space around your image URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/padding Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/padding.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Add a see-through or colored margin around your image, per-side or all at once. **Padding** adds empty space around your image. Use it when your subject sits too close to the edges and you want a margin — either see-through space or a solid color border. ## When to use it - Give a design breathing room before you place it on a product. - Add an even margin so nothing important sits right on the edge. - Put a solid color border around the whole image. ## How to use it 1. Add **Padding** to your pipeline. 2. Choose how much space to add — all sides together, or each side on its own. 3. Pick whether the new space is see-through or filled with a color. ## The settings | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Sync sides** | ON = one slider adds the same padding to all four sides. OFF = four separate sliders (Top, Right, Bottom, Left) so you can set each side on its own. | | **Padding amount** (0–1000 px) | How much space to add. With Sync sides on it's a single "All Sides" slider; with it off, one slider per side. | | **Padding Fill** | **Transparent** leaves the new space see-through. **Color** fills the new space with a color you choose. | | **Color** | The fill color (only when Padding Fill = Color). Click the swatch or paste a hex code like `#FFFFFF`. | | **Fill behind image** | When on, the color also fills behind any see-through parts of your image — not just the outer margin. | ## Padding vs. similar tools - **Trim** is the opposite — it cuts empty edges off. Padding adds them. - **Canvas Fill** fills the whole background behind your image. Padding adds a margin around it (and can optionally fill that margin). - **Reposition** sets an exact final canvas size (width / height / DPI). Padding just adds space to whatever size you already have. ## Tips - Turn on **Sync sides** for an even border; turn it off when one side needs more room. - Use Padding late in the pipeline (after cleanup), so you're adding space around the finished design. ## What to read next - **[Canvas Fill](canvas-fill)** — fill the background with a color - **[Trim](trim)** — cut empty edges off instead - **[Reposition](reposition)** — for exact canvas sizes - **[All tools at a glance](all-tools)** --- # Reposition: put your image on a custom-sized canvas URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/reposition Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/reposition.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Puts your image on a new canvas at the exact size you want — perfect for hitting exact size requirements anywhere you upload. The Reposition tool takes whatever the previous step gave it and puts it on a fresh, custom-sized canvas. It lets you set the exact width, height, and print quality you want. This is the step that makes your output ready to upload. ## Why this step matters Different websites want different image sizes. - **Social media posts** often want a square like 1080 by 1080 - **Etsy and Shopify product images** look best at about 2000 by 2000 - **Print files** need a big canvas, like 4500 by 5400 for a shirt print - Upload the wrong size and the site will either reject the image or squish it Reposition makes sure every image in your batch comes out at the exact size you want, no matter what the original looked like. ## The settings Reposition has two boxes to understand: the **canvas** (the final file size) and the **container** (the area inside the canvas where your image is placed). By default the container fills the whole canvas. | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | **DPI** (default 300) | A number the printer uses to tell how finely to print. **72** for web / social. **300** for anything printed. | | **Unit** (px / in / cm) | Whether sizes are in pixels, inches, or centimeters. With inches or cm, DPI turns them into pixels (10 × 10 in at 300 DPI = 3000 × 3000 px). | | **Canvas width / height** | The size of the final image. | | **Pasting Mode** | How your image fits its container. **Fit** (default) scales it to fit while keeping its shape. **Stretch** fills the container exactly (can distort). **W Lock** / **H Lock** match the container's width or height. | | **Alignment** | Where the image sits inside its container: **Center**, **Top**, **Bottom**, **Left**, **Right**. You'll only see a difference when the container is bigger than the image in that direction. | | **X / Y** | The container's exact position on the canvas. You can also drag the image on the canvas. | | **Container width / height** | The size of the area your image is placed in. Make it smaller than the canvas for things like pocket prints. | | **Inside Padding** | Shrinks the image inside its container, leaving a transparent border on all 4 sides. | | **Guides** | Add horizontal / vertical guides (or click the ruler at the top/left). Drag them; hold **Shift** to snap to steps; arrows nudge; **Del** or double-click removes one; **Alt** disables snapping. The image snaps to guides, so every image lands in exactly the same spot. | **Double-click the image** to make it fill the whole canvas again. The new canvas is transparent (see-through). If you want a solid color behind your image, add **Canvas Fill**. ## DPI in plain English DPI is a number that tells a printer how sharp to make the final print. **It does not change the size of your image.** - **72 DPI** is fine for anything going on the web or social media - **300 DPI** is the usual choice for anything printed, because it prints sharper - A 3000 by 3000 image at 72 DPI has the exact same pixels as a 3000 by 3000 image at 300 DPI — the printer just treats them differently Use 300 for anything that will be printed on something physical. Use 72 for anything going online. ## Common sizes people use Type these into Canvas Width and Canvas Height. Make sure Unit is set to **px** (pixels). | Example use | Width × Height | DPI | | --- | --- | --- | | Instagram / social square post | 1080 × 1080 | 72 | | Website hero image | 2400 × 1200 | 72 | | Etsy or Shopify product image | 2000 × 2000 | 72 | | Catalog grid thumbnail | 1200 × 1200 | 72 | | YouTube thumbnail | 1280 × 720 | 72 | | 8 × 10 in photo print | 2400 × 3000 | 300 | | Print-on-demand shirt print (e.g. Amazon Merch) | 4500 × 5400 | 300 | These are examples. Wherever you're uploading, check that site's own size guide and copy its numbers into Canvas Width and Canvas Height. ## Tips - **Put Reposition near the end of your pipeline.** Remove the background first (with Color Removal V2). Cut off the empty edges (with Trim). Then put the clean result on your target canvas with Reposition. Doing this in a different order leaves your image small and off-center on a big empty canvas. - **Save the whole pipeline as a preset.** Once you've set up *"Social 1080 square"* or *"Etsy 2000 square,"* click **Save Current Preset**. Next time, one click loads the whole pipeline — no retyping dimensions. - **Use Inside Padding if the site crops your image.** Some sites cut a few pixels off each edge during upload. A small inside padding keeps your design safely inside. - **Center is almost always right.** Alignment: Center works for most product images and designs. - **Place an image in one area of a bigger canvas** (for example a small logo in a corner, or a pocket print on a shirt file): set the container to that area and place it with guides. Save it as its own preset. - **Trim first.** If an image won't align where you expect, there are probably stray see-through pixels around it — add **Trim** (or Transparency Cleaner) before Reposition. ## Things Reposition doesn't do - **It doesn't make your image sharper.** In Fit mode it scales your image to fill the container, but scaling up just stretches the pixels. For a real quality jump, upscale first (the free **Upscaler** or **AI Upscale**). - **It doesn't give you a colored background.** The canvas is transparent. If you need a color behind your image, use **Canvas Fill**. - **It has no built-in platform presets.** You have to type the numbers in yourself. But you can save your own pipeline as a preset so you never have to type them twice. ## What to read next - **[Color Removal V2](color-removal)** — typically the first step before Reposition - **[Trim](trim)** — typically run between Color Removal V2 and Reposition to remove empty edges - **[Etsy design prep](../workflows/etsy-design-prep)** — Etsy listings workflow - **[Presets](../getting-started/presets)** — save your Reposition settings so you don't retype dimensions every time --- # Resize: change the size of your images URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/resize Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/resize.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Changes the actual pixel size of every image in your batch — smaller (most common) or scale by percentage. Sharp output via Lanczos resampling. Resize changes the **actual pixel dimensions** of every image in your batch. Make a 5000-pixel image into a 2000-pixel image, or scale everything down to 50% — your choice. Resize uses **Lanczos resampling**, which is a fancy way of saying *"the image stays sharp when it gets smaller."* You won't see the blocky, pixelated look you get from cheaper resize tools. ## Why this step matters A few reasons you'd add Resize to a pipeline: - **Source images are too big.** If your AI generator, scanner, or download produces 8000-pixel files but your end use only needs 3000, resizing first makes the rest of your pipeline run much faster. - **You need exact dimensions** for an upload spec (less common — usually **Reposition** is better for hitting an exact spec because it sets the canvas size around your subject). - **You want to scale a whole batch by the same percentage** — like making everything 75% of its original size. ## How to use it 1. Add Resize to your pipeline. 2. Choose how to specify the new size: - **Width and Height in pixels** — type the exact numbers - **Scale** — drag the slider or click a preset, from 0.1x up to 8x of the original (10%–800%) 3. Leave the lock on **%** (the default) to keep the image's shape, or switch to **Both** to set width and height independently (see below). ## The settings | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Width** (pixels) | Target width for the resized image. | | **Height** (pixels) | Target height for the resized image. | | **Scale** (10%–800%) | Alternative to Width/Height — slider plus presets. 50% = half size, 200% = double size, 800% = 8x. The numbers under the slider are the real output size. | | **Lock** (**%** or **Both**) | **%** (default, locked) keeps the aspect ratio: change the width and the height follows, and vice versa. **Both** (unlocked) uses the width and height you type exactly, which can stretch the image. | | **Skip if already larger than** (1000–10000 px) | Safety setting — skips this step on any image already bigger than this on its longest side. Default: 4000. | | **Skip if result would be larger than** (5000–20000 px) | Safety setting — skips this step if the resize would produce an image bigger than this. Prevents accidentally crashing your browser by upscaling huge images. Default: 20000. | ## How Lock mode actually works This is the setting people get wrong most often: - **% (locked, the default)** — the image keeps its original shape. Type a width and the height is calculated for you (or type the height and the width follows). The slider scales both sides together. - **Both (unlocked)** — your width and height are used exactly. If your original image is square but you set 1000 × 500, the image gets squished to half-height. Use this only when you specifically want to stretch. **The safe default for most jobs: leave it on %, then type the side you care about.** ReadyPixl figures out the other one and keeps the image from squishing. ## Common sizes people use | Use case | Size | | --- | --- | | Etsy listing image | 2000 × 2000 px | | Web hero image | 2400 × 1200 px | | Social media square | 2048 × 2048 px | | Email-friendly thumbnail | 600 × 600 px | | Web product image | 1200 × 1200 px | When a site wants an exact canvas size (a 2000 × 2000 square, a print template), use **Reposition** instead of Resize — Reposition sets the canvas size around your subject, which is what these sites actually want. ## Tips - **Resize early in your pipeline** if you're making images smaller. The slower tools (Color Removal V2, Filters) will then run on the smaller images, which is much faster. - **Resize late in your pipeline** if you're making images bigger. Most tools work better at higher resolution. - **Use the Skip settings in bulk.** If your batch mixes small and huge images, **Skip if already larger than** leaves the already-big ones untouched while the small ones get resized. They only matter when you run many images at once. - **For making images bigger**, use an upscaler: the free **Upscaler** (runs on your computer) or **AI Upscale** (10 credits per image, about 1¢, sign-in required). Resize just stretches the existing pixels, the same way Photoshop or Canva would — fine for small changes, blurry for big jumps. ## Things Resize doesn't do - **It doesn't add a canvas around your subject.** It just changes the image size. For "put my image on a 2000×2000 canvas," use **Reposition**. - **It doesn't crop.** If you want to cut your image down to a specific shape, that's a different tool. Resize keeps everything in the image. - **It doesn't make small images look like high-resolution images.** Stretching a 500-pixel image to 5000 pixels gives you a blurry 5000-pixel image. Use AI Upscale for that. ## What to read next - **[AI Upscale](ai-upscale)** — paid AI tool for making images bigger without going blurry - **[Reposition](reposition)** — for placing your image on a target canvas size (often what you actually want instead of Resize) - **[Performance tips](../troubleshooting/performance-tips)** — when batches feel slow, resizing earlier in the pipeline helps --- # Rotate / Flip: turn or mirror your images URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/rotate-flip Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/rotate-flip.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Rotate every image in your batch by a set angle, or flip them horizontally or vertically. Quick and predictable — no fuss. Rotate / Flip is exactly what it sounds like. It turns your images by a set angle (90°, 180°, 270°, or any custom angle) and/or flips them horizontally, vertically, or both at once. ## Why this step matters A few reasons to add it to a pipeline: - **All your images came in sideways** because of how the source saved them. Rotate them all at once. - **You have a batch of mirror-image variants** (right-facing, left-facing) but only want one direction. Flip the wrong-direction ones. - **You're prepping designs that need to face a specific way** for a site or template that expects a certain orientation. ## How to use it 1. Add Rotate / Flip to your pipeline. 2. Pick a rotation: **0°** (no change), **90°**, **180°**, **270°**, or **Custom** (any angle). 3. (Optional) Pick a flip: **None**, **H** (horizontal), **V** (vertical), or **Both**. That's it. The same rotation and flip get applied to every image in your batch. ## The settings | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Rotate** | Pick a preset angle: **0°** · **90°** · **180°** · **270°** · **Custom**. Picks one of the four common rotations or unlocks the Angle field for any value. | | **Angle** (0–359) | Only used when Rotate is set to Custom. Type any whole-number angle from 0 to 359. | | **Flip** | Pick how to mirror the image: **None** · **H** (horizontal — left and right swap) · **V** (vertical — top and bottom swap) · **Both** (both at once). | ## Tips - **90° rotations are clean and lossless.** The image turns and keeps every pixel exactly where it should be. - **Custom angles between 0 and 90 always crop the corners.** Rotating a rectangle by 30° leaves diagonal slices of empty space at the corners. ReadyPixl fills these with transparent pixels — pair with Trim later in your pipeline if you want a tight result. - **Flip is faster than rotate.** Both happen in the blink of an eye, but flip doesn't have to recalculate any pixels. - **Rotate + flip combined** works fine — first the rotation runs, then the flip. ## Things Rotate / Flip doesn't do - **It doesn't auto-correct orientation.** It applies whatever you set to every image in the batch. If your batch has a mix of correct and incorrect orientations, this won't fix that — separate them into two batches. - **It doesn't crop.** Custom-angle rotations leave transparent corners. Add a **Trim** step after if you want to crop those out. - **It doesn't perspective-correct or straighten.** It's a flat rotation, not a perspective fix. - **It doesn't read image metadata.** If the source has an "orientation" flag baked in, ReadyPixl ignores it and rotates only by what you set. ## What to read next - **[Trim](trim)** — pair after a custom-angle rotation to remove the transparent corners - **[Image Adjustment](image-adjustment)** — for fixing color or brightness issues on the same batch - **[Per-tool quirks](../troubleshooting/per-tool-quirks)** — orientation gotchas and what to do --- # Speckle Remover: clean up tiny stray pixels URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/speckle Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/speckle.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Finds and removes tiny stray pixels left behind after background removal. A vacuum for the leftover bits Color Removal misses. After Color Removal V2 cuts out a background, you sometimes end up with **tiny groups of pixels** floating in the empty space — bits Color Removal V2 missed because they were a slightly different color than the rest of the background. Speckle Remover finds those tiny floating pixel groups and erases them. The result is a much cleaner cutout. ## Why this step matters Stray pixels look fine on screen but **show up obviously when printed**. A handful of stray dots around a design becomes visible specks on a sticker, a print, a shirt — anything physical. Add Speckle Remover after Color Removal V2 in your pipeline and the cleanup happens automatically across your whole batch. ## How to use it 1. Add Speckle Remover to your pipeline (most useful right after Color Removal V2). 2. Set **Max cluster size** — the biggest size of "speckle" you want to delete (defaults to 50 pixels). 3. Use **View mode** first to see what would get removed (highlighted in a bright color). 4. Switch to **Delete mode** when you're happy with what's being caught. 5. Optional: click **Auto-detect** to let ReadyPixl pick a Max cluster size based on your image. ## The settings | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Max cluster size** (default: 50 pixels) | The biggest "blob" of pixels to count as a speckle. Anything smaller gets caught by this tool. Bigger values catch bigger leftover bits but risk eating into details of your actual design. | | **Mode** | **View** highlights what would be removed in a bright color, without actually removing anything — for testing settings. **Delete** actually removes the highlighted speckles. | | **Highlight color** | Which color to use for the View-mode highlight. Quick options: **Hot Pink** (`#FF1493`), **Neon Green** (`#39FF14`), **Aqua Blue** (`#00FFFF`). Pick whichever stands out most against your design. | | **Visibility** (0–50, default 10) | How visible the highlights are when in View mode. Useful when the highlight color is fighting your design colors. | ## How to find the right Max cluster size Speckle is one of those tools where the best setting depends on your image. Workflow: 1. Start with the default (50). 2. Set Mode to **View**. Run the pipeline. 3. Look at the preview — are the highlighted speckles the actual stray bits you want gone? Are any pieces of your real design getting highlighted? 4. **If too few speckles caught:** raise Max cluster size (try 100 or 200). 5. **If your real design is getting eaten:** lower Max cluster size (try 25 or 10). 6. Once the highlights look right, switch Mode to **Delete** and process your batch. For most Color Removal V2 cleanup, the default of 50 catches the right stuff. ## Tips - **Always test in View mode first** with a few sample images before running on a big batch. Saves you from accidentally erasing important bits of your design. - **Place Speckle right after Color Removal V2** in your pipeline. That's when speckles exist; running it earlier won't find anything. - **Auto-detect is a good shortcut** if you don't want to think about Max cluster size — it picks a reasonable value based on your image. ## What to read next - **[Color Removal V2](color-removal)** — almost always run before Speckle (Speckle cleans up what Color Removal V2 leaves behind) - **[Transparency Cleaner](transparency)** — paired cleanup tool for faint halos - **[Per-tool quirks](../troubleshooting/per-tool-quirks)** — common Speckle issues and fixes - **For batches with very different content**, Auto-detect adapts per image; a fixed Max cluster size might be too aggressive on some and too soft on others. - **Speckle Remover ignores pixels that are connected to your main subject.** It only looks at isolated floating bits — your design stays safe as long as it's all one connected piece. ## Things Speckle Remover doesn't do - **It doesn't fix big leftover blobs.** If Color Removal V2 missed a chunk bigger than your Max cluster size, this tool won't catch it. Either raise the Max cluster size, or fix the underlying Color Removal V2 settings (try a higher preset). - **It doesn't work on solid backgrounds.** Speckle Remover only sees transparent pixels and small isolated groups inside them. If your image still has a solid background, run Color Removal V2 first. - **It can't tell speckles from intentional small details.** A 30-pixel logo dot looks the same as a 30-pixel speckle to this tool. If your design has small details, set Max cluster size below their size to keep them safe. - **It doesn't smooth edges.** For jagged edges, try a different Color Removal V2 preset, or run Transparency Cleaner. --- # Strokes: add outlines around your design URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/strokes Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/strokes.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Add one or more stackable colored outlines around your design, sticker-style. **Strokes** adds a colored outline around the visible part of your design — like the border around a sticker. You can stack several outlines in different colors and widths for a layered, sticker-style look. ## When to use it - Give a cut-out design a clean edge so it pops on any product color. - Make sticker-style art with one or more colored rings. - Add a thin dark line to sharpen a soft edge. ## How to use it 1. Add **Strokes** to your pipeline (remove the background first with Color Removal V2 so the outline follows your subject). 2. Set the first stroke's **Width**, **Color**, and **Opacity**. 3. Click **Add Stroke** to stack another outline outside the first. 4. Reorder or remove strokes until it looks right. ## The settings | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Expand canvas to fit stroke** | When on, the image grows so thick outlines don't get cut off at the edges. | | **Width** (0–200 px) | How thick each outline is. | | **Color** | Each outline's color. Click the swatch or paste a hex code. | | **Opacity** (0–100%) | How solid each outline is. | | **Order** | Strokes stack outward in order — the first sits closest to your design, each next one outside it. Move them up / down or remove them. | | **Choke** (−500 to +500 px, default 0) | At the bottom of the panel, after **Add Stroke**. Moves where the first stroke starts: **positive** values push the stroke inward so it covers the edge of your artwork; **negative** values open a transparent gap between your design and the outline. | ## Tips - For a classic sticker, use two strokes: a thick white one first, then a thinner dark one outside it. - Turn on **Expand canvas to fit stroke** so wide outlines don't get clipped. - Add Strokes after background removal so the outline hugs your real subject, not the old background. ## What to read next - **[Frames](frames)** — add a decorative border instead - **[Color Removal V2](color-removal)** — clear the background first - **[All tools at a glance](all-tools)** --- # Transparency Cleaner: remove faint semi-transparent pixels URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/transparency Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/transparency.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Finds partially see-through pixels (faint halos, edge shadows) and either highlights or removes them. Fixes soft halos that look bad in print. After background removal, some images have a faint **halo of semi-transparent pixels** around the subject — pixels that aren't fully solid and aren't fully see-through, but somewhere in between. Those faint pixels look fine on screen. But when you place the image on a different background or print it, they show up as soft gray edges or color shadows around your subject. Transparency Cleaner finds them and gives you control to clean them up. ## Why this step matters Any transparent image depends on **clean transparent edges**. Faint pixels that survived your background removal step turn into: - Light gray or soft-color halos around your subject - "Ghost" pixels that show up faintly on a colored mug - Soft outlines that don't match your design's actual shape Add Transparency Cleaner after your background removal step and these go away in one pass. ## How to use it 1. Add Transparency Cleaner to your pipeline (most useful right after Color Removal V2 or Speckle Remover). 2. Set the **Threshold** — how transparent a pixel has to be before it counts as "faint." 3. Use **View mode** first to see which pixels would be removed (highlighted in a bright color). 4. Switch to **Delete mode** to actually remove them. ## The settings | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Threshold** (0–100, default: 50) | How "faint" a pixel has to be to count. **30–50** catches typical edge halos. **80+** removes anything not fully solid — risky, can erase soft details like hair edges. | | **Mode** | **View** highlights what would be removed in a bright color without actually removing anything. **Delete** actually removes the highlighted pixels. | | **Highlight color** | Color used for the View-mode highlight. Pick something that stands out against your design. | | **Visibility** (0–50, default: 10) | How strong the highlights look when in View mode. Low default because the highlights can overwhelm faint pixels — bump up if you can't see them. | ## How to pick the right Threshold It depends on what's in your image and how aggressive you want to be: | Threshold | Removes | Use when | | --- | --- | --- | | **10–20** | Only the faintest edge pixels (5-10% opacity). | Tight cleanup. Safe for hair, fur, and soft edges. | | **30–50** | Standard halo cleanup (30% opacity and below). | Most product designs after Color Removal V2. | | **60–80** | Aggressive — anything not mostly opaque (60%+ opacity needed to survive). | Solid-shape designs (logos, text). Will eat into hair and soft detail. | | **80–100** | Removes anything that isn't fully solid. | Very rare. Hard-edge designs only. | **Start at 30, view the result, adjust up or down by 10 until the edges look right.** ## Tips - **Use View mode first.** Always. The Threshold's effect varies a lot per image. - **Order matters in your pipeline:** Color Removal V2 → Trim → Speckle Remover → Transparency Cleaner gives the cleanest result. Each step builds on the previous. - **For a batch with mixed content** (some images have soft edges you want to keep, others are solid shapes), use a low-to-medium Threshold (20-30) so you don't accidentally erase important soft detail. - **For print designs, Transparency Cleaner is almost always worth running.** Soft halos are the #1 reason transparent designs print with weird outlines. ## Why AI "transparent" images need it ChatGPT and many background removers now give you transparent PNGs — but they often leave **semi-transparent pixels you can't see**: specks across the background, or even a whole faint film. They show up as dirty edges when printed or sold as digital files, and they stop **Trim** from cutting the edges properly. - In **View** mode, zoom in (mouse wheel) and switch the highlight color (pink, green or cyan) to see them. - The default Threshold is **50%**; **20–30%** is usually the sweet spot. - Put Transparency Cleaner **first** in a pipeline for AI-transparent images, before Trim, Upscale and Reposition. Save it as its own preset (e.g. "TR30"). - After cleaning, a little transparency right on the edges is normal and expected. ## Things Transparency Cleaner doesn't do - **It doesn't change fully solid pixels.** Anything that's 100% opaque is safe — only semi-transparent pixels are touched. - **It doesn't work on images with no transparency.** If you haven't run Color Removal V2 yet, every pixel is fully opaque and there's nothing for this tool to find. - **It can't decide what's "intentional" softness vs unwanted halo.** Hair, fur, and soft edges look identical to it. If your design has intentional softness you want to keep, use a low Threshold. - **It doesn't sharpen edges.** It just removes faint pixels. For jagged edges, adjust your Color Removal V2 preset or Base Threshold instead. ## What to read next - **[Color Removal V2](color-removal)** — almost always run before Transparency Cleaner (creates the transparency it cleans) - **[Speckle Remover](speckle)** — paired cleanup tool for stray pixels - **[Quality issues](../troubleshooting/quality-issues)** — when output has visible halos or soft edges --- # Trim: cut off the empty edges around your image URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/trim Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/trim.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Automatically crops away transparent (see-through) edges around your design, leaving a tight bounding box. Most useful right after Color Removal. Trim looks at your image, finds the transparent (see-through) edges, and cuts them off. What's left is a tight rectangle around just the part of your image that has stuff in it. It's the cleanup step that makes everything else fit nicely. ## Why this step matters When you remove a background with Color Removal V2, you're left with your subject in the middle of a big, mostly-empty image. The image is still the original size — most of it is just see-through pixels around the edges. For most uses, that's a problem: - **Before Reposition** a tight crop lets your image fill the new canvas properly - **Etsy listings** look unprofessional if your product floats in a sea of empty space - **Reposition** centers your subject — so it works much better when the subject doesn't have huge empty margins around it Trim solves all of that in one step. Add it right after Color Removal V2 in your pipeline. ## How to use it 1. Add Trim to your pipeline (most useful right after Color Removal V2). 2. (Optional) Adjust **Tolerance** and **Padding** — defaults work for most images. That's it. Trim is one of the simplest tools in ReadyPixl. ## The settings | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Tolerance** (0–50) | How aggressive to be when deciding what counts as "transparent." **Low (0–5)** only trims fully see-through pixels — safest. **Medium (10–20)** also trims very faint, semi-transparent pixels — good for image-style cutouts. **High (30+)** trims anything that's mostly transparent — risky, can eat into your design. Default: 10. | | **Padding** (0–1000 pixels) | How much empty space to leave around your subject *after* trimming. **0** = no padding, the rectangle is as tight as possible. **20–50** = a little breathing room. **100+** = noticeable margin (useful if a print-on-demand site crops a few pixels off the edges during upload). Default: 0. | ## Tips - **Defaults work for most images.** Tolerance 10 + Padding 0 gives you a clean tight crop on a typical Color-Removal output. - **If trim is too aggressive** (it cut into your design), lower Tolerance to 5 or 0. - **If trim isn't aggressive enough** (faint outlines or color halos got left behind), raise Tolerance to 20–30 — but check the result, since high values can shave off detail. - **Add Padding when a site crops your uploads.** Some sites crop a few pixels off the edge of every upload. A padding of 50–100 pixels keeps your design safely inside the printable area. - **Trim won't work on a fully-opaque image.** It needs transparent edges to find. Run Color Removal V2 first. - **For batches where images have very different sizes after trimming** (some tight, some loose), follow Trim with **Reposition** — that puts every image on the same exact canvas size. ## Things Trim doesn't do - **It doesn't remove backgrounds.** It only crops empty edges — the background needs to already be see-through. Pair it with **Color Removal V2** earlier in your pipeline. - **It doesn't reshape your image.** The result is always a tight rectangle around your subject — Trim won't crop into a circle, oval, or any other shape. - **It doesn't change pixel quality.** It just removes empty pixels. Your subject keeps its original size and detail. - **It doesn't pick a focus area.** Trim cuts based on transparency only — it can't "smart crop" to a face or product. If you have a complex image with multiple subjects, Trim keeps all of them. ## What to read next - **[Color Removal V2](color-removal)** — almost always run before Trim (Trim needs transparent edges to find) - **[Reposition](reposition)** — typically run after Trim, to place the tight result on your target canvas size - **[Per-tool quirks](../troubleshooting/per-tool-quirks)** — when Trim ate too much or not enough --- # Upscaler (free): make images bigger on your own computer URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/upscaler Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/upscaler.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Free AI upscaling at 2x or 4x that runs on your own computer — no credits, no sign-in for credits. Quality tiers Standard, High and Extra High. Desktop app goes up to 8x. ReadyPixl has two upscalers. This one, **Upscaler (free)**, runs AI upscaling **on your own computer** (your graphics card or processor), so it costs nothing. The other one, **[AI Upscale](ai-upscale)**, runs on our servers for 10 credits per image. **Try the free one first.** If your computer handles it, you never need to spend anything. ## How to use it 1. Add **Upscaler (free)** to your pipeline. 2. Pick a **quality tier**: **Standard**, **High** or **Extra High**. **Start with Standard.** 3. Pick the **Upscale Factor**: **2x** or **4x** (4x is the model's native output; 2x runs 4x and then scales down to exactly 2x). 4. Check the new size — the blue numbers under the preview are the size you'll download. The first time you use a tier, ReadyPixl downloads the model it needs. Let it finish. ## Be careful with slow computers Speed depends on your machine. **Higher tiers and bigger images can crash a slow PC or Mac.** Test Standard first, then move up only if your computer keeps up. If your computer struggles or crashes, turn the free Upscaler off and use **[AI Upscale](ai-upscale)** instead — it runs on another computer, so your machine's power doesn't matter. ## Web vs desktop | | Web version | Desktop app | | --- | --- | --- | | Where it runs | In your browser (needs WebGPU) | Natively on your computer | | Factors | 2x, 4x | 2x, 4x — and up to 8x on Extra High | | Cost | Free | Free (included with the app) | On the web, **8x is only available in the paid AI Upscale**. ## Tips - Upscale **before Reposition**, so the bigger image is what gets placed on your canvas. - A 1024 × 1024 AI image at 4x becomes 4096 × 4096 — then Reposition can place it on whatever canvas size you need. - Don't run the free Upscaler and AI Upscale in the same pipeline unless you really want to upscale twice. ## What to read next - **[AI Upscale](ai-upscale)** — the paid, server-side upscaler (2x / 4x / 8x) - **[Reposition](reposition)** — place the upscaled image on your canvas - **[Using the desktop app](../getting-started/desktop-app)** --- # Watermark (Image): add a logo or graphic overlay to every image URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/watermark-image Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/watermark-image.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Adds your logo or any image as an overlay on every image in your batch. Set position, scale, opacity, rotation — applied consistently. Watermark Image adds **your logo or any image** as an overlay on every image in your batch. Most common use: branding your product images with your shop logo. Other uses: stamping designs with a "sample" badge, adding a brand mark to social posts, or applying any custom overlay across a batch. Unlike Watermark Text (which uses typed text), Watermark Image uses an image file you upload — so you can use logos with custom fonts, brand marks, badges, or anything else that doesn't fit in plain text. ## Why this step matters A logo on every product image says "this is from MY shop." It builds brand recognition over time and makes your images identifiable when they get shared on Pinterest, Instagram, or Etsy search. Photoshop-stamping a logo on 200 images by hand: hours. Watermark Image: one setup per pipeline, runs on every batch. ## How to use it 1. Add Watermark Image to your pipeline. 2. Upload your **Watermark Image** (PNG with transparent background works best). 3. Set the **Position**, **Scale**, **Opacity**, and **Rotation** to taste. ## The settings | Setting | What it does | Range / options | | --- | --- | --- | | **Watermark Image** | The logo or graphic to overlay. PNG with transparent background works best. | Upload any PNG, JPEG, or WebP. | | **Opacity** | How see-through the watermark is. | 0 (invisible) to 100 (fully solid). 50-70 is typical for visible-but-not-distracting branding. | | **Scale %** | How big the watermark is, as a percentage of the underlying image. | 1% to 100%. 10-20% is typical for corner logos. | | **Position** | Where on each image the watermark appears. | **Center** · **Tile** (repeats across whole image) · **Top Left** · **Top Right** · **Bottom Left** · **Bottom Right** | | **Rotation** | Rotates the watermark. | -360 to +360 degrees. 0 is upright; -45 is diagonal. | ## Common uses | Use case | Settings | | --- | --- | | **Subtle shop logo on Etsy design prep** | Position: Bottom Right; Scale: 12%; Opacity: 60 | | **Aggressive brand watermark for social media** | Position: Bottom Right; Scale: 20%; Opacity: 80 | | **Theft-deterrent tiled watermark** | Position: Tile; Scale: 15%; Opacity: 30; Rotation: -30 | | **Centered "PROOF" badge on client deliverables** | Position: Center; Scale: 60%; Opacity: 40 | | **Top-corner brand stamp** | Position: Top Right; Scale: 8%; Opacity: 70 | ## Logo file tips For the cleanest result: - **Use PNG with a transparent background.** JPEG or PNG-with-white-background will show as a rectangular box around your logo. - **High resolution helps.** A 500-pixel logo scaled down looks crisp; a 50-pixel logo scaled up looks pixelated. - **Test on multiple background colors.** A black logo disappears on a black product image. A semi-transparent gray logo (50% opacity) reads on most backgrounds. - **Square or near-square logos work best for corner placement.** Very wide or very tall logos can look weird in corners. ## Tips - **Run Watermark Image LATE in your pipeline.** Watermarks should sit on top of the finished composition, not get cropped or repositioned by later tools. - **Lower opacity for subtle branding (40-60), raise for theft deterrence (80+).** - **Tile position is harder to crop out** than corner positions. Use for high-value original art you want to protect. - **Save the pipeline as a preset** so the same logo + settings load with one click on every future batch. - **Combine with Watermark Text** if you want both a logo (image) and a copyright line (text) on every image — add both tools to the same pipeline. ## Things Watermark Image doesn't do - **It doesn't auto-pick contrast color.** Your logo stays the color it is in the source file. If you need different-colored logos for different backgrounds, save those as separate logo PNGs. - **It doesn't smart-place to avoid important content.** It puts the watermark in the exact position you said, even if that covers your subject. Pick the position based on your typical batch composition. - **It doesn't scale your logo file itself.** It scales how the logo appears on the image — the file you uploaded stays the same. - **It doesn't combine multiple watermark images.** One logo per Watermark Image step. For multiple, add the tool more than once. ## What to read next - **[Watermark Text](watermark-text)** — for typed text instead of an image file - **[Watermarking designs](../workflows/watermarking-designs)** — full workflow for brand-protecting batches - **[Frames](frames)** — for decorative borders alongside your logo --- # Watermark (Text): add custom text across every image in a batch URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/watermark-text Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/watermark-text.md Section: Pipelines Summary: Adds the same text watermark to every image in your batch — shop name, copyright, brand mark. Pick text, font, color, opacity, position. Watermark Text adds the **same text** to every image in your batch. Your shop name, copyright notice, website URL, "© 2026 ReadyPixl" — anything text-based. Useful for protecting designs you share online, branding your product images, or marking proofs you send to clients. ## Why this step matters When you post images online (Etsy, Pinterest, Instagram), people sometimes copy them. A subtle watermark across every image deters casual theft and credits you when your work spreads. Doing this by hand in Photoshop on 100 product images = boring. Watermark Text in your pipeline = one setup, runs on every batch. ## How to use it 1. Add Watermark Text to your pipeline. 2. Type your **Text** in the field. 3. Pick a **Font**, **Font Size**, **Color**, and **Opacity** to taste. 4. Pick a **Position** — single placement or tiled across the whole image. 5. (Optional) Set a **Rotation** for diagonal watermarks. ## The settings | Setting | What it does | Range / options | | --- | --- | --- | | **Text** | The actual text that gets stamped on each image. | Anything you type. Common: shop name, ©, website URL. | | **Font Size** | How big the text is. | 8 to 500 px. Most watermarks look good around 24-60 px. | | **Font** | Which font face to use. | **Arial** · **Times New Roman** · **Courier New** · **Georgia** · **Verdana** | | **Color** | Color of the text. | Color picker — pick anything that contrasts with your designs. | | **Opacity** | How see-through the watermark is. | 0 (invisible) to 100 (fully solid). 30-50 is the watermark sweet spot. | | **Position** | Where on each image the text appears. | **Tile** (repeats across whole image) · **Center** · **Top Left** · **Top Right** · **Bottom Left** · **Bottom Right** | | **Rotation** | Rotates the text. | -360 to +360 degrees. -45 (diagonal) is the classic watermark angle. | ## Common uses | Use case | Settings | | --- | --- | | **Subtle copyright on Etsy listing images** | Text: "© Your Shop"; Position: Bottom Right; Opacity: 30; Size: 24 px | | **Heavy watermark for proofs** | Text: "PROOF"; Position: Tile; Opacity: 25; Rotation: -45; Size: 80 px | | **Brand stamp on social media exports** | Text: "yourshop.com"; Position: Bottom Right; Opacity: 50; Size: 32 px | | **Aggressive theft deterrent** | Text: "Your Shop Name"; Position: Tile; Opacity: 40; Rotation: -45; Size: 60 px | ## Tips - **Tile position is the strongest theft deterrent.** It repeats your watermark across the whole image, making it nearly impossible to crop out. - **Lower opacity = subtler watermark.** Around 30 is barely visible to the casual viewer but obvious if someone tries to claim the image as theirs. - **Pick a font color that contrasts with your designs.** White on dark designs, dark on light. Mixing up your batch with very different colors? Try semi-transparent gray (50% opacity, gray color) — works with both. - **Run Watermark Text LATE in your pipeline.** Apply it after Color Removal V2, Reposition, and other transforms — that way the watermark sits on top of the final composition, not inside the design. - **For protecting originals you'll later edit cleanly**, save the originals separately and only watermark the public-facing versions. ## What to read next - **[Watermark Image](watermark-image)** — for using a logo file instead of typed text - **[Watermarking designs](../workflows/watermarking-designs)** — full workflow for brand-protecting batches - **[Distress](distress)** — for adding aged or grunge effects on the same batch ## Things Watermark Text doesn't do - **It doesn't pick smart positioning.** It puts the text exactly where you said. If your design has important content in that corner, the watermark covers it. - **It doesn't auto-resize per image.** A 60 px font looks big on a small thumbnail and tiny on a 4000 px image. For consistent visual weight across mixed sizes, run Resize first to standardize, then watermark. - **It doesn't load custom fonts.** You're limited to the 5 built-in fonts. Custom shop fonts need to be flattened into a Watermark Image instead. - **It doesn't combine with other text.** One text per Watermark Text step. For multiple watermarks, add multiple Watermark Text steps. --- # Browser and computer issues: when ReadyPixl runs slow or weird URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/browser-and-computer-issues Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/browser-and-computer-issues.md Section: Troubleshooting Summary: Slow performance, browser crashes, Safari memory issues, mobile limitations — and the simple fixes for each. ReadyPixl runs in your browser. Browser quirks matter more than you'd think. This article covers what happens when your browser or computer is the problem (not ReadyPixl itself). ## ReadyPixl runs really slow **Most common cause:** big images + big batch + browser memory pressure. **Try these in order:** 1. **Close other browser tabs.** Each open tab uses memory. ReadyPixl needs that memory for image processing. 2. **Refresh the ReadyPixl tab.** Long sessions accumulate memory. A refresh clears it. (Save your pipeline as a preset first if you have one.) 3. **Reduce your batch size.** Try 50 images instead of 500. Bigger batches = more memory pressure. 4. **Reduce your source image sizes** before loading them. Images larger than ~4000 pixels on a side make every tool slower. Resize to 2000-4000 px first if you don't need the full resolution. 5. **Switch to Chrome or Edge** if you're using Firefox or Safari. Both handle big batches better in our testing. ## Safari runs ReadyPixl slower than Chrome This is real. Safari has stricter per-tab memory limits than Chrome and Edge. For batches over ~200 images, Safari noticeably slows down. **Workarounds:** - Use Chrome or Edge for big batches - Stay under 200 images per batch in Safari - Close all other Safari tabs while running We track Safari performance and want to improve it, but for now the recommendation stands. ## Firefox is slower than Chrome too Firefox handles ReadyPixl fine for small to medium batches. For large batches it's noticeably slower than Chrome — usually because of how Firefox handles WebGL and parallel image processing. If you prefer Firefox for everything else, that's fine — just switch to Chrome for big ReadyPixl batches. ## My browser tab crashed **Why:** the tab ran out of memory. Big images + big batch + long session adds up. **Recover:** 1. Reopen ReadyPixl 2. Load your saved preset (if you saved one) 3. Reload your batch (you'll need to re-pick the images) 4. Run again **Prevent next time:** - Save pipelines as presets so you don't lose them on crash - Reduce source image sizes - Run smaller batches - Use Chrome or Edge ## Images load but the canvas is blank **Possible causes:** 1. **The first image in your batch is corrupt.** Click a different thumbnail in the filmstrip. If that one previews fine, remove the corrupt one. 2. **You're zoomed in or out of the page.** Reset browser zoom to 100% (Ctrl+0 / Cmd+0). 3. **An ad-blocker or privacy extension is blocking something ReadyPixl needs.** Try disabling extensions for readypixl.com. (Privacy extensions sometimes block the WebAssembly that ReadyPixl uses.) ## Batch finished but downloads aren't starting **Possible causes:** 1. **Browser blocked automatic downloads.** Check the address bar for a download blocked notification. Click and allow. 2. **Pop-up blocker interfering.** Same fix. 3. **Disk space full.** Especially relevant for big batches — a 200-image zip can be 1-3 GB. ## Big images won't load ReadyPixl blocks images larger than 10000 × 10000 pixels to prevent your browser from crashing. **Fix:** resize the image before loading. Use: - **Mac Preview** — open image, Tools → Adjust Size - **Windows Photos** — open image, three-dot menu → Resize - **Free online resizer** — many options, quick fix Get the image under 10000 pixels on the longer side. Most workflows don't need images bigger than 5000-8000 pixels anyway. ## Mac vs Windows differences ReadyPixl runs the same on both, with two minor differences: - **Keyboard shortcuts** — Mac uses Cmd, Windows uses Ctrl (e.g., Cmd+Z vs Ctrl+Z) - **File pickers** — Mac and Windows have different file picker UIs, but both work the same for ReadyPixl Neither OS is "better" for ReadyPixl. Use whichever you have. ## Mobile (phone / tablet) is too slow Mobile browsers have stricter memory limits than desktop. ReadyPixl works on mobile, but for any serious bulk work you should use a computer. See [Using ReadyPixl on a phone or tablet](../getting-started/mobile-tablet) for the full mobile rundown. ## My computer fan is loud during a big batch That's normal. Image processing uses a lot of CPU, and your computer ramps up cooling to handle it. Once the batch finishes, the fan calms down. If your computer is genuinely overheating (slowing down, getting too hot to touch), close other apps and process smaller batches. ## ReadyPixl is fine but my internet is slow Standard ReadyPixl tools run **in your browser** — no internet needed once the page is loaded. So slow internet shouldn't slow processing. What slow internet does affect: - **Initial page load** (the first time you open ReadyPixl) - **Saving presets to your account** (sync needs internet) - **Sign-in / account features** For pure pipeline processing, you can disconnect after the page loads and ReadyPixl still works. ## Privacy extensions blocking things Some privacy extensions (uBlock Origin in aggressive mode, NoScript, Privacy Badger) block the WebAssembly or workers ReadyPixl uses for processing. Symptoms: - Images load but never process - Tools have no effect on the canvas - Errors in the browser console (open with F12) about blocked workers **Fix:** add **readypixl.com** to your privacy extension's allowlist. Or use a different browser without those extensions for ReadyPixl. ## When all else fails 1. **Clear your browser cache** for readypixl.com (Settings → Privacy → Clear browsing data → just for this site) 2. **Try in an incognito / private window** with extensions disabled — if it works there, an extension is the problem 3. **Try a different browser** — if it works in Chrome but not Firefox, you've isolated the issue 4. **Post on [feedback.readypixl.com](https://feedback.readypixl.com)** (or email contact@readypixl.com) with your browser, OS, and a description of what's happening ## What to read next - **[Common error messages](common-errors)** — for specific error toasts - **[Performance tips for big batches](performance-tips)** — proactive speed-up advice - **[Per-tool quirks](per-tool-quirks)** — when a specific tool is the problem - **[Mobile + tablet](../getting-started/mobile-tablet)** — when mobile is the constraint --- # Error messages and how to fix them URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/common-errors Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/common-errors.md Section: Troubleshooting Summary: The most common error messages you might see in ReadyPixl — what each one means, and the easiest way to fix it. If something goes wrong, ReadyPixl shows a little message in the corner of the screen. Here's what the most common ones mean and what to do. ## "Daily download limit reached (10). Upgrade for unlimited." **What it means:** you haven't made an account, and you've reached 10 downloads today. That's the daily limit for people without an account. **What to do:** - **Sign up free** — it takes 30 seconds and bumps you up to 100 downloads per day. Completely free. - Or **come back tomorrow** — the limit resets each day. ## "Daily download limit reached (100). Upgrade for unlimited." **What it means:** you have a free account and you've hit the 100-download daily limit. You're a heavy user. **What to do:** - **Upgrade to Pro** for unlimited web downloads. (The desktop app also has no daily limit.) - Or **come back tomorrow** — the limit resets each day. ## "This image would use a lot of memory and may crash your browser. Please resize it to under 10000×10000 pixels first." **What it means:** the image you tried to load is really big — so big it might crash your browser. ReadyPixl is protecting you by not loading it. **What to do:** make the image smaller before loading it. You can use your computer's built-in image app (Preview on Mac, Images on Windows), a free online resizer, or Photoshop. Get it down to 10000 pixels or less on the longer side. Very few uses need more than that, so you usually won't lose any useful detail. ## "Large image detected. Processing may be slow." **What it means:** the image is big but not huge. ReadyPixl is warning you that each step on this image will take longer than usual. **What to do:** nothing — the pipeline will still run fine. Just expect it to take a bit. If one image is slowing down your whole batch, you can make it smaller before loading. ## "Failed to apply [tool name]" **What it means:** a specific tool crashed on the current image. The message tells you which tool. **What to do, try in this order:** 1. **Try a different setting** — extreme settings (like very high numbers) can make some tools fail on unusual images. 2. **Remove that tool** and see if the rest of the pipeline works. If it does, the problem is just that one tool on that one image. 3. **Run the same pipeline on a different image.** If it works on other images, the source image is the problem. Check that it's really a PNG, JPEG, or WebP (sometimes files have the wrong file extension). ## "Image processing failed. Please try again." **What it means:** something went wrong, but ReadyPixl couldn't figure out exactly what. **What to do:** - **Click Download All again.** Sometimes these things just happen once and fix themselves. - If it keeps failing on the same image, that image might be broken. Open it in a different app to check it's a real image file. - If it fails on every image, a setting might be extreme. Reset the failing tool to defaults and try again. ## "Failed to load image" **What it means:** the file you dropped in isn't an image ReadyPixl can read. Usual causes: - The file isn't actually a PNG, JPEG, WebP, or SVG (the extension doesn't match what's inside) - The file is broken or didn't download all the way - The file is an image type that's too old or too new for the browser to understand **What to do:** open the file in any image app and save it as a regular PNG or JPEG. Then drop the new version into ReadyPixl. ## "Failed to load SVG file" **What it means:** ReadyPixl tried to turn an SVG file into pixels, but something in the SVG confused it. Usually unusual fonts or links to outside images. **What to do:** - Open the SVG in an app that edits SVGs (Inkscape, Illustrator, Figma). Save it with the fonts built in and any outside links removed. - Or use that same app to save the SVG as a PNG yourself first. Then drop the PNG into ReadyPixl. ## "Please sign in to use AI tools." **What it means:** you tried to use a paid AI tool (AI Background Removal or AI Upscale) without signing in. Paid tools need an account so the credits can be tracked. **What to do:** sign up free. You'll then need to buy credits separately to use the AI tools (1,000 credits per $1). The free tools (Color Removal V2, Trim, Reposition, and so on) work great for most images without an account. ## My batch finished but some images came out wrong This isn't really an error — it usually means the settings you picked were great for your first image but not right for the others. The preview always shows your **first image.** If the rest of your batch has very different content (different backgrounds, different sizes, different subjects), the settings tuned for image 1 might not work for everything. Click through a few images in the filmstrip at the bottom of the canvas to check them before running the full batch. ## My browser feels slow or the tab crashed **Why:** editing lots of images uses a lot of your browser's memory. Long sessions with big batches can add up. **What to do:** - **Close the tab and reopen it.** That clears the memory. You'll lose your current pipeline — save it as a preset first. - **Close other tabs you're not using.** They compete for the same memory. - **Split huge batches into smaller ones.** If you're running 1,000+ images, try two batches of 500 instead. - **Use Chrome or Edge.** They handle big batches better than Safari or Firefox in our testing. ## When nothing helps Post it on [feedback.readypixl.com](https://feedback.readypixl.com) or email [contact@readypixl.com](mailto:contact@readypixl.com). Tell us: - Which tools were in your pipeline (and in what order) - The size of the image (width × height) and file type - The exact message you saw (copy/paste if you can) - Whether it happens on one image or every image - Which browser and which operating system (Mac, Windows, etc.) you're using The more you tell us, the faster we can fix it. ## What to read next - **[Per-tool quirks](per-tool-quirks)** — when a specific tool acts up - **[Performance tips](performance-tips)** — for slow batches or memory issues - **[File format issues](file-format-issues)** — for HEIC, RAW, or other unsupported formats - **[Browser and computer issues](browser-and-computer-issues)** — when the editor itself feels off --- # File format issues: HEIC, TIFF, RAW, and the formats we don't accept URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/file-format-issues Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/file-format-issues.md Section: Troubleshooting Summary: What to do when ReadyPixl won't accept your image file. Conversions for iPhone (HEIC), camera RAW, Photoshop (PSD), and other unsupported types. ReadyPixl accepts **PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF, and SVG.** Anything else needs to be converted first. (For GIFs, only the first frame is used.) Here's what to do for the common formats we don't accept. ## HEIC (iPhone images) **Why this is the most common issue:** iPhones save images as HEIC by default to save space, but HEIC isn't widely supported in browsers. **Three fixes:** 1. **Change your iPhone's image format going forward:** Settings → Camera → Formats → **Most Compatible**. Future images will save as JPEG. 2. **Convert HEIC files you already have:** - **On Mac:** open the HEIC in Preview, File → Export, format → JPEG. Done. - **On Windows:** open in Images, click the share / export icon, save as JPEG. - **Online:** any "HEIC to JPEG converter" — many free options. 3. **Email / message the images to yourself** — iPhone often auto-converts HEIC to JPEG when shared, depending on settings. ## TIFF TIFF files come from scanners, professional cameras, and some Photoshop exports. **Fix:** open in any image app and re-save as PNG (preserves quality, supports transparency) or JPEG (smaller file). Most image apps handle TIFF natively. ## PSD (Photoshop files) PSDs preserve layers and effects, which ReadyPixl can't read. **Fix:** open in Photoshop, **File → Export As → PNG** (for transparent designs) or JPEG (for flat images). Then drop the exported version into ReadyPixl. If you don't have Photoshop, free alternatives that read PSD: **Photopea** (web-based, photopea.com), **GIMP** (desktop), **Affinity Image** (paid one-time). ## RAW camera files (CR2, NEF, ARW, DNG, etc.) RAW files are unprocessed sensor data — they're not really "images" until they're processed. **Fix:** open in your camera's software (Canon DPP, Nikon NX Studio, Adobe Lightroom, etc.), make any adjustments you want, and **export as JPEG or PNG.** Then drop the exported version into ReadyPixl. Apple Photos and Windows Photos can both convert RAW to JPEG too if you don't have dedicated RAW software. ## AI / Illustrator files Adobe Illustrator's `.ai` files are vector files, similar to SVG but proprietary. **Fix:** open in Illustrator and **File → Export → PNG** or **Export → SVG**. SVG works directly in ReadyPixl (rasterized at up to 2000 px on the longest edge). If you don't have Illustrator: **Inkscape** (free) opens AI files and exports to SVG/PNG. ## EPS, PDF, BMP, ICO, and others We don't support these. The pattern is the same for all: 1. Open the file in any image app 2. Re-save / export as PNG or JPEG 3. Drop the exported version into ReadyPixl For PDFs specifically, only the first page typically gets converted — for multi-page PDFs you need a PDF-to-image batch tool first. ## The file is the right format but ReadyPixl says "Failed to load" **Possible reasons:** 1. **The file extension is lying.** A file named `.png` might actually be a different format inside (e.g., a renamed BMP). Open in any image viewer to confirm what it actually is, then re-export as the correct format. 2. **The file is corrupt.** It might have been incompletely downloaded or saved. Re-download or re-export from the source. 3. **The PNG is in an unusual color profile** (e.g., 16-bit per channel with an embedded ICC profile). Most browsers handle this, but rare cases fail. Re-export as standard 8-bit sRGB PNG. 4. **The JPEG uses a rare encoding** (lossless JPEG, JPEG 2000). Standard "baseline JPEG" works everywhere; rare variants don't. Re-save as a regular JPEG. 5. **The SVG references external resources** (fonts not embedded, external images). Open in a vector editor, embed everything, re-save. ## Conversion tools we recommend | Need | Tool | Cost | | --- | --- | --- | | Quick HEIC → JPEG (Mac) | Preview (built-in) | Free | | Quick HEIC → JPEG (Windows) | Images (built-in) | Free | | RAW processing | Adobe Lightroom | Subscription | | RAW processing (free) | RawTherapee or Darktable | Free | | PSD opening (no Photoshop) | Photopea (web) | Free | | Vector files (.ai → SVG) | Inkscape | Free | | Bulk format conversion | XnConvert | Free | ## A note on file size Even after format conversion, very large files can fail to load. ReadyPixl handles files up to several hundred MB per image, but the practical sweet spot is **under 50 MB per file**. If your files are huge, consider running a Resize step before any other processing — smaller files = faster pipelines. ## Conversion preserves quality? | From | To | Quality impact | | --- | --- | --- | | HEIC | JPEG | Slight quality drop (HEIC is more efficient than JPEG) | | TIFF | PNG | None — both lossless | | TIFF | JPEG | Slight to moderate (JPEG is lossy) | | RAW | JPEG | Significant — RAW has way more data than JPEG retains | | PSD (flattened) | PNG | None | | AI | SVG | None — both vector | | AI | PNG | Some — vector → raster loses scalability | For most ReadyPixl workflows, the quality drop from conversion is fine — websites, online stores, and most prints don't need RAW-level data. ## What to read next - **[Common error messages](common-errors)** — for the actual "Failed to load" error - **[Loading your images](../getting-started/loading-images)** — the supported-format reference - **[Frequently asked questions](../faq/faq)** — broader format questions --- # Per-tool quirks: when each tool acts up and how to fix it URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/per-tool-quirks Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/per-tool-quirks.md Section: Troubleshooting Summary: The most common gotchas for each ReadyPixl tool — what makes it act unexpected, and the exact setting tweak that fixes it. Most tools work great on most images. But every tool has its quirks — situations where it acts unexpected. This article lists the common ones, organized by tool, with the fix. If a tool isn't doing what you want, find it in this article first. ## Color Removal V2 **Quirk: Background not fully removed.**Fix: raise the **Base Threshold** (or bump the Preset up). Try 30 → 40 → 50. If you go past 60 and still nothing, your background isn't a single color — try the **Manual** mode and use the color picker on the actual background, or add a second color tab. **Quirk: Removing parts of your design that should stay.**Fix: lower the **Base Threshold** (or drop the Preset to Low). Or turn ON **Contiguous** — that only removes background pixels connected to the edge, leaving same-color pixels inside your design alone. **Quirk: Visible edge halos around your subject.**Fix: follow with **Transparency Cleaner** (slider 30-50), or open the **Advanced** toggle and add a little **Halo Width** to shave the faint pixels off your subject's border. **Quirk: Hair / fur / soft edges look chopped.**Fix: for soft edges like hair or fur, use **AI Background Remover** (Recraft model, 15 credits) — color-based removal makes hard cuts. **Quirk: Multi-tone background (gradient or two colors).**Fix: open the second **Color tab**. Pick the second color (Auto or Manual). Each color has its own Base Threshold. ## Reposition **Quirk: Subject too small on the canvas.**Fix: add a **Resize** step before Reposition. Scale your source up first. **Quirk: Subject getting cropped.**Fix: lower **Padding**, or check that your source isn't bigger than the canvas. Reposition doesn't shrink — if your subject is bigger than the canvas, the edges get cut. **Quirk: Wanted a colored background but canvas is transparent.**Fix: Reposition's canvas is always transparent. Add a **Frames** step earlier in the pipeline with a solid-color frame mask. **Quirk: Subject not centered.** Fix: check Reposition's **Alignment** (Center) and the container position (X / Y); double-click the image to fill the canvas again. Default is center, but presets sometimes change it. ## Resize **Quirk: Image got squished/stretched.**Fix: change **Lock mode** to **Both** instead of None. That keeps the aspect ratio intact. **Quirk: Resize step is being skipped on some images.**Fix: check **Skip if already larger than** and **Skip if result would be larger than**. These safety settings skip the step on edge-case images. Raise the limits if you genuinely want to resize even huge images. **Quirk: Made it bigger and now it's blurry.**Fix: Resize doesn't add detail — it stretches the existing pixels. For making small images bigger without going blurry, use **AI Upscale** (10 credits per image, sign-in required). For free, use Reposition to place your small image on a bigger canvas instead of stretching it. ## Trim **Quirk: Trim is cutting into your design.**Fix: lower **Tolerance** to 5 or 0. The default of 10 sometimes treats faint outline pixels as transparent. **Quirk: Trim isn't aggressive enough — leftover empty space remains.**Fix: raise **Tolerance** to 20 or 30. Or check that you have transparent edges in the first place — Trim needs see-through pixels to find. Run Color Removal V2 first. **Quirk: Want some breathing room.**Fix: set **Padding** to 20-50 pixels. ## Rotate / Flip **Quirk: Custom angle leaves diagonal transparent corners.**Fix: that's expected — non-90°/180°/270° rotations always crop the bounding rectangle. Add **Trim** after to clean up. **Quirk: Rotating doesn't seem to do anything visible.**Fix: check that **Rotate** isn't set to 0°. Or check that you're looking at the canvas preview, not the filmstrip thumbnails (which can lag). ## Speckle Remover **Quirk: Speckle Remover is eating into your design.**Fix: lower **Max cluster size**. Default 50 is aggressive for designs with intentional small details. Try 25 or 10. Use **View** mode to see what would be removed before switching to Delete. **Quirk: Speckle Remover isn't catching the leftover bits.**Fix: raise **Max cluster size** to 100 or 200. Or the leftover bits might be too big — the Color Removal V2 Preset or Base Threshold may need adjustment instead. ## Transparency Cleaner **Quirk: All the soft edges of your subject got erased.**Fix: lower the **Threshold** (the default is 50; drop toward 20-30 to protect soft edges). 30-50 is the standard cleanup range. Above 80 erases anything not fully solid — too aggressive for designs with hair, fur, or soft edges. **Quirk: Halos around the subject still showing.**Fix: raise **Threshold** to 40 or 50. Use **View** mode to see what would be erased. ## Image Adjustment **Quirk: Image looks washed out after adjustment.**Fix: you probably set Saturation too low. Bring it back toward 0. Or reduced contrast — bring Contrast back toward 0. **Quirk: Colors look weird (skin tones look fake).**Fix: reduce **Saturation**, increase **Vibrance**. Vibrance is smarter about not over-saturating skin. **Quirk: Image became extreme (way too dark / too light).**Fix: most Adjustment sliders work in small ranges. Try ±10 instead of ±50. ## Filters **Quirk: Filter is too strong / too subtle.**Fix: each filter has its own strength slider — find the right one for the filter you picked. Most filters are best at 25-50% strength, not extreme values. **Quirk: Sharpen is making the image look noisy.**Fix: lower the **Amount**. Sharpen above 50 often introduces visible noise. 25-40 is the sweet spot. ## Distress **Quirk: Distress is eating too much of your design.**Fix: lower **Alpha Threshold**. Or pick a less-aggressive distress mask (some built-in masks have more "holes" than others). ## Clipping Mask **Quirk: Subject is getting cut off in unexpected places.**Fix: the mask shape is what gets kept. If your subject extends past the mask's opaque area, those parts get cut. Either resize your subject smaller (with **Resize** earlier) or pick a bigger / different-shape mask. ## Frames **Quirk: Frame is too small / too big relative to your design.**Fix: ReadyPixl auto-scales the frame to fit your image. If the proportions are wrong, your frame mask file may have a different aspect ratio than your design. Use a square frame for square designs, etc. ## Watermark Text **Quirk: Text is invisible.**Fix: check the **Color** — white text on a white-background design disappears. Try semi-transparent gray, or change the color to contrast with your design. **Quirk: Text is way too big or too small.**Fix: pick a **Font Size** appropriate for your image's dimensions. A 24px font looks fine on a 1000px image but tiny on a 4000px image. For consistent watermarks across mixed sizes, run Resize first to standardize. ## Watermark Image **Quirk: Logo has a white box around it.**Fix: your logo file isn't a transparent PNG. Re-export it as PNG with a transparent background. JPEG and white-background PNG both produce visible boxes. **Quirk: Logo looks pixelated.**Fix: your logo file is too small. Use a high-resolution PNG (500+ pixels at the longest edge). ## When none of these fix it Post it on [feedback.readypixl.com](https://feedback.readypixl.com) or email [contact@readypixl.com](mailto:contact@readypixl.com). Tell us: - Which tool is acting up - Your tool settings - A description of the image (size, type, background) - What you expected vs what happened - A screenshot if visual The more specific, the faster the fix. ## What to read next - **[Common error messages](common-errors)** — for actual error toasts - **[Performance tips for big batches](performance-tips)** — speed-related issues - **[All tools at a glance](../pipelines/all-tools)** — the tool overview --- # Quality issues: jaggy edges, halos, color shifts, and other visual problems URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/quality-issues Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/quality-issues.md Section: Troubleshooting Summary: When the pipeline runs successfully but the output looks wrong — visible halos, jagged edges, color shifts, blurry results. Diagnosis and fix per problem. Sometimes the pipeline runs without errors but the output **doesn't look right.** Halos around your subject. Edges that look chopped. Colors slightly off. Images that look blurry. This article diagnoses the common visual quality issues + how to fix each. ## Visible halo around the subject **What it looks like:** a faint ring of color or gray pixels around the cut-out subject. Most obvious on dark backgrounds (in your final use) where it shows up as a glow. **What's happening:** Color Removal V2 didn't fully erase the background pixels closest to your subject's edge. Those leftover semi-transparent pixels show as a halo. **Fix in this order:** 1. Add **Transparency Cleaner** after Color Removal V2 and set its slider to **30-50**. Targets exactly this issue. 2. Open Color Removal V2's **Advanced** toggle and add some **Halo Width** — shaves the edge pixels off. 3. Bump Color Removal V2 to a higher **Preset** (or raise Base Threshold a few points — presets are Low 6, Medium 8, High 10). The halo is partly because the threshold was too low. 4. For really stubborn halos, also add **Speckle Remover** with default Max cluster size 50. ## Jagged / stepped edges (instead of smooth) **What it looks like:** the cut-out subject has visibly stair-stepped edges, like 1990s pixel art. **What's happening:** Color Removal V2 made hard yes/no decisions per pixel — every pixel is either fully kept or fully erased. No softness in between. **Fix:** - Color-based removal makes hard per-pixel cuts, so for smooth edges on hair, fur, or soft subjects use **AI Background Remover** (Recraft model, 15 credits). - Or try a gentler **Preset** (Low) and pick the background color in **Manual** mode for a cleaner cut. - Run **Transparency Cleaner** afterward to tidy any leftover rough edge pixels. ## Colors look slightly different after the pipeline **What it looks like:** brand colors that shifted, neutrals that look warm/cool. **What's happening:** Image Adjustment shifted them, or your output format compressed them differently than the source. **Fix:** - Check if you have an Image Adjustment step. Try removing it temporarily — does the color look right? Then your Adjustment was the cause. - If outputting to JPEG, JPEG compresses some color subtly. Switch output format to PNG for color-critical work (logos, brand-color designs). - For consistent output across many images with different source quality, use Image Adjustment to normalize, accepting the small shift as a tradeoff. ## Image looks blurry / soft **What it looks like:** less crisp than the source. Edges are softer than expected. **What's happening:** several possible causes: 1. **You upscaled.** Resize beyond 100% adds pixels that didn't exist — necessarily soft. 2. **You applied Blur** filter (intentionally or by accident). 3. **JPEG compression.** Saving as JPEG with low quality compresses detail. Use PNG for crispness. 4. **Source was already soft.** ReadyPixl can't add crispness that wasn't in the source. **Fix:** - For #1: don't upscale with Resize — use AI Upscale, or design at the target size from the start. - For #2: remove the Blur step. - For #3: use PNG output, or if JPEG is required, use higher JPEG quality. - For #4: add **Filters → Sharpen** at strength **20-40** to recover some crispness. ## Image has a color cast (everything tinted yellow / blue / pink) **What it looks like:** the whole image has a wash of one color — usually yellow (warm), blue (cool), or pink/green (off-white-balance source). **What's happening:** the source image was generated or captured under wrong white-balance assumptions. **Fix:** add Image Adjustment with channel corrections: | Cast | Settings | | --- | --- | | Yellow / warm | Blue +10, Red -5 | | Blue / cool | Red +10, Blue -10 | | Pink / magenta | Green +10, Red -5 | | Green | Red +5, Blue +5, Green -10 | Tune from the suggested starting point until the cast is gone. ## Output is way too dark or too bright **What it looks like:** dark areas are crushed black or bright areas are blown out white. **What's happening:** Image Adjustment Brightness / Contrast got over-applied, OR your source image was extreme. **Fix:** - Check Brightness and Contrast — defaults are 0; large values shift the image significantly. - Bring both back to 0 and re-tune in smaller increments (±5 to ±15). - For genuinely dark sources, raise Brightness +20 and Contrast +5 together. ## Subject is off-center after Reposition **What it looks like:** subject is sitting in the top-left corner or other unexpected location of the canvas. **What's happening:** Reposition's Alignment got changed from Center, the container was moved, or stray see-through pixels are throwing off the placement. **Fix:** set Reposition's **Alignment** to **Center** and add **Trim** before Reposition to remove stray pixels. Reset it unless you specifically want a corner placement. ## Subject got cropped off the canvas **What it looks like:** part of your subject is missing where it should hit the canvas edge. **What's happening:** subject is bigger than the canvas you're placing it on. **Fix:** - Add a **Resize** step before Reposition to scale your subject down first. - Or increase the Reposition canvas size. - Or lower Reposition Padding (less border = more room for the subject). ## Random small holes / dots in the design **What it looks like:** tiny see-through holes scattered through your design where there shouldn't be. **What's happening:** Color Removal V2 erased pixels inside your design that happened to match the background color. Or Speckle Remover ate small intentional details. **Fix:** - Turn ON Color Removal V2 **Contiguous** — only removes background pixels connected to the edge. - Lower Speckle Remover **Max cluster size** to 25 or below — won't eat small intentional details. ## Watermark text is unreadable **What it looks like:** watermark blends into the design, or is too small to read. **What's happening:** color and size mismatch with the underlying image. **Fix:** - Pick a watermark color that contrasts with most of your designs. White on dark, black on light, or semi-transparent gray for mixed batches. - Bump font size to 32-50 px for medium images, 60-80 for big images. - Increase Opacity to 70+ if subtlety isn't the goal. ## Distress / Frames look weird on this batch **What it looks like:** the texture or frame doesn't match the proportions of your design — looks stretched or oddly placed. **What's happening:** the mask file is being scaled to fit a different aspect ratio than it was designed for. **Fix:** use a mask designed for your design's aspect ratio. Square masks for square designs, wide masks for wide designs. ## When the issue is your source image Sometimes the pipeline is working correctly and the source image is the problem: - **Low resolution source** → low-resolution result. Pipeline can't add detail. - **Bad lighting source** → bad lighting result. Image Adjustment can correct *some* but not transform poor lighting into good. - **Out of focus source** → out of focus result. Sharpen helps a little but can't recover a truly blurry source. For these, **fix the source and run again** — it's faster than trying to fix in the pipeline. ## What to read next - **[Per-tool quirks](per-tool-quirks)** — when the issue is a specific tool acting up - **[Common error messages](common-errors)** — for actual error toasts - **[Performance tips](performance-tips)** — for slow / memory issues --- # Tips for processing lots of images fast URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/performance-tips Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/performance-tips.md Section: Troubleshooting Summary: How to make your big batches run faster: browser choice, image sizes, batch sizes, and when to upgrade. ReadyPixl runs right in your browser. No uploads, no waiting in line on our servers. That's great — but it also means **your computer and your browser do the work.** A few simple choices make big batches much faster. ## Which browser works best - **Chrome** — fastest. This is what we test on. - **Edge** — basically Chrome under the hood. About the same speed. - **Firefox** — works fine, a little slower on big batches. - **Safari** — works for smaller batches. Has stricter memory limits, so batches over 500 images can struggle. - **Phone browsers** — OK for small batches and checking results. Not recommended for real work. For anything over ~200 images in one batch, use Chrome or Edge. ## Don't use images bigger than you need Bigger images aren't always better — they just take longer. - **Under 4,000 pixels on the long side** — fastest. Good for most jobs. - **4,000 to 8,000 pixels** — fine, a bit slower. - **Over 8,000 pixels** — slow, and usually not needed. Even large prints rarely need more. - **Over 10,000 × 10,000 pixels** — ReadyPixl won't load these, to keep your browser from crashing. If your original images are huge — high-resolution AI generations, scanned designs, oversized stock images — shrink them down to 4,000 to 6,000 pixels first. You won't see any difference in quality and the pipeline will run much faster. ## How many images to run at once - **1 to 50 images** — finishes in under a minute on most computers. No special tricks. - **50 to 500 images** — the sweet spot. Start the pipeline, walk away, come back to a finished zip. - **500 to 2,000 images** — works, but watch your browser. Close other tabs. If your browser has been open for days, close and reopen it first. - **Over 2,000 images** — split into smaller batches. Two runs of 1,000 is easier than one run of 2,000. ## Some tools are slower than others The heavier tools: - **Color Removal V2** — looks at every pixel at full quality. Great result, but the slowest of the cleanup tools. - **Image Adjustment** with lots of sliders turned on — each active slider adds more work. - **Filters** and **Distress Effects** with strong settings. - **Resize** making images bigger. The quick ones: - **Trim** — scans the edges once, very fast. - **Reposition** — just moves the image around, very fast. - **Rotate / Flip** — very fast. - **Watermark (Text or Image)** — adds one layer, very fast. **Tip:** if your pipeline has both a Resize (making images smaller) and slow tools, put Resize first. The slow tools will then work on the smaller images, which is faster. ## Don't click away during a big batch - **Keep the ReadyPixl tab in front.** Browsers slow down tabs running in the background to save power. A pipeline running behind another tab can crawl or stop. - **Don't refresh or close the tab while it's running.** Processing happens on your computer; closing the tab kills the job. - **Closing *other* tabs is fine** and usually helps free up memory. ## Save your pipeline as a preset If you've built a pipeline that works for something you do a lot, click **Save Current Preset**. You only set it up once. Every future run is one click to load the preset, drop in new images, and click Download All. ## When to upgrade The free browser version is the main product. You might want to upgrade if: - **Chrome extension** (free with a free account, 10 downloads a day; Pro removes the cap) — best if you spend lots of time on sites like ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Kimi, Ideogram, or stock image sites. The extension puts a ReadyPixl button right on the images on those sites, so you can skip the "download one website, upload to another" dance. It also removes the ads in the web version. - **Desktop app (paid)** — same ReadyPixl, packaged as an app for Mac and Windows. The big perk is a **free, offline AI upscaler** (no per-image credits). It also runs without internet and never shows ads. The free web version keeps getting better whether you upgrade or not. ## What to read next - **[Common errors](common-errors)** — the most common error messages and fixes - **[Browser and computer issues](browser-and-computer-issues)** — when the editor itself feels slow - **[Per-tool quirks](per-tool-quirks)** — when one specific tool is the bottleneck --- # AI image cleanup: ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Ideogram, Kimi and more URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/ai-image-cleanup-multi-source Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/ai-image-cleanup-multi-source.md Section: Workflows Summary: End-to-end recipe for turning AI-generated designs from ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Ideogram, Kimi and other generators into clean, ready-to-use files — with what to watch for on each. Every AI image generator leaves its own kind of mess: dirty transparent backgrounds, uneven colored backgrounds, corner watermarks, small output sizes. **The cleanup pipeline is mostly the same** — what changes is which cleanup step you lead with. ## The shared pipeline | Step | Tool | What it does | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **Transparency Cleaner** *or* **Color Removal V2** / **Green BG Remover** | Clean a transparent PNG, or remove a colored background | | 2 | **Corner Erase** (Patch → Auto) | Removes Gemini / Kimi corner watermarks (skip if none) | | 3 | **Trim** | Cuts off the empty edges (or use Auto-Trim in Color Removal V2) | | 4 | **Upscaler (free)** or **AI Upscale** | Brings ~1024 px AI images up to the size you need | | 5 | **Reposition** | Places it on your target canvas (for example 2000 × 2000 for a product image) | Save it as a preset per generator — e.g. "ChatGPT cleanup", "Grok cleanup". ## Generator by generator ### ChatGPT - ChatGPT can now make **transparent PNGs**, so you often don't need a background remover at all. - **But its transparency is often dirty** — semi-transparent pixels you can't see, sometimes all over the background. They print as dirty edges and stop Trim from cropping properly. - **Lead with Transparency Cleaner at 20–30%**, and drop Color Removal V2 from the pipeline. Then Trim, upscale, Reposition. ### Gemini and Kimi - Gemini adds a small watermark in the **bottom-right** corner; Kimi adds one in the **bottom-left**. - Add **Corner Erase** with Fill Mode **Patch** and Patch Mode **Auto** — it finds and removes both, on every image, and skips images that don't have one. ### Grok and other lower-quality generators - Backgrounds that *look* flat often aren't, so Color Removal V2 struggles. - Ask the generator for a **neon green background** on every image, then use **Green BG Remover** at Threshold **60**. Much more consistent in bulk. ### Ideogram - Works great with the Chrome extension. Ideogram's share button sits in the top-right corner of images — **move the ReadyPixl + button to the top left** in the extension settings. ### Any other generator The pipeline shape is the same. Test on 1–2 images first — every generator has slightly different backgrounds and edges. ## Edit while you generate (Chrome extension) Don't download raw images and fix them later. Open the ReadyPixl Chrome extension next to your generator, load your preset (e.g. "ChatGPT cleanup"), turn on **Auto download**, and click **+** on each image as it's generated. Every image lands in your Downloads folder already cleaned, upscaled and on the right canvas. ## Step-by-step (any AI source) 1. **Generate** — ideally with a flat background (or neon green, or transparent in ChatGPT). 2. **Open ReadyPixl** (web, extension or desktop) and drop the images in. 3. **Add the cleanup step** for your source (see above). 4. **Add Corner Erase** if the source adds a watermark. 5. **Add Trim** (or turn on Auto-Trim in Color Removal V2). 6. **Upscale**: the free **Upscaler** at 4x (start on Standard quality), or **AI Upscale** (10 credits) if your computer struggles or you need 8x. 7. **Add Reposition** if you need an exact canvas size. 8. **Download all** — and save the pipeline as a preset. ## Tips - **Test on 1–2 images first.** AI outputs vary a lot. - **Generate extras.** Run 3–5 variants per concept through the pipeline and pick the best. - **Keep sources separate.** A mixed batch uses the same settings for everything — usually one source comes out worse. Use one preset per generator. - **Use presets with AI agents.** With the desktop app's CLI, you can tell Claude "use the ReadyPixl skill with the ChatGPT cleanup preset on this folder". ## What AI cleanup can't fix - **Bad anatomy / warped subjects** — regenerate with a better prompt. - **Misspelled or garbled text** — regenerate, or add text with Watermark Text. - **Glass, smoke, liquid, hair** — color-based removal struggles. Try **Halftone** (for dark backgrounds) or **AI Background Removal** (Recraft 15 / Ideogram 20 credits). - **Very low-quality generations** — bad in, bad out. ## What to read next - **[Transparency Cleaner](../pipelines/transparency)** — for ChatGPT's transparent PNGs - **[Green BG Remover](../pipelines/green-bg-remover)** — for uneven AI backgrounds - **[Corner Erase](../pipelines/corner-erase)** — Gemini and Kimi watermarks - **[Upscaler (free)](../pipelines/upscaler)** and **[AI Upscale](../pipelines/ai-upscale)** --- # Amazon Merch bulk prep: 200 designs in 5 minutes URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/amazon-merch-bulk-prep Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/amazon-merch-bulk-prep.md Section: Workflows Summary: End-to-end recipe for prepping print-on-demand designs for Amazon Merch — 4500 by 5400 pixels at 300 DPI, transparent PNG, batch-ready in one pipeline run. This is one example workflow, for people who sell designs on Amazon Merch on Demand. The same idea works for any site with a fixed file spec — swap in that site's numbers. You have a folder of designs that need to become Amazon-Merch-ready. This article walks the full pipeline end-to-end. If you can follow these 6 steps, you can prep 200 designs in the time it'd take to do 5 manually. ## What Amazon Merch wants Amazon Merch has strict file specs. **Get these wrong and your design either gets rejected or printed badly.** | Product | Pixel size | DPI | Format | Background | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Shirts (all types) | 4500 × 5400 | 300 | PNG | Transparent | | Hoodies / Sweatshirts | 4500 × 5400 | 300 | PNG | Transparent | | PopSockets | 1000 × 1000 | 300 | PNG | Transparent | | Tote bags / Throw pillows | Check Merch's product spec page (varies) | 300 | PNG | Transparent | Most shirt and apparel designs use the same **4500 × 5400 PNG with a transparent background.** Build your pipeline around that and you cover most of your batch. *These numbers can change. Always confirm the current pixel size, DPI, and format on Amazon Merch's own product/spec page before you lock in a preset.* ## The pipeline | Step | Tool | What it does | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **Color Removal V2** | Removes the solid background color, leaves it see-through | | 2 | **Trim** | Cuts off the empty edges | | 3 | **Reposition** | Places the design on a 4500 × 5400 canvas at 300 DPI | | 4 | (Optional) **Watermark Image** | Adds your shop logo as proof-of-ownership before public posting | That's the whole recipe. Drop folder, click Download All, get a zip ready to upload. ## Step-by-step 1. **Open the editor.** Go to readypixl.com — no signup needed if you'll do under 10 batches today. 2. **Drop your design folder in.** Drag the folder onto the drop zone, or click to pick files. Designs can be PNG or JPEG. The first design loads into the canvas as your live preview. 3. **Add Color Removal V2.** Click it in the tool sidebar. The default preset (Medium) and Auto-Trim (on) handle most designs with white or solid backgrounds. - **Tweak if needed:** if some background remains, bump the preset up to High (or raise Base Threshold). If part of your design gets eaten, drop the preset to Low (or lower Base Threshold). ([Color Removal V2 article](../pipelines/color-removal) for details.) 4. **Add Trim.** Default settings work — Tolerance 10, Padding 0. This cuts off the empty edges Color Removal V2 left behind. 5. **Add Reposition.** Settings: - Unit: **px** - Canvas Width: **4500** - Canvas Height: **5400** - DPI: **300** - Alignment: **Center** - Inside Padding: a small amount (gives Amazon a little room before they crop the upload) 6. **Click Download All.** The button appears in the canvas toolbar once you have 2+ images loaded. Watch the progress bar — typical 200-design batch finishes in 3-5 minutes on a modern machine. 7. **Save the pipeline as a preset.** Click **Save Current Preset** and name it something like *"Amazon Merch shirts."* Next batch loads with one click — no setup. 8. **Unzip and upload to Amazon Merch.** Original filenames are preserved, so you can match each output back to your source if needed. ## Common adjustments per product type | Product | Pipeline change | | --- | --- | | Shirts / Hoodies / Sweatshirts | Use the recipe above as-is | | PopSockets | Change Reposition to **1000 × 1000** instead of 4500 × 5400 | | Other Merch products | Check Merch's design template page for the exact pixel spec, then change Reposition's Canvas Width / Canvas Height to match | If you sell multiple product types, **save one preset per product spec.** Switch between them with a click — no re-setup needed. ## Tips - **Do a single test design first.** Run the pipeline on 1-2 designs, open the output zip, check the result looks right before running on a big batch. - **Designs with semi-transparent edges** (drop shadows, glows, fading effects) sometimes look wrong after Color Removal V2. Add **Transparency Cleaner** right after Color Removal V2 — leave it on the default setting and it cleans those up. - **Designs with stray pixels** after background removal — add **Speckle Remover** between Color Removal V2 and Trim. Default Max cluster size 50 catches most leftovers. - **For protecting designs you'll share online before they're listed**, add **Watermark Image** as the last step with your shop logo at 30-40% opacity. - **For inconsistent batches** (designs from different sources at different sizes), Reposition normalizes everything to the same canvas. The result is a uniform batch ready for upload regardless of source variety. ## What to do if a design comes out wrong - **Background not fully removed:** raise Color Removal V2's Base Threshold (or bump the preset to High), or add a second color for a second background color (designs with two-tone backgrounds). - **Part of design eaten by Color Removal V2:** lower the Base Threshold (or drop the preset to Low), or turn ON Contiguous (only removes connected background, not same-color parts of your design). - **Design too small on the canvas:** add a **Resize** step before Reposition, scale up to closer-to-target-size first. - **Design positioned off-center:** check Reposition's **Alignment** (Center) and that the image hasn't been dragged off its position (double-click it to fill the canvas again). - **Design got cropped:** lower Reposition's Padding setting, or check the source design fits within 4500 × 5400. ## What to read next - **[The pipeline concept](../getting-started/pipeline-concept)** — the why behind chained tools - **[Reposition](../pipelines/reposition)** — full reference for the canvas-sizing tool - **[Color Removal V2](../pipelines/color-removal)** — full reference - **[Printful and Printify bulk prep](printful-printify-bulk-prep)** — for vendor-specific templates --- # Etsy design prep: making 100 listings look like one shop URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/etsy-design-prep Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/etsy-design-prep.md Section: Workflows Summary: End-to-end recipe for prepping Etsy listing images so they're consistent across your whole shop — same backgrounds, same sizing, same look. Free, batch-ready. Etsy listings live or die on **consistent listing images.** Buyers trust shops where every listing image looks like it came from the same place. The Etsy algorithm rewards consistent visuals too. The problem: 40 product designs, 40 mockups, 40 source images — all slightly different. Different backgrounds, different framings, different sizes. Turning those into a consistent shop used to mean Photoshop on every image. This article walks the ReadyPixl recipe instead. ## What Etsy wants | Property | Recommended | | --- | --- | | Recommended size | **At least 2000 px on the shortest side** | | Minimum first image | 635 px (smaller drops you in search rankings) | | Resolution | 72 PPI | | File format | JPG, PNG, or GIF | | File size per image | Under 1 MB (for fast uploads) | | Images per listing | Up to 10 | The first image is what shows in search results — make it count. **Square 2000 × 2000 JPEG at 72 PPI is the safe sweet spot** that works in all of Etsy's display formats. (Source: Etsy's official "Requirements and Best Practices for Images in Your Etsy Shop" — verify on their help center for the latest.) ## What kinds of images this workflow is for This pipeline assumes you're prepping: - **Product mockups** generated from Printful, Printify, Placeit, Smartmockups, etc. - **Digital download previews** (printables, planners, SVGs, fonts displayed in a clean preview) - **AI-generated product mockups** from ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Kimi, etc. - **Stock images of products** you've licensed for resale If your source images come from somewhere else (your own scans, vendor-supplied images, or images you sourced yourself), the pipeline still works — the article just doesn't cover those sourcing paths. See [Picking source images that clean up well](../background-removal-tips/picking-source-images) for sourcing guidance. ## The pipeline | Step | Tool | What it does | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **Color Removal V2** | Removes a solid background color (for scenes, textures or photos use AI Background Removal) | | 2 | **Trim** | Cuts off the empty edges | | 3 | **Image Adjustment** | (Optional) Normalizes brightness/color across the batch | | 4 | **Reposition** | Centers the design on a 2000 × 2000 canvas | | 5 | **Frames** | (Optional) Adds a brand-colored background or thin border | ## Step-by-step 1. **Source your images.** AI-generated, mockup tool exports, or stock — whatever your shop uses. Make sure each subject is the clear focus and the background is solid (or close to it). See [Picking the right background color](../background-removal-tips/picking-background-color) for what to prompt or filter for. 2. **Open the editor.** Drop the image folder in. 3. **Add Color Removal V2.** For typical mockups against a solid background, the defaults (Medium preset, Auto-Trim ON) work. If your background is bright white, drop the preset to Low (or lower Base Threshold) for cleaner edges. 4. **Add Trim.** Defaults are fine. This cuts the empty space the background removal left behind. 5. **(Optional) Add Image Adjustment.** If your images came from different sources with different brightness/color, this evens them out. Try: - Brightness: **+5 to +10** if images look dark - Contrast: **+5 to +10** for a punchier look - Saturation: **+5 to +10** for listing-image brightness([Image Adjustment article](../pipelines/image-adjustment) for details.) 6. **Add Reposition.** Settings: - Unit: **px** - Canvas Width: **2000** - Canvas Height: **2000** - DPI: **72** (web) or **300** (if you also want print-ready) - Alignment: **Center** - Inside Padding: a small amount (breathing room around designs) 7. **(Optional) Add Frames** if you want a branded background. Pick or upload a PNG with a solid color or subtle texture. Frames places it as a background behind your isolated design. 8. **Click Download All.** Output ready to upload to Etsy. 9. **Save as preset** named *"Etsy listings"* — every future batch loads in one click. ## Choosing a background style Three common Etsy aesthetics. Pick one and stick with it across your whole shop: | Style | Best for | How to set up | | --- | --- | --- | | **Pure white** (#FFFFFF) | Modern, minimalist, premium feel | Color Removal V2 → Trim → Reposition (transparent) → Frames with white background | | **Off-white / cream** (#F5F2EC) | Warm, handmade, vintage feel | Same pipeline, Frames with cream background | | **Branded color** (your shop accent) | Strong brand identity | Same pipeline, Frames with your shop's accent color | Consistency matters more than which one you pick. Pick one. Use it on every image. ## Tips for cleaner sources to start with The cleaner your source images, the cleaner Color Removal V2 works. Quick wins: - **AI-generated mockups:** add *"isolated on flat solid white background, no shadow, no gradient"* to your prompt - **Mockup tools (Placeit, Smartmockups):** pick the "isolated product on white" style mockups, not "lifestyle" ones - **Stock images:** filter for *"isolated"* or *"transparent background"* in the source library (Adobe Stock, Shutterstock, etc.) - **Same source style for the whole shop.** Mixing AI-generated with stock with mockup-tool-generated gives an inconsistent look even after this pipeline cleans them up. For more, see [Picking source images that clean up well](../background-removal-tips/picking-source-images). ## Tips for the pipeline - **Test on 3-5 images before running on 40.** Make sure Color Removal V2 works with your sourcing style; tweak the preset or Base Threshold if needed. - **For designs with transparent or reflective parts** (glass jars, mirrors, polished metal), Color Removal V2 struggles. Use AI Background Removal (15 credits per use) for these. - **For designs with multiple angles** (jewelry shown from front, side, back, top), source all angles in the same style → run them all through the same pipeline → uniform multi-angle batch. - **JPEG quality 90 is the Etsy sweet spot** for file size vs visual quality. The Reposition + export combo handles this automatically. ## What to do if an image comes out wrong - **Background not fully removed:** raise Color Removal V2's Base Threshold (or bump the preset to High), or pick the background color manually instead of using Auto. - **Part of design eaten by Color Removal V2:** lower the Base Threshold (or drop the preset to Low), or turn ON Contiguous (only removes connected background). - **Design too small in frame:** Reposition centers what you give it. If your design is small, add a Resize step before Reposition to scale up first. - **Inconsistent colors across batch:** the Image Adjustment step normalizes them, but only by the same amount per image. For very inconsistent batches, re-source the outliers rather than over-correcting. ## What to read next - **[The pipeline concept](../getting-started/pipeline-concept)** — the why - **[Color Removal V2](../pipelines/color-removal)** — full reference - **[Reposition](../pipelines/reposition)** — full canvas-sizing reference - **[Image Adjustment](../pipelines/image-adjustment)** — for color-correcting batches - **[Shopify catalog prep](shopify-catalog-prep)** — similar workflow for Shopify catalogs - **[Picking source images](../background-removal-tips/picking-source-images)** — for sourcing images that clean up well --- # Printful and Printify bulk prep: per-product specs done right URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/printful-printify-bulk-prep Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/printful-printify-bulk-prep.md Section: Workflows Summary: End-to-end recipe for Printful and Printify — per-product templates with different sizes. Save one preset per product type and switch as you go. This is an example workflow for print-on-demand sellers. Printful and Printify both use **per-product templates**. A t-shirt has different specs than a mug. A mug has different specs than a phone case. There's no single magic size that works across their whole catalog. The good news: ReadyPixl handles this with **one preset per product type**. Set up the spec once, save the preset, run on every batch of that product. Switch presets when you switch products. This article walks the recipe + lists the most-common product specs. ## Printful and Printify specs **Always check the platform's design template page for the exact product you're prepping** — both platforms publish per-product templates with the precise pixel dimensions, and specs change occasionally. **Printful's general guidance:** - Standard t-shirt design area: **12″ × 16″** (3600 × 4800 px at 300 DPI). Some larger DTG products: 15″ × 18″ (4500 × 5400 px at 300 DPI). - Resolution: **150–300 DPI** (150 is enough; 300 is the max — going higher just bloats the file) - Format: **PNG** for transparent backgrounds (DTG printing requires it), JPEG for images - Color profile: **sRGB** **Printify** uses a similar per-product template approach, with sizes that can vary depending on which print provider in their network you're using. Check the product page on Printify for the exact spec. **For both:** open the product page on the platform → look for the **"File guidelines"** or **"Design template"** download. That's the only authoritative source. (Source: Printful help center, "What is DPI, resolution and actual print file size?" + per-product file guideline pages.) ## The pipeline The pipeline is the same shape as the Amazon Merch pipeline — what changes is the canvas size in the Reposition step. | Step | Tool | What it does | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **Color Removal V2** | Removes the solid background color (use AI Background Removal if the background isn't one solid color) | | 2 | **Trim** | Cuts off the empty edges | | 3 | **Reposition** | Places the design on the product's specific canvas size at 300 DPI | | 4 | (Optional) **Watermark Image** | For theft deterrence on shared previews | ## Step-by-step (using t-shirts as example) 1. **Open the editor.** Go to readypixl.com. 2. **Drop your design folder in.** 3. **Add Color Removal V2.** The default preset handles most solid-background designs; nudge the preset (Low/Medium/High) or Base Threshold if needed. 4. **Add Trim.** Defaults are fine. 5. **Add Reposition.** Settings (for standard t-shirts at Printful's 12″ × 16″ DTG print area): - Unit: **px** - Canvas Width: **3600** - Canvas Height: **4800** - DPI: **300** - Alignment: **Center** - Inside Padding: a small amount (For Printful's larger 15″ × 18″ DTG products, use **4500 × 5400** instead. Check the specific product's File guidelines page for the exact spec.) 6. **Click Download All.** Output zip ready to upload. 7. **Save as a preset.** Critical for this workflow — name it *"Printful t-shirts"* or similar. 8. **For each new product type, repeat steps 5-7 with that product's spec.** Save each as its own preset: - "Printful standard t-shirts" — 3600 × 4800 (12″ × 16″) - "Printful large DTG t-shirts" — 4500 × 5400 (15″ × 18″) - One preset per other product you sell, using each product's published file guideline - etc. Once your preset library exists, the workflow per batch is: load the right preset → drop designs → Download All. 30 seconds. ## Tips for working across multiple product types - **Set up presets in advance** for every product you sell. The first time setup takes 15-20 minutes total. Every batch after is one-click. - **Name presets clearly.** "Printful t-shirts," "Printify mugs 11oz," etc. When you have 10+ presets, naming matters. - **For products with a wide canvas (like mugs)**, your designs need to be designed for that aspect ratio. A square design centered on a wrap mug template (2700 × 1110) leaves a lot of empty side space — usually that's fine, but plan for it. - **For asymmetric products (phone cases with notches)**, download Printful/Printify's actual design template (with notch cut-outs visible) and design within those bounds. ReadyPixl handles the bulk transformation; the design itself needs to fit the product. - **Watch file sizes.** Big canvases × big batches = big zips. 200 t-shirts at 4500 × 5400 PNG ≈ 1-2 GB. ## Differences between Printful and Printify Both follow the same per-product template pattern, but: - **Printful** tends to publish more detailed product templates (with bleed lines, safe zones marked). - **Printify** publishes templates per product and per print provider — the same product (e.g., t-shirt) can have slightly different specs depending on which print provider in their network you're using. For both, **always check the actual product page on the platform** before locking in your preset. Specs occasionally update. ## Tips for the design itself (before ReadyPixl) - **Design at the target spec from the start** — opening a 1000 × 1000 design and trying to upscale it to 4500 × 5400 doesn't work as well as designing at 4500 × 5400 originally. - **Use a print-friendly font.** Some thin or extreme fonts don't print well. Stick with weights and styles that have body to them. - **Check colors against the print provider's color limits.** Some print methods (DTG vs DTF vs sublimation) handle bright colors differently. Both platforms' product pages include this info. ## What to do if a design comes out wrong Same troubleshooting as [Amazon Merch bulk prep](amazon-merch-bulk-prep). The pipeline is the same — only the canvas size changes per product. ## What to read next - **[The pipeline concept](../getting-started/pipeline-concept)** - **[Reposition](../pipelines/reposition)** — for the canvas-sizing details - **[Amazon Merch bulk prep](amazon-merch-bulk-prep)** — single-spec workflow - **[Etsy design prep](etsy-design-prep)** — for prepping product images (vs designs) --- # Shopify catalog prep: one master file, every product size URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/shopify-catalog-prep Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/shopify-catalog-prep.md Section: Workflows Summary: End-to-end recipe for Shopify catalog — one source image exports at multiple sizes (catalog grid, hero, mobile, social). For ecommerce teams at scale. Shopify catalogs need product images at multiple sizes: - **Catalog grid thumbnail** (small, square) - **Product page hero** (larger, square or near-square) - **Mobile catalog** (smaller version of grid) - **Social media variants** (Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook) For each new product, that's 4-6 different exports per image. Multiply by 100 products and you're at 400-600 individual exports. ReadyPixl's pipeline handles this in one batch run: one source image → multiple sized outputs. ## What kinds of source images this is for This pipeline assumes your catalog images come from one of these: - **AI-generated product mockups** (ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Kimi) - **Mockup tools** (Placeit, Smartmockups, Printful's mockup generator) - **Stock images** licensed for resale - **Vendor-supplied product images** (dropship suppliers, distributors) - **Pre-cut PNG assets** from your design team If your catalog is built from images your team produced themselves, the pipeline still works — this article just doesn't cover the sourcing side. See [Picking source images that clean up well](../background-removal-tips/picking-source-images) for sourcing guidance. ## Common Shopify catalog sizes | Use case | Size | | --- | --- | | **Catalog grid thumbnail** | 1200 × 1200 px | | **Product page hero** | 2048 × 2048 px | | **Mobile catalog** | 800 × 800 px | | **Instagram / Pinterest** | 2048 × 2048 px | | **Facebook product post** | 1200 × 1200 px | Most Shopify themes work well with **2048 × 2048 as the master upload size** — Shopify itself generates smaller thumbnails on the fly. But for performance-conscious sites, exporting at multiple sizes manually gives you better control. ## The strategy Two pipeline patterns depending on your needs: ### Pattern A: One master file (simplest) - Export every product image at a single high-resolution size (e.g., 2048 × 2048) - Let Shopify auto-generate smaller thumbnails - Best for: small to medium shops, when you don't want to manage multiple file sizes per product ### Pattern B: Multi-size exports (best quality) - Export every product image at the catalog grid size, product page size, and mobile size separately - Upload the right size to each Shopify theme location - Best for: high-traffic shops, performance-conscious sites This article covers Pattern A in detail (most users) and notes how to extend to Pattern B. ## The pipeline (Pattern A — single 2048 × 2048 master) | Step | Tool | What it does | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **Color Removal V2** | Removes a solid background color (for scenes, textures or photos use AI Background Removal) | | 2 | **Trim** | Cuts off the empty edges | | 3 | **Image Adjustment** | Normalizes brightness/color across the catalog | | 4 | **Reposition** | Centers product on 2048 × 2048 canvas | | 5 | **Frames** | (Optional) Adds branded background | ## Step-by-step 1. **Open the editor** at readypixl.com. Drop your product image folder in. 2. **Add Color Removal V2.** For sources on white or solid backgrounds: - Tolerance: **20-30** - Auto-Trim: **ON** 3. **Add Trim.** Defaults fine. 4. **Add Image Adjustment** if your images came in at different brightness/color across the batch: - Brightness: small adjustment based on what you see in the preview - Saturation: +5 to +10 for product-image punch - White balance corrections via Red/Green/Blue channels 5. **Add Reposition** for the master size: - Unit: **px** - Canvas Width: **2048** - Canvas Height: **2048** - DPI: **72** - Alignment: **Center** - Inside Padding: a small amount (breathing room) 6. **(Optional) Add Frames** if you want a branded background. Pick or upload a PNG with your shop's accent color. 7. **Click Download All.** Output zip ready to upload. 8. **Save as preset** named *"Shopify catalog 2048."* Reuse on every product batch. ## Pattern B: Multi-size exports For shops that need separate exports at multiple sizes per product, the workflow is: 1. **Build the pipeline once** for your largest needed size (e.g., 2048 × 2048). 2. **Run the batch** — get 2048 × 2048 outputs. 3. **Re-load the same source folder** with a different pipeline: - Same Color Removal V2 + Trim + Image Adjustment as above - Reposition with Canvas Width / Height set to the smaller size (e.g., 1200 × 1200 or 800 × 800) 4. **Click Download All again** — get the smaller-size outputs. 5. **Save each pipeline as its own preset:** "Shopify 2048," "Shopify 1200," "Shopify 800." Switching between exports is one click each. ## For very large catalogs (500+ products) - **Split into batches by product category.** Easier to manage, easier to recover from a bad batch. - **Watch browser memory.** A 500-image batch at 2048 × 2048 PNG can produce a 2-3 GB output zip — that's a lot for a browser to manage. - **Use Chrome or Edge for big batches.** They handle large memory loads better than Safari or Firefox in our testing. - **Save originals separately.** ReadyPixl outputs are derived files; your originals are the source of truth. ## Tips - **Brand consistency matters.** Pick one background style (pure white, off-white, branded color), one padding amount, one image adjustment profile. Use them across every product image. Buyers notice consistency without being able to articulate why. - **2048 × 2048 is the safe default for Shopify.** Larger files (3000+) increase load times without much visible quality gain. Smaller (under 1500) can look soft on retina displays. - **For Shopify Plus / high-traffic stores**, consider Pattern B (multi-size exports) and serve the right size per device. Pagespeed gain is real. - **Combine with [Watermark Image](../pipelines/watermark-image)** as a last step if you want subtle brand stamps on every catalog image. ## What Shopify catalog prep can't fix - **Inconsistent source conditions.** If your sources came from very different places (some AI, some stock, some vendor-supplied) with very different lighting and color, Image Adjustment can't fully normalize them. Re-source the outliers if consistency matters. - **Missing angles.** Pipeline runs on what you give it. Missing back-of-product images isn't fixable in batch — go source or generate them. - **Bad product positioning.** Reposition centers the cleaned product on the canvas. If your source had the product way off-center with weird padding, the pipeline can't recover what isn't there. Crop or re-source. ## What to read next - **[The pipeline concept](../getting-started/pipeline-concept)** - **[Etsy design prep](etsy-design-prep)** — same shape, smaller scale - **[Reposition](../pipelines/reposition)** — full canvas reference - **[Image Adjustment](../pipelines/image-adjustment)** — for batch color correction - **[Watermark Image](../pipelines/watermark-image)** — for branded catalog images - **[Picking source images](../background-removal-tips/picking-source-images)** — for sourcing images that clean up well --- # Watermarking your designs: protect what you share online URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/watermarking-designs Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/watermarking-designs.md Section: Workflows Summary: End-to-end recipe for adding theft-deterrent watermarks before sharing designs on social, Pinterest, or in proofs. Pick subtle to aggressive. Sharing your designs online (Pinterest, Instagram, Etsy listings, design proofs to clients) opens them up to being copied. **A watermark deters casual theft and credits you when your work spreads.** This article walks the recipe for batch-watermarking — pick your aggression level, run on the whole folder, get protected versions ready to share. ## When to watermark vs not Watermarks are for **public previews and social posts**, NOT for the actual deliverables your customers buy. | Where | Watermark? | | --- | --- | | Pinterest / Instagram / TikTok previews | Yes — these get shared everywhere | | Etsy listing images (the public listing) | Subtle yes — your shop URL or shop name | | Pinterest pins | Yes — usually the strongest watermark | | Designs sent to a client for proof / review | Yes — usually with "PROOF" text | | The actual files customers buy / receive after purchase | **No** — clean files only | | Final files you deliver or upload for printing | **No** — keep final files clean | The strategy: **watermark the previews, keep clean originals separate.** ## Three aggression levels | Level | Watermark style | Use for | | --- | --- | --- | | **Subtle** | Logo only, bottom-right, 30% opacity | Etsy listing images, branded social posts | | **Standard** | Logo + URL, bottom-right, 50% opacity | Pinterest pins, public design previews | | **Nuclear** | Tiled across whole image, 30% opacity, diagonal rotation | Original art posted publicly that you want to deter copying of | Pick based on what you're sharing. Subtle for shop branding; nuclear for high-value original designs. ## The pipeline | Step | Tool | What it does | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | (Optional) **Resize** | Scales designs down to social-media-friendly sizes | | 2 | **Watermark Image** | Adds your logo overlay | | 3 | **Watermark Text** | Adds your shop name or URL | You add Watermark Image AND Watermark Text together for the strongest brand mark. Either one alone works for lighter watermarking. ## Step-by-step 1. **Open the editor.** Drop your design folder (final designs) in. 2. **(Optional) Add Resize.** Sharing on social media doesn't need print-resolution files. Smaller files load faster + give would-be thieves less to work with: - Pinterest: **2000 × 2000** or **1200 × 1800** - Instagram: **1080 × 1080** - General social preview: **1200 × 1200** - Skip Resize if you're watermarking for Etsy listings (use the listing-friendly size from your prep pipeline) 3. **Add Watermark Image** — your shop logo: - Upload your logo (PNG with transparent background works best) - **Position:** bottom-right (subtle), or **Tile** (nuclear) - **Scale:** 10-15% (subtle) or 15-20% (standard) - **Opacity:** 30 (subtle) to 60 (standard) to 30 (nuclear — tiled) - **Rotation:** 0 (corner) or -30 to -45 (diagonal nuclear) - ([Watermark Image article](../pipelines/watermark-image) for details) 4. **Add Watermark Text** — your shop URL or copyright: - **Text:** "© Your Shop" / "yourshop.com" / "@yourshophandle" — pick what makes sense for the platform - **Font:** Arial (cleanest) or Verdana (readable) - **Font Size:** 24-32 (subtle) or 40-60 (nuclear-tiled) - **Color:** white or black depending on what contrasts with your designs - **Opacity:** 30-50 (subtle) or 30 (nuclear-tiled) - **Position:** Bottom-right (subtle) or Tile (nuclear) - **Rotation:** 0 (corner) or -45 (diagonal tiled) 5. **Click Download All.** You get a zip of watermarked design previews ready to share. 6. **Save the pipeline as a preset** — name it after the use case ("Pinterest watermark," "Etsy listing watermark," "Aggressive theft deterrent"). One click for future batches. ## Three example presets to set up ### Subtle Etsy listing brand - **Watermark Image:** logo at Bottom Right, Scale 10%, Opacity 40 - (Skip Watermark Text for the cleanest look) ### Standard Pinterest pin - **Resize** to 1200 × 1800 - **Watermark Image:** logo at Bottom Right, Scale 12%, Opacity 60 - **Watermark Text:** "yourshop.com" at Bottom Right, Font Verdana, Size 32, white, Opacity 70 ### Nuclear theft deterrent - **Resize** to social-friendly 1200 × 1200 - **Watermark Image:** logo at Tile, Scale 15%, Opacity 25, Rotation -30 - **Watermark Text:** "© Your Shop" at Tile, Font Arial, Size 60, white, Opacity 30, Rotation -45 ## Tips - **Always keep clean originals.** Watermark only the public-facing copies. Keep the originals (in your drafts folder) for actual customer deliverables. - **Run watermark steps LATE in the pipeline.** They sit on top of the finished composition. - **Test contrast on different background colors.** A white logo disappears on a white-background design; black disappears on black. For mixed-content batches, try semi-transparent gray (50% opacity, gray color). - **Tile is the strongest theft deterrent.** Hard to crop out; obvious that the work is yours. Use for highly original, hard-to-create designs. - **Subtle wins for branding.** A 30%-opacity bottom-right logo establishes your shop without distracting from the design. Use for everyday Etsy / Pinterest. - **Different watermark per platform.** Pinterest watermarks should be more visible (Pinterest gets shared a lot); Etsy can be subtler (your shop name shows in the listing anyway). ## What watermarking can and can't do **Can:** - Deter casual screenshot theft - Credit your shop when work spreads on social media - Communicate ownership at a glance - Make stolen versions instantly recognizable **Can't:** - Stop a determined thief with Photoshop skills (they'll Photoshop out a corner watermark) - Stop AI image generators from training on your designs - Replace copyright registration for legal protection - Look invisible — a useful watermark is at least somewhat visible For high-value originals, watermarking is one layer of defense. **Combine with copyright registration, watermarking + low-res sharing, and platform reporting tools** for layered protection. ## What to read next - **[Watermark Image](../pipelines/watermark-image)** — full settings reference - **[Watermark Text](../pipelines/watermark-text)** — full settings reference - **[Etsy design prep](etsy-design-prep)** — for combining listing-prep with subtle watermarking - **[The pipeline concept](../getting-started/pipeline-concept)** — for chaining multiple watermarks