Swap the backdrop on 90 product photos: mask edit or cutout plus plate

Changing the background on 90 product photos costs $2.05 if you cut each product out and paste it on one shared background plate, $4.25 with a new plate per photo, and $5.01 with a GPT Image 2.5 mask edit at medium quality. The mask edit has the advantage of repainting light and shadow, while the cutout routes keep the product pixels exactly as shot.

The three routes priced

A mask edit is one GPT Image 2.5 call per photo, with mask_url marking the backdrop. At medium that is $0.055625, so 90 photos are $5.00625. The cutout route is RMBG at $0.0225 per photo, plus a background plate, plus a local composite. A plate per photo at GPT Image 2.5 low is $0.02475, which gives $0.04725 per photo and $4.2525 for 90.

A single plate for the whole batch is generated once for $0.02475. Then 90 cutouts at $0.0225 are $2.025, and the total is $2.04975.

Which one gives a believable photo

A cutout pasted on a plate has no shadow and no reflection unless you add them. For a product that stands on a surface, that is obvious. Add a soft shadow in code, or ask the plate for a surface that already matches the lighting. The mask edit can paint a contact shadow because it works on the whole frame.

A mask edit has a different risk: the model may alter the product at the mask edge, such as a logo or a seam. For regulated or branded goods, the cutout route keeps the product pixels as photographed, which is the reason to prefer it.

A recommended split

Use a shared plate for a catalog where every item sits on the same studio sweep. That is the $2.05 route and it also gives the most consistent set. Use mask edits for lifestyle shots where each backdrop has to suit the product, and start at low quality. Run 5 photos on each route, put them side by side, and then choose.

Both routes need the product photo URL to be a public HTTPS address. The mask route also needs a mask per photo, which you can produce from the RMBG cutout itself by turning the alpha channel into a black-and-white image. See the mask rules post before you build 90 masks.

Cost of the review

Every route needs a look at each result. At 90 photos the review takes more time than the generation costs. For the shared-plate route, put the pasted result on a contact sheet of 15 per page so a reviewer can scan six pages. Flag only the cutouts with ragged edges, and send those photos back for a re-shoot or a manual mask.

Re-cutting a rejected photo is $0.0225, so ten rejects add $0.225 to the $2.04975 total. The cost of the pipeline is small. The cost of an unchecked bad edge on a live listing is not.