The quick answer
Agree what the image must show, what may change and which tools may process the files. Then approve a small sample before editing the full set.
Include review, cleanup and later changes in the agreement. A quick AI result is not automatically a finished client image.
In this article
Keep these in mind
- Describe permitted changes in visible, specific terms.
- Approve one sample and use it as the reference for the rest.
- Agree file handling and later AI alterations before delivery.
Start with the image the client needs
Ask where the image will appear and what it must communicate. A rough campaign idea, a product listing and a portrait have different accuracy needs. Avoid treating “make it better” as a complete brief.
Split the task into two lists: changes allowed and details protected. For a bottle photo, the background may change while the cap, label, color and proportions stay fixed. For a portrait, the client may allow spot removal but want natural skin texture.
Agree the process before uploading
Check whether the client permits external AI services and which files may be sent. Name the actual tool and model instead of asking for a vague yes to AI. Resolve confidentiality, storage and reference-image permissions before the first upload.
Pass the same limits to any outside retoucher. In one property-photography discussion, a photographer said an editor had changed details they expected to remain real. The missing agreement was about the outcome as well as the tool.
Read more: User discussion: agreeing AI limits with an outside photo editor
Write a brief that someone else can follow
Use short, concrete statements. Leave no doubt about which changes need another approval.
- Purpose: product images for the shop’s website, at the agreed sizes.
- May change: the background and surrounding props.
- Must stay: product shape, packaging text, color and included accessories.
- Process: only the approved tools and reference files.
- Approval: one sample first; no full-set work until it is accepted.
- Delivery: agreed exports, working files and a note of generated elements.
Show the sample and explain the remaining work
Put the source and proposed edit side by side. Ask about light, texture, product accuracy and the amount of retouching. Show a close crop when small details matter. Record the accepted version so everyone refers to the same image.
Explain what the picture still needs: “The room and lighting are ready. I still need to fix the label edge and check the image at its final size.” Say this only when it describes the actual work.
Agree how many review rounds are included and what happens if the brief changes. Plan time for inspection and repair instead of pricing the task only around the first generation.
Discuss what happens after delivery
An illustrator described finding what they believed were AI alterations to commissioned work after publication. The thread shows a communication risk; it does not establish the legal rights of either party.
Agree whether the client may make later AI edits, upload working files to another service or reuse the images for a different purpose. Clarify which changes need approval and whether your name should remain attached to an altered version. Have legal wording reviewed when the rights matter.
Read more: User discussion: a client altering commissioned illustrations
Make approval a clear decision
A useful approval note is: “Please confirm the attached version for [use]. We changed [areas], kept [protected details] and used [approved process]. Please flag any issue before we apply this approach to the remaining images.” Fill in only facts you have checked.
If a client is moving toward AI images, offer the parts of the work you can demonstrate: accurate products, consistent scenes, careful review and files that can be revised. Show an approved sample and a clear scope instead of promising that the tool removes all production work.
Sources & further reading
Product features can change. Check the linked documentation for the version and service you use.