This guide explains what your shopper sees when a photo field runs AI effects. It is for merchants who have added an effect to an image field and want to know how the customer experiences it. If you set up the effects yourself, see image adjustments and filters.
When a photo field has an effect pipeline attached, the customer’s upload runs through it automatically. The shopper does not click a separate button. They upload a photo the same way they always would, and the effect runs on top. For the basics of the upload itself, see uploading a photo.
What the shopper sees during processing
After the customer picks a photo, a processing label and a spinner appear while the effect runs. The label reads “Processing…” so the shopper knows the work is happening.
Published AI styles are queued and run through the merchant’s connected AI provider. The shopper’s photo and the merchant’s style instructions are sent to that provider, and the shopper sees progress while they wait. A published fallback route may use another provider connected by the merchant if the primary route is temporarily unavailable.
Shopper photo fields do not currently support automatic background removal, enhancement, subject cutout or remote outline effects. A product using those effects cannot be published for shoppers. Merchant editing tools are a separate workflow; connecting a provider does not enable these effects for shoppers.
When Cancel is available, the shopper can stop waiting for the effect. An already-running job may continue in the background; read any cancellation message. Cancelling an effect does not add or remove a cart item.
Compare before and after
When the effect finishes, the shopper can flip between the two versions of their photo. A toggle gives them “Show original” and “Show result”. This lets them confirm they like the change before they add the product to the cart.
A small badge shows how many effects were applied, for example “1 effect applied” or “2 effects applied”. That tells the customer the work ran.
The toggle only changes the comparison shown on screen. It does not select the original photo for the order or resolve a processing error. Wait for successful processing and check the intended result before submitting the design.
Which styles shoppers can choose
The merchant controls every shopper-facing AI style before publishing the product. A published fixed style applies the merchant’s approved style automatically after the shopper uploads a photo. A published style gallery lets the shopper choose only from the merchant-approved styles shown in that gallery.
The shopper cannot write or submit an arbitrary prompt, choose an AI provider, or select a model. Those controls stay outside the shopper experience. If the merchant changes the published fixed style or published style gallery, the updated choices apply only after the product configuration is published again.
Does the shopper have to start the effect manually?
No. The effect runs automatically once they upload a photo to a field that has it configured.
Can the shopper keep the original, unedited photo?
No. The Show original toggle is a preview only. The processed result is what gets submitted with the order.
Can shoppers type their own AI prompt?
No. Shoppers can use only the fixed style or style-gallery choices the merchant published for that product.
What happens if the AI effect fails?
An original photo or unconfirmed result may remain visible, but checkout can still be blocked. Resolve the error and wait for successful processing before continuing.
Why can the shopper not cancel after a while?
An already-running job may continue after cancellation. Read the message and review the photo field; cancelling the effect does not change an existing cart item.
If a shopper reports a photo that will not finish or does not update, see changes not showing. If you get stuck, contact support.
Next: learn how the full personalization flow comes together in uploading a photo.