# Make a product shot with relighting and a clean cutout

> Generate a product still in Nodespell, relight it with studio presets, remove the background, then upscale and download the finished image.

Source: https://docs.nodespell.com/recipes/product-shot/ · Last updated: 2026-11-10

The Nodespell product-shot recipe takes a written brief to a finished, isolated product image in four stages: generate the still with Image Generator, reshape the light with Relight, cut the product out with Remove Background, and enlarge and download the result. Every stage stays on the graph, so you can change one step without redoing the others.

**What you need**

- A short brief: the product, surface, camera angle, background, and mood.
- Optional: a photo of the real product, uploaded to [Asset Manager](https://docs.nodespell.com/assets/asset-manager/), if the result must look like a specific object.
- Credits. Image Generator, Relight, Remove Background, and Image Upscaler each run a model and use credits.

**Graph at a glance:** Image Generator → Relight → Remove Background → Image Upscaler → download

> **Where credits are spent:** Each of the four stages is a separate model run, and each run uses credits. On paid plans, the Create panel shows **Estimated per run** (or **Estimated total** when you ask for several generations), and the run button in Graph shows the estimate before you start. See [Plans and credits](https://docs.nodespell.com/account/plans-and-credits/).

## Stage 1: Generate the base product image

Use Create for the first image, because it gives you the guided controls and several candidates at once.

1. Open your Project and switch the workspace mode to **Create**. Create needs a window at least 1080 pixels wide.
2. Choose **Image Generator** from the Create tools rail.
3. Pick a model in the model picker. If the product must match a real object, choose a model that shows a **Reference images** field, then select **Choose assets**, pick the product photo, and select **Use selection**.
4. Write the brief in **Prompt**. Name the product, the surface it sits on, the camera angle, and the background.
5. Set **Aspect ratio** or the size control the model shows, and set **Generations** to between 1 and 4 to get several candidates.
6. Select **Generate**.

Each finished image appears under **Results** on the Image Generator node. Step through them with **Show older result** and **Show newer result**, or open **View fullscreen** to check labels and edges. For the full Create walkthrough, see [Make your first image](https://docs.nodespell.com/start/first-image/) and [Image Generator](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/image-generator/).

## Stage 2: Relight the chosen image

Relight changes the lighting of an existing image while keeping the product recognizable.

1. Switch to **Graph** mode. The Image Generator node you used in Create is on the canvas.
2. Press `Tab`, type `Relight`, and add the **Relight** Creative Tool. See [Add nodes](https://docs.nodespell.com/graph/add-nodes/).
3. Connect the Image Generator output to the Relight source image input. See [Connections](https://docs.nodespell.com/graph/connections/).
4. Select the Relight node. In **Parameters**, set **Relight method** to **Design lighting**.
5. Set **Lighting preset** to **Product softbox** as a starting point for a clean studio look. Adjust the **Key**, **Fill**, and **Rim** lights with **Direction**, **Elevation**, **Intensity**, and **Softness** only if the product needs a different shape or more separation.
6. Add **Lighting notes** for anything the controls do not cover, such as "keep the label readable".
7. With the Relight node selected, press `Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+R` or select the run button for the selection.

Running the selected Relight node makes a new Relight take. Upstream nodes that already have a take, such as Image Generator, are reused rather than regenerated. Hover the run button to see which nodes will reuse a take and which will generate. See [Run nodes](https://docs.nodespell.com/graph/run-nodes/) and [Relight](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/relight/).

> **Match reference needs unconnected inputs:** **Match reference** uses a second image as lighting guidance. It needs two local image slots, so Nodespell asks you to disconnect the source input before generating. Use the asset fields for both images instead of a connection when you choose this method.

## Stage 3: Remove the background

1. Press `Tab` and add **Remove Background**.
2. Connect the Relight output to the Remove Background source image input.
3. Select the Remove Background node and press `Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+R`.

Remove Background isolates the subject from its surroundings. Skip this stage when the deliverable should keep the designed background and shadow from Relight. See [Remove Background](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/remove-background/).

## Stage 4: Upscale and download the finished image

1. Press `Tab` and add **Image Upscaler**. Connect the Remove Background output to it.
2. Run the Image Upscaler node.
3. Right-click the Image Upscaler node and choose **Download**, or choose **View Full Screen** to inspect the result first.

See [Image Upscaler](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/image-upscaler/) and [Export](https://docs.nodespell.com/edit/export/).

## Check the result

- Select the Relight node and the Remove Background node together. When exactly two image nodes are selected, the Design panel shows them as A and B in a comparison view, so you can check edges against the lit original. See [Viewers](https://docs.nodespell.com/edit/viewers/).
- Zoom into thin parts, reflective surfaces, and text on the label.
- Open the node's takes to make sure the take in use is the one you approved. Downstream nodes use the take each node is set to. See [Takes](https://docs.nodespell.com/graph/takes/).

## Variations

- **Keep the studio background.** Stop after Relight and download that result.
- **Match a real lighting setup.** Set **Relight method** to **Match reference** and choose a **Lighting reference** image whose light you want to copy.
- **Try several lighting looks.** Add two or three Relight nodes to the same Image Generator output, give each a different **Lighting preset**, and compare them in the Design panel.
- **Composite onto your own background.** Feed the cutout into an Image Compositor and merge it over a background image. See [Composite and finish existing assets](https://docs.nodespell.com/recipes/composite-and-finish/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Does rerunning Relight regenerate the base image?

No. Running a downstream node reuses the takes its upstream nodes already have, so the Image Generator result is not regenerated or charged again. Choose **Generate** for a node only when you want a new take from it.

### Why is a Relight model missing when I choose Match reference?

Only reference-capable models can match a lighting reference. If the current model cannot, Nodespell shows "Choose a reference-capable model to match a lighting reference." Pick another model in the model picker.

### Can I keep the product identical to my photo?

Generated images can drift from the real object. Use a model with **Reference images**, keep the product photo connected, and compare each take against the photo before continuing.

### Where do the finished images go?

Generated results appear in [Asset Manager](https://docs.nodespell.com/assets/asset-manager/) under the **Generated** view, as well as on their nodes, so you can reuse them in other Projects.

## Related

- [Image Generator](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/image-generator/) — models, references, and output controls
- [Relight](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/relight/) — every lighting control and preset
- [Remove Background](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/remove-background/) — cutout models and limits
- [Takes](https://docs.nodespell.com/graph/takes/) — choose which result each stage uses
- [Revise without starting over](https://docs.nodespell.com/recipes/revise-without-starting-over/) — change one stage and keep the rest