Photoshoots is the engine room of Riverflow. This is where your brand assets—products, scenes, and style rules—converge to create high-conversion, production-ready images. Whether you want the precision of a pre-set scene or the creative freedom of an AI prompt, this is where the magic happens.
Before You Start
Select your Brand: Ensure you are in the correct brand workspace.
Product Ready: Confirm you have at least one clean product image uploaded in the Products tab.
Pick Your Path: Decide if you want to use a curated Scene (best for consistency) or a Prompt (best for exploration).
How to Run a Photoshoot
Step 1: The Essentials
Open Photoshoots from the sidebar and select the product(s) you want to feature.
Tip: Start with one primary product image for the most predictable results.
Step 2: Choose Your Creative Direction
Riverflow offers two distinct workflows depending on your goals:
Option A: Scene-Based Generation (Precision)
Best for maintaining a consistent "look" across a whole product line.
Select Scene as your generation type.
Browse your library and pick the environment you want.
(Optional) Add a "Prompt Customization" to tweak small details (e.g., "add autumn leaves").
Apply a Style Rule to lock in your brand's specific aesthetic.
Option B: Prompt-Based Generation (Creative Freedom)
Best for testing new concepts or unique campaign ideas.
Select Prompt as your generation type.
Write a descriptive prompt focusing on lighting, mood, and composition.
Add Reference Images: Upload a "vibe" image to guide the AI’s visual direction.
Choose your Aspect Ratio (e.g., 1:1 for Instagram, 9:16 for Stories).
What to Expect During Generation
Once you hit Generate, Riverflow goes to work. Here is what to keep in mind:
Speed: It typically takes about 2 minutes to generate your first set of images.
Volume: You can generate up to 4 images per generation. This allows you to compare slight variations in lighting and placement to find the perfect shot.
Background Processing: You don't have to stare at the loading bar. Feel free to navigate elsewhere; your results will be waiting in the results grid.
Best Practices
Direct & Visual Prompts: Avoid "marketing speak." Instead of "High-quality luxury," try "Soft cinematic lighting, high-contrast shadows, marble surface."
Consistency is King: If you are creating a gallery for a website, use the same Style Rule and Scene across all products to ensure they look like they were shot in the same studio.
The "Primary" Image: Use your best, most clear product shot. The AI uses this as its anchor; the better the input, the more realistic the output.
Troubleshooting
Why is the 'Generate' button greyed out?
Double-check that you have selected at least one product. If you're in Scene-based mode, ensure a scene is also selected.
The images don't look like my brand.
This is usually a sign that a Style Rule hasn't been applied. Style Rules act as the "guardrails" for the AI to ensure it stays within your brand's color and mood palette.
The product looks distorted.
Try using a simpler prompt or a different reference image. If the AI is trying to follow too many conflicting "vibe" instructions, it can sometimes lose the product's shape.
The result only shows my product and does not use the scene
This usually happens when Riverflow finds it hard to understand the product image clearly.
The most common cause is that the product image already contains other objects, props, scenery, hands, people, or a busy background. In that case, the AI may think your product is already inside a scene, rather than treating it as the product to place into a new scene.
The best fix is to create a clean product reference image on a white background, then use that cleaned product image for future generations.
You can use this prompt to create a cleaner product reference:
Edit this image into a clean product reference image for future AI generation.
Remove the existing background and isolate the product on a pure white background. Keep the product centered, upright, and front-facing.
This is a cleanup task, not a redesign task.
Preserve the product exactly as shown:
same silhouette and proportions
same packaging structure
same cap/body shape
same colors and materials
same label placement
same visible text, logo details, and typography
Do not redesign, restyle, upscale into a different product, beautify the packaging, or invent missing details. Do not make the product taller, shorter, wider, slimmer, or more premium-looking. Do not add props, scenery, hands, shadows, reflections, badges, or extra objects.
Only clean what is necessary:
remove background clutter
refine the product edges
reduce distracting glare or reflections only if they obscure the product
keep the product realistic and true to the original
Final output: one isolated front-facing product on a solid white background, suitable as a clean reference image for later image generation.
A second common case is clothing. If your product image shows the clothing being worn, but the scene you choose does not include a person, the AI can sometimes return an image that looks too much like the original product image.
In that case, be very explicit in your prompt. For example:
You MUST show my [product name] within the selected scene. You MUST NOT just return the same original product image.
For example:
You MUST show my cycling shorts within the selected scene. You MUST NOT just return the same original product image.
For best results:
name the product clearly in the prompt
say that the product must appear inside the scene
use a clean product image where possible
avoid product images with extra props, scenery, or unrelated objects
start with one primary product image when possible
What’s Next?
Found the perfect shot?
Refine your work: Use the Edit & Upscale tools to prep the image for high-res printing or web use.
Get Organized: Move your favorite outputs into Folders to share with your social or web teams.